Traditions and anecdotes associated with the Stanley Cup There are many traditions and anecdotes associated with the Stanley Cup . The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States . It is commonly referred to as simply " The Cup " , " The Holy Grail " or facetiously ( chiefly by sportswriters ) as " Lord Stanley ' s Mug " . Unlike the trophies awarded by the other three major professional sports leagues of North America , a new Stanley Cup is not made annually ; the champions keep the Cup until a new champion is crowned . It is also one of only two trophies in professional sports which has the name of the winning players , coaches , management , and club staff engraved upon it , the other being the Canadian Football League ' s Grey Cup . It is at the centre of several legends and superstitions . Many of these anecdotes involve the Stanley Cup being mistreated in some way . It is the most - travelled championship trophy in the world . Traditions . One of the oldest traditions , started by the 1896 Winnipeg Victorias , dictates that the winning team drink champagne from the top bowl after their victory . Another tradition is the on - ice presentation of the Cup to the captain of the winning team after the series - winning victory , and the subsequent carrying of the trophy around the rink by each member of the victorious club . This has not always been the case — prior to the 1930s , the Cup was not awarded immediately after the victory . Possibly the first time that the Cup was awarded on the ice was to the 1932 Toronto Maple Leafs , but the practice did not become an annual tradition until the 1950s . Ted Lindsay of the 1950 Cup champion Detroit Red Wings became the first captain , upon receiving the Cup , to hoist it overhead and skate around the rink . Since then , it has been a tradition to have each member of the winning team take a lap around the ice with the trophy hoisted above his head . This was slightly breached by Joe Sakic and Ray Bourque when the Colorado Avalanche won the Cup in 2001 . Bourque had , until requesting a trade on March 6 , 2000 , only ever played for the Boston Bruins . The seventh game of the 2001 Finals was the last of Bourque ' s 22 - year NHL career , having never been on a Cup - winning team until that time . When Sakic received the trophy , he did not hoist it , but instead immediately handed it to Bourque for him to hoist . Sakic then followed Bourque in hoisting the trophy . Touching ( or NOT touching ) the Cup . Another tradition ( or rather superstition ) that is prevalent among today ' s NHL players is that no player should touch the Cup itself until his team has rightfully won the Cup . Adding to this superstition is some players ' choice to neither touch nor hoist the conference trophies ( Clarence S . Campbell Bowl and Prince of Wales Trophy ) when these series have been won ; the players feel that the Stanley Cup is the true championship trophy , and only it should be hoisted . However , in 1994 , Stephane Matteau , then of the New York Rangers , admitted that he tapped the Wales Trophy with his stick ' s blade before the overtime period in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals . Matteau subsequently scored the game - winning goal in double overtime against the New Jersey Devils . Following the game , Mark Messier , the captain of the Rangers , picked up and raised the Wales Trophy after it was awarded to the team . Despite these touches , the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup that season . Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur hoisted the trophy as well in 2000 , after the New Jersey Devils came back from a 3 - 1 series deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games ; the Devils would go on to defeat the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals . In 2002 the Carolina Hurricanes hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy after they won their conference title ; the Hurricanes lost their Finals series with the Detroit Red Wings four games to one ( however , Steve Yzerman had also hoisted the Campbell Bowl when the Red Wings defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the 2002 Western Conference Finals ) . The superstition held true in 2004 , as Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames grabbed the Campbell Bowl , but Dave Andreychuk of the Tampa Bay Lightning refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy ; the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in seven games . In 2007 , Daniel Alfredsson and Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators touched and picked up the Prince of Wales Trophy , respectively , but Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer never came close to the Campbell Bowl ; the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in five games . Steve Yzerman , captain of the Detroit Red Wings during their 1997 , 1998 , and 2002 Stanley Cup victories , picked up the Clarence S . Campbell Bowl each time , though his successor Nicklas Lidstrom did not touch it en route to a 2008 Stanley Cup victory . In 2009 , Sidney Crosby and other members of the Pittsburgh Penguins carried and posed with the Prince of Wales Trophy before going on to win the Stanley Cup . Most recently , at the close of the 2010 Eastern Conference final , Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards picked up the Wales Trophy . Jonathan Toews , Chicago Blackhawks captain , did not touch the Campbell Bowl , and the Blackhawks went on to defeat the Flyers in 6 games for the 2010 Stanley Cup . Adventures . Arguably the most recognized trophy in professional sports in the USA and Canada , the Cup has logged more than 640 , 000 kilometres ( 400 , 000 miles ) during the past five seasons alone . Players ' day with cup . Players have unofficially had a private day with the Cup , a tradition started in 1995 wherein each member of the Cup - winning team is allowed personal possession of the Cup for a day . It is always accompanied by at least one representative from the Hockey Hall of Fame . The tradition became subject of an ESPN marketing campaign which showed players using the Cup : Ken Daneyko ate cereal out of it , Derian Hatcher used it as a cooler at a party , and Brett Hull locked himself out of his vehicle with the Cup inside while out shopping with Mike Modano . Victors of the Cup have used it to baptize their children . Clark Gillies of the New York Islanders allowed his dog to eat out of the Cup . Europe . The Cup first left North America in 1996 when it went to Sweden with Peter Forsberg ; he brought it to Stockholm as well as to his hometown Örnsköldsvik . In Russia , it has been to Red Square and a soccer game at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow , and to a monument near Yekaterinburg marking the geographic boundary between Europe and Asia . It went west to Kiev , Ukraine , for the first time with Tampa Bay Game - 7 hero Ruslan Fedotenko ; Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Anton Babchuk returned with it , again to Kiev . After 114 years , the Cup made a trip in April 2006 back to London , where it was originally made . A plaque was placed at the site of the store where Lord Stanley purchased the Cup . In 2007 , the Cup went to Helsinki , Finland , with Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne . Tomas Holmstrom brought the trophy to his hometown Piteå in Sweden in the summer of 2008 . He used the trophy as a baptismal font for his niece , and also as a serving dish for pitepalt . North America . The Stanley Cup came to Port Dover , Ontario , with Jassen Culimore when the Tampa Bay Lightning won the cup . He was the fourth NHLer to bring the cup to this small hockey town on the shore of Lake Erie . It came to Simcoe , Ontario with Rob Blake when the Colorado Avalanche won the cup . A parade was held in his honor , and a private party was thrown for family and friends . Assistant Coach Colin Campbell brought it to his hometown Tillsonburg , Ontario after the New York Rangers won in 1994 . Daniel Cleary brought the Cup to his hometown of Harbour Grace , Newfoundland . As the first Newfoundlander to win the Cup , he attracted an estimated crowd of 27 , 000 to the tiny community of just over 3 , 000 . The Cup went to the top of Fisher Peak , near Cranbrook , British Columbia and the top of Mt . Elbert in Colorado . Brad Richards from Murray Harbour , Prince Edward Island took the Stanley Cup out on a fishing boat after the Tampa Bay Lightning won the cup . It went to an Aboriginal Métis Nation Settlement , and it went to an igloo in Rankin Inlet . It served as the engagement ring bearer for the Tampa Bay Lightning ' s André Roy while in a helicopter flown by Guy Lafleur . The Cup has experienced Los Angeles celebrity glamour , having been taken on a roller coaster ride at Universal Studios Hollywood , being taken to the Hollywood Sign by Luc Robitaille . It also took part in the 2008 Rose Bowl Parade as part of Anaheim city ' s float , accompanied by player Brad May as his Ducks team were the current reigning champions . It was also a White House guest of Ronald Reagan , George H . W . Bush , Bill Clinton and George W . Bush , and it is currently a tradition of the U . S . president to invite the NHL champion if the team is from an American city . It is a similar tradition for the Prime Minister of Canada to invite the winners , if it is a Canadian team that wins , to Ottawa . The Cup has appeared on " Corner Gas " , " The Late Show " with David Letterman , " Meet the Press " with Tim Russert , " Late Night " with Conan O ' Brien and " The Tonight Show " with Jay Leno . It has served as the baptismal font for Sylvain Lefebvre ' s daughter . The Cup has even gained experience as an " actor " . It has appeared in several scenes of the long - running soap opera " Guiding Light " . It also appeared on " Boston Legal " where William Shatner knocked it off a balcony , and on the 30 Rock episode " Subway Hero " . On a humanitarian note , the Cup visited wounded United States Marines at Camp Lejeune with Glen Wesley after his Carolina Hurricanes won the Cup in 2006 . Afghanistan . On May 2 , 2007 , the Stanley Cup arrived in Kandahar on a Canadian Forces C - 130 Hercules transport aircraft . Seventeen former players played a ball hockey game versus Canadian soldiers on a concrete rink in the Afghan desert . Misadventures . The Cup has also been mistreated , misplaced , or otherwise misused on numerous occasions . In 1905 , a member of the Ottawa Senators tried to drop kick the Cup across the Rideau Canal . The attempt failed , and the Cup was not retrieved until the next day ; luckily the canal was still frozen over . In 1906 , weeks after members of the Montreal Wanderers left it at a photographer ' s studio , officials learned that the photographer ' s mother was using the Cup to plant geraniums . In 1907 , a Kenora Thistles team manager threatened to throw the Cup into the Lake of the Woods in a dispute over the eligibility of two Thistles players . In 1924 , members of the Montreal Canadiens , en route to celebrate their win at owner Leo Dandurand ' s home , left it by the road after repairing a flat tire . The Cup was recovered exactly where they left it . In 1925 , Lynn and Muzz Patrick , the sons of Victoria Cougars manager - coach Lester Patrick , discovered the Cup in the basement of their home , and scratched their names on it with a nail . In 1940 , their names were properly engraved on it as members of the champion New York Rangers . They also urinated in the Cup with teammates . During the 1940 – 41 NHL season , the mortgage on Madison Square Garden was paid . The management publicly celebrated by burning the mortgage in the Cup . Some fans claimed this act " desecrated " the Cup , leading to the Curse of 1940 , which allegedly caused the Rangers to wait 54 years for another win . In 1957 , Maurice " Rocket " Richard chipped both of his front teeth while drinking from the Stanley Cup . In the Chicago Stadium , in the spring of 1961 , the Montreal Canadiens were losing the final game of a Playoff series to the Chicago Blackhawks . A Montreal fan ( Ken Kilander ) in the stands was upset , so he left his seat , ran down to the front lobby and broke into the glass showcase where the Stanley Cup was on display . He grabbed the Cup , hoisted it over his shoulders and made for the exit before he was arrested . In court , he explained his behaviour to the judge : " Your Honour , I was simply bringing the Cup back to Montreal where it belongs . " In 1962 , the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup . During a party after the win , the trophy was dropped in a bonfire and badly damaged . It was repaired at the expense of the team . In 1964 , Red Kelly of the Toronto Maple Leafs posed for a photo with his infant son sitting in the Cup , only to find the child had urinated in it . Kelly was quoted years later as saying it has always since made him laugh to see players drinking out of the Cup . Clark Gillies of the New York Islanders filled the Cup with dog food and let his dog eat out of it . The New York Islanders ' Bryan Trottier admitted to sleeping with the Cup ( as have , apparently , dozens of players ) . In 1987 , the Edmonton Oilers ' Mark Messier took it to his favourite club in his hometown of St . Albert , Alberta , and let fans drink out of it . It wound up slightly bent in various places for unknown reasons . It was repaired at a local automotive shop , and shipped back to the Hockey Hall of Fame . The 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins and 1993 Montreal Canadiens decided to test its buoyancy by tossing it into Mario Lemieux ' s and Patrick Roy ' s respective pools ( " The Stanley Cup " — noted then - Canadiens captain Guy Carbonneau — " does not float . " ) . The Cup was then recovered two days later . Dominik Hašek had his visit with the Cup cut short for doing the same . After the parade in their honor in 1994 , members of the New York Rangers , including Mike Richter , took the cup to McSorley ' s Old Ale House , locked the doors , and for 45 minutes allowed the patrons to hoist it above their heads and drink McSorley ' s Dark and Light out of it . The " New York Post " reported the next day that the cup was taken back by the league for " repairs " to its base . Later , several New York Rangers took the Cup to Belmont Park , filled it with oats , and let Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin eat out of it . The 1999 Dallas Stars ' Stanley Cup party was hosted at the house of Stars defenceman Craig Ludwig and Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul . At the party , Stars forward Guy Carbonneau ( apparently having forgotten the Cup ' s lack of buoyancy from his 1993 adventures ) allegedly attempted to throw the Cup from the upstairs deck into the house ' s Crown Royal shaped pool below . The Cup caught the lip of the pool , producing a large dent . Mike Bolt , one of the " Keepers of the Cup " for the NHL , stated that this never happened . " What happened was that one of the players was posing with it next to the pool when someone pushed him into the water , and it went in with him . It was in the water maybe two seconds , " Bolt said . " It was a real good party from what I understand . " The trophy was dented the previous day , when a player dropped it during a locker room celebration , Bolt said . In 1999 and 2003 , the cup made a trip to Joe Nieuwendyk ' s alma mater , Cornell University , both times visiting a local college bar . In 2003 , Martin Brodeur ate popcorn out of the Cup , and had butter stains and salt damage for the next 8 days before Jamie Langenbrunner cleaned it . In 2003 , the Cup was slated to make its first - ever visit to Slovakia with New Jersey Devils ' Jiri Bicek , but was left behind in Canada ; it was on the next flight out of Toronto . Finally , on August 22 , 2004 , Walter Neubrand , keeper of the Cup , boarded a plane to Fort St . John , British Columbia , to deliver it to Tampa Bay Lightning head scout Jake Goertzen . However , Air Canada officials at Vancouver International Airport removed it before takeoff because of weight restrictions . The Cup spent the night in the luggage area , 1 , 200 kilometres ( 750 miles ) away . It was flown to Fort St . John the following day . In 2007 , a photoshoot on the set of the NBC television series " Heroes " showed actors Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere " goofing off " with the cup , including worshiping , walking with , and Hayden licking and kissing the trophy . Also , in May of 2007 , the cup made it to the set of ABC ' s " Boston Legal " . In the Episode " Duck and Cover " , Denny Crane pulls some strings to get his hands on the Cup for a day . While on loan , he takes it up to his office where he decides to engrave his name on it , noting that , " They ' ll never notice . It ' s got so many dings on it already . " That evening , he takes it to his penthouse office patio where he decides to drink scotch out of it with Alan Shore . After they take turns drinking out of the Cup , Denny sets it on the balcony ledge in preparation for taking pictures with it , but accidentally knocks it over . With a long , speechless pause , they watch the Cup tumble off the balcony to land on the street below . And with a loud , graceless metallic ' clunk ' , Alan comments , " That will leave a significant ding ! " On June 7 , 2007 , after the Anaheim Ducks won the Cup , captain Scott Niedermayer brought the trophy to the set in Los Angeles of " Jim Rome is Burning " . While the Cup was on set , the associate producer of " JRIB " , Travis Rodgers , hoisted and posed with the Cup . The images were then posted on Jim Rome ' s website , which upset many Canadians , who called Rome ' s radio show on June 8 to complain that Rodgers had disrespected the Cup . Don Cherry called into the program to defend Rodgers , stating his belief that he did not disrespect the Cup at all . On June 6 , 2008 , after the Red Wings ' Stanley Cup Parade , the Stanley Cup was pushed off a table at Chris Chelios ' Chili Bar in Detroit , Michigan and received a dent , which was later smoothed out . After the 2008 NHL Awards , it was revealed that the damage was more extensive than originally realized . A week after the same Detroit team won the Cup , Kris Draper ' s newborne daughter defecated in the Cup as she sat in it . The Cup was thoroughly cleaned and Draper reportedly drank from it that same day . On October 9 , 2008 , Def Leppard ' s Joe Elliott placed the Cup upside down on a pedestal on the stage during one of their NHL Face - Off Rocks segments at the Fox Theater in Detroit . Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios claimed the musician disgraced the Cup on purpose . Shortly after the incident , an article on Def Leppard ' s website appeared with Elliott claiming that every other sports cup he had ever seen before then was smaller at its base than at the top , so he thought this cup was no different .