Whoever wins the NHL Finals gets the Stanley Cup and their names engraved on the cup. Every player and coach is given one or two days with the Stanley Cup during which he can do whatever he wants with it. The Cup has Several Honor Guards who go wherever the cup goes and protect the cup with their lives, not to mention they keep the cup polished and well maintained. Ed Belfour (Stars goalie, won in 1999) took the Stanley Cup to the Tilt-o-Whirl at a themepark, as displayed in a Stanley Cup commercial, where he's screaming "Faster, Faster!" And the Honor Guards are muttering "Oh, god." With the Stanley Cup comically tucked in with a seat belt.

Mike Modano (Stars forward, won in 1999) had his picture taken with the Stanley Cup and his family, during which, his child beats on the cup with a hockey stick and screams 'DADDY YOU LOVE IT MORE THAN ME'.

There is a moratorium on drinking from the cup: If your name is not on the Stanley Cup, you may not drink from it (unless of course it's okay with someone whose name is on the cup.)

The original Cup was like the top section of the current trophy, a silver bowl from Sheffield, England purchased in 1892 for 10 guineas on behalf of Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada. It is the oldest championship trophy in professional North American sports. The original bowl is now retired, and a replica adorns the current Cup.

The informal tradition of players adding their names to the trophy became formalized, and the bands were added to hold the names. In a unique tradition started by the New York Rangers in 1994, each player also gets to have the cup for a twenty-four hours, to take home to the folks or otherwise spend time with*.

So ... how did Lord Stanley's mug end up in the bottom of Mario's pool?

After the Pittsburgh Penguins' first Cup win in 1991/1992, the team was invited back to Mario's palatial home to celebrate. The house featured an in-ground swimming pool. The pool's decorative highlight was a four-tier neon-lit waterfall.

During the course of the party, Penguins goaltender Tom Barrasso climbed up the waterfall with the Cup, and had his photo taken. After much more of this, the Cup was left atop the waterfall and the party went on.

Meanwhile, defenceman Phil Bourque, who had been enjoying a frosty alcoholic beverage or two, decided to scale the waterfall. According to legend, clad only in his underwear, Bourque lifted the Cup and hurled it into the pool, where it sank ignominiously to the bottom.

Since that infamous day, the Cup travels with security escorts assigned by the NHL.

Fun fact: The Cup holds exactly seventeen cans of beer.

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* Many have debated what should happen to the Cup during the 2004 NHL player lockout summer. The league has hit upon a tremendous idea. Since 1994, each player on the winning team has gotten to spend one day as he chooses with the Cup. During the summer of 2005, the NHL will honour select veterans from the past by letting them have the Stanely Cup for a day. According to TSN columnist Bob McKenzie*, the oldest living Stanley Cup winners will be given the Cup for a day. Bob reports that HHOF member Ted Lindsay spearheaded this effort. http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp

Stanely cup winners 1927 - 2008

1927 - Ottawa Senators
1928 - New York Rangers
1929 - Boston Bruins
1930 - Montreal Canadiens
1931 - Montreal Canadiens
1932 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1933 - New York Rangers
1934 - Chicago Blackhawks
1935 - Montreal Maroons
1936 - Detroit Red Wings
1937 - Detroit Red Wings
1938 - Chicago Blackhawks
1939 - Boston Bruins
1940 - New York Rangers
1941 - Boston Bruins
1942 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1943 - Detroit Red Wings
1944 - Montreal Canadiens
1945 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1946 - Montreal Canadiens
1947 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1948 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1949 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1950 - Detroit Red Wings
1951 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1952 - Detroit Red Wings
1953 - Montreal Canadiens
1954 - Detroit Red Wings
1955 - Detroit Red Wings
1956 - Montreal Canadiens
1957 - Montreal Canadiens
1958 - Montreal Canadiens
1959 - Montreal Canadiens
1960 - Montreal Canadiens
1961 - Chicago Blackhawks
1962 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1963 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1964 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1965 - Montreal Canadiens
1966 - Montreal Canadiens
1967 - Toronto Maple Leafs
1968 - Montreal Canadiens
1969 - Montreal Canadiens
1970 - Boston Bruins
1971 - Montreal Canadiens
1972 - Boston Bruins
1973 - Montreal Canadiens
1974 - Philadelphia Flyers
1975 - Philadelphia Flyers
1976 - Montreal Canadiens
1977 - Montreal Canadiens
1978 - Montreal Canadiens
1979 - Montreal Canadiens
1980 - New York Islanders
1981 - New York Islanders
1982 - New York Islanders
1983 - New york Islanders
1984 - Edmonton Oilers
1985 - Edmonton Oilers
1986 - Montreal Canadiens
1987 - Edmonton Oilers
1988 - Edmonton Oilers
1989 - Calgary Flames
1990 - Edmonton Oilers
1991 - Pittsburgh Penguins
1992 - Pittsburgh Penguins
1993 - Montreal Canadiens
1994 - New York Rangers
1995 - New Jersey Devils
1996 - Colorado Avalanche
1997 - Detroit Red Wings
1998 - Detroit Red Wings
1999 - Dallas Stars
2000 - New Jersey Devils
2001 - Colorado Avalanche
2002 - Detroit Red Wings
2003 - New Jersey Devils
2004 - Tampa Bay Lightning
2005 - No winner
2006 - Carolina Hurricanes
2007 - Anaheim Ducks
2008 - Detroit Red Wings

