At first, the Stanley Cup championship consisted of amateur hockey teams. In the 19th century, the Stanley Cup grew in popularity, especially across North America. By 1910, the Stanley Cup had become the chief contented trophy for many professional hockey teams. As years went by the prestigious Stanley Cup became the property of the National Hockey Association. After a series of consultations, the National Hockey League was finally granted the right ownership of the Stanley Cup.
Over the last 80 years, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have become one of the strongest and favorite professional sports traditions as well as the penultimate event for hockey betting. This tradition has taken the league to greater heights that no one could ever think of when the National Hockey Association was initially formed. The Montreal Canadiens have been the most successful team of the Stanley Cup, winning four times on an average of once in every four years.
Since the Stanley Cup was designed by Lord Stanley, it has undergone numerous changes. All those who have won the cup including every member of the winning team and the coach, their name has been placed at the bottom of the cup. Today, there are more than 2,200 different names of winning players and coaches engraved at the bottom of the Stanley Cup. As a result of all these names, a new ring has to be added at the bottom of the cup every 13 years to create the needed space to add more names of the Stanley Cup winners.
Something to note about the traditions of the cup is that every member of the winning team is allowed to spend a day with the Cup. One interesting story associated with this tradition is that is that the cup got lost in 1906 later to be discovered at a geranium planter by hockey officials. The player who had been given the privilege to spend a day with it had forgotten it at a photography studio. The Stanley Cup has also been left in the bottom of the swimming pool. Sometimes the Cup has been used as a water bowl for horses and dogs, Champaign glass, and popcorn bucket. In a number of occasions, the Stanley Cup has found itself in the gentlemen’s clubs. Nowadays, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame has to accompany the Cup, every time a player has been given the privilege to spend a day with it to ensure it is safely returned.