Who owns the Stanley Cup?

[Mr.Nickles]

Strike and we take your Cup

The NHL may not play, but it doesn't mean Stanley's mug can't be won, Bill Lankhof says


By BILL LANKHOF -- Toronto Sun

Today's pop quiz: Who owns the Stanley Cup?

It depends who you ask, and when you're asking it.

It definitely isn't the Tampa Bay Lightning. They're just custodians -- like the Red Wings, Avalanche and Maple Leafs once were. Even the National Hockey League's claim comes with tiny loopholes.

The only one with outright ownership is Sir Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston, who paid $48.67 for the thing back in 1892. And, he's dead. You know, just like the NHL could be next season.

The NHL might be to the Stanley Cup what jam is to peanut butter, but, if they don't want to play for the jewel of hockey, nothing says somebody else can't try.

Maybe Gary Bettman thinks this only happens over his Bertuzzi-ed body but, hey, things can be arranged.

If nothing else, the Cup's history shows that it goes with the flow -- whether that be in the Ottawa Canal, Patrick Roy's swimming pool, or on the changing tides of history. It is nothing if adaptable. For instance, it was intended originally to be presented "to the championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada." And, last time we checked, Tampa Bay wasn't in Canada.

Times change. And, so have the rules for Stanley's mug. For years, it was a challenge trophy for amateurs, with trustees deciding who those challengers might be. About 1910, it became emblematic of the world championship in hockey -- as decided by teams in the National, Pacific Coast and Western Canada pro leagues. It wasn't until 1926, when the other leagues folded, that it became the sole preserve of the NHL.

If the NHL could get sole possession due to lack of interest it can lose it the same way. If the NHL and its players take away hockey next winter, maybe we can take away their Cup. Talk about your fan backlash.

We can think of a couple dozen junior teams, several hundred colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, and about a thousand beer leagues from Yellowknife to Cornerbrook, and every nook and Kenora in between, who'd love the challenge. The Stanley Cup going back to its amateur roots: Imagine the excitement. Imagine what Reality TV could do with it. Imagine the confusion.

"In 1947 there was a formal agreement between the trustees whereby the league was delegated the full authority ... making the Stanley Cup a competition for NHL teams," points out Gary Meagher, the NHL vice-president of public relations. He's right. You can check it in Total Hockey, 2nd Edition. Page 355. But wait...! The text goes on: "the agreement shall remain in force so long as the league continues to be the world's leading professional hockey league as determined by it's playing calibre, and in the event of dissolution or other termination of the National Hockey League, the Stanley Cup shall revert to the custody of the trustees."

It wouldn't take a Johnnie Cochrane to argue that a strike or lockout could be seen as "other termination". Not to mention, if they're not playing, the NHL can hardly be "the world's leading professional hockey league." And, if they're not competing, NHL teams are forfeiting their claim to the Cup.

"It's hard to answer. It's all hypothetical," said Meagher, who is really difficult to understand way out here in left field. "If and when (a challenge is issued) we'd have to review the documentation."

True, this may be silly talk - like the idea of a Conservative being prime minister. But the argument that the move cheapens the Cup's tradition is specious at best.

Face it. The Stanley Cup may be hockey's Holy Grail but it's also been used as a flower pot and a baptismal font. It's been left in a snowbank. It has shared a bed with at least one player and his wife. It has been to strip clubs and a player used it as a kibble bowl for his dog.

[imported_Patman]

OK... so who are the trustees?

[ShadowFFVI]

All i can say is "dream on"

[erikstoll]

Originally Posted by Shadow

All i can say is "dream on"

its a likly possibility if there is no season at all

[Helix]

That'd be cool to have like a playoff of junior, college, and minor league teams play for it during the lockout.

[BOLT]

Think an AHL team would win it? They'd probably be the top North American league if the NHL didn't play.

[erikstoll]

Originally Posted by BOLT

Think an AHL team would win it? They'd probably be the top North American league if the NHL didn't play.

possibly, although the top Junior tam (memorial cup champion) still would have a hope against an AHL team

[lari]

Now that would be nice. If there was no NHL, that is. You could either give it to an amateur team or maybe arrange a series of games between the top team in the AHL and the top European team. You can also bet the WHA would kill to get a shot at the Stanley Cup.

But seriously - are we getting this desperate? Is there NO hope for the NHL?

[TheNextOne]

I like how he threw the Leafs in there as former custodians...just for kicks.

[thewall33]

The keeper of lord stanleys cup lives in My hometown, New Tecumseth :)