Every year the Staleny Cup is hoisted over the victorious shoulders of individuals from one fortunate team. What most people do not know is what happens to the Stanley Cup after the cameras turn off and the fans go home. An official tradition began in 1995 of having players of the winning team spend a day with the Stanley Cup.  Long before the official tradition, the cup has turned up in some unpredicatble places.

1. Early 1900s - A forward thinking capatalist member of the Montreal Wanderers who also happend to own a bowling alley displayed the cup in a trophy case.  As the story goes he used the cup as an impressive ashtray and trashcan combo for gum and cigars, thus impressing friends and bowlers.
2. 1905 - The Ottawa Silver Seven had Bo Jackson beat by several decades playing multiple sports. After winning the trophy members of the team punted the Stanley Cup over the Rideau Canal on the Ottawa River. This might seem physically impossible now, but in those days the cup wasn't much larger than a football. The trophy was found the next day on the ice.
   
3. 1906 - The bowl of the cup has been used by victorious players for many practical purposes. After a photo shoot with  members of the Montreal team, the cup was forgotten at the photo studio. Leaving no good bowl to waste, the local photographer's mother used the cup to plant geraniums, to decorate the studio window until hockey officials relieved her of the silver vase.
   
4. 1924 - Another Montreal team, another forgotten cup.  This time the Montreal Canadiens travelling to a victory party at the  team owner's house for a victory party and pulled over to fix a flat tire. Only after arrviing at the party did they realized the cup was left behind. Luckily for them, the cup was recovered on the road where it was left untouched, just a mile and a half from the party.
5. 1927 - King Clancy of the Ottawa Senators found a practical use for the cup.  Apparently having an abundance of junk mail and space at a premium, Clancy used the cup to collect his mail, stray pencils, chewing gum, and cigars.
6. The Stanley Cup has had many lovers, and occupied the beds of many married men. New York Islander Bryan Trottier once said, "I wanted to wake up and find it right beside me. I didn't want to just dream of this happening."
7. After a night in bed, the Stanley Cup usually takes a hot shower. Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings once took a shower with the Stanley Cup.
8. 1962 - Chicago is known more for their blues music than their hockey.  So it may not seem surprising that during a playoff game between the Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks, a fan took the cup out of the Chicago stadium display case, telling police outside that he was merely returning it to Montreal, "where it belonged."
9. 1980 - Having no clean dishes left in his appartmetn, New York Islander Clark Gillies allowed his dog to eat from the cup.
10. 1987 - The 80's was a glutonous time for many people, including those in Canada. After the Edmonton Oilers won the  championship, the cup ended up accross the street-- naked-- on the runway with an exotic dancer at the Forum Inn.
11. 1991 - In a move that would have made Jacque Cousteau proud, Pittsburgh Penguin Mario Lemieux sank the Stanley Cup to the bottom of his swimming pool.  Not to be outdone Avalanche goalkeeper Patrick Roy completed the same feat
    
12. 1994 - Not to be out done by the glutonous 1980's, Mark Messier of the victorious New Rangers took the cup to a strip club in New York City.
    
13. 1994 - Hopefully before the strip club, Ranger Ed Olczyk let Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin eat from it.
14. 1996 - Sylvain Lefebvre, Colorado Avalanche defenseman had his daughter baptized in the cup.
15. 1996 - Looking for a more creative use for a large silver trophy than a container for junk mail, dog food or baptised children, Brian Noonan found the cup an ideal rolling pin to make biscuits with while appearing on MTV.