COLUMN: There’s only one Stanley Cup
The iconic image of the athlete, dripping in sweat after the biggest game of their life, hoisting a championship trophy high above their heads, is one that drives us all.
It is one we got to see this weekend. With confetti falling all around them, the New York Giants were crowned world champions and presented with the Lombardi Trophy.
The trophy itself isn’t much to shout about. It’s 22 inches tall, handcrafted out of sterling silver. It’s only 7 pounds, but symbolically weighs a whole lot more.
Of the four major sports trophies, the Lombardi Trophy is the smallest. It is also the only trophy with a stunt double. Tiffany and Co. makes two of the prized statues just in case one gets destroyed in the celebration.
All this begs a question: Are certain trophies superior to others?
In terms of uniqueness, the Lombardi trophy falls short of the cut. It actually compares well to the O’brien Trophy, awarded to the winner of the NBA Finals.
The two look like brothers crafted from the same mold. The football that sits atop the Lombardi Trophy is replaced with a regulation sized basketball. Oh, and it’s plated in gold.
A more concerning issue is the size. In a league where it’s not unusual to have a player stand 7-feet tall, the trophy should be much larger. The 2-foot tall trophy looks like something they could carry in their pockets.
The Commissioner’s Trophy is slightly better. It is at least something to look at. The trophy awarded to the winner of the World Series stands 2-feet tall and features 30 gold flags representing every major league team.
The granddaddy of them all is the Stanley Cup. It sits above all other trophies. I’m including every trophy I can think of in this category: An Olympic Gold medal, the Masters green jacket and the FIFA World Cup. In my bracket of trophies, Lord Stanley’s Cup still comes out on top.
There’s only one Stanley cup.
The trophy is remade year after year to be awarded to the new winner. Unlike all other trophies, the names of the winning team’s players and coaches are engraved into the cup each year.
But perhaps the most intriguing quality of the Stanley Cup is the legends that surround it.
The silver behemoth has been left in a snow bank, drop-kicked into an ice-filled canal and stolen more than once.
The days of the Cup’s colorful exploits may be over. Now, an NHL representative is hired to follow it during the celebration at all times, but it will always remain the most storied of professional sport trophies.
– Meredith Kinney is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and an avid hockey and lacrosse fan. She hopes one day to be a big-shot sideline reporter working for ESPN. Send comments to meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu.