Stanley Cup Visits Canadian Troops in Kandahar

Did you know Canada.. it was Lord Stanley of Preston - Canada's Governor General that created a challenge cup held from year to year by the champion hockey team.

The original rules and regulations were as follows..

• 1. The winners shall return the Cup in good order when required by the trustees so that it may be handed over to any other team which may win it.
• 2. Each winning team, at its own expense, may have the club name and year engraved on a silver ring fitted on the Cup.
• 3. The Cup shall remain a challenge cup, and should not become the property of one team, even if won more than once.
• 4. The trustees shall maintain absolute authority in all situations or disputes over the winner of the Cup.
• 5. If one of the existing trustees resigns or drops out, the remaining trustee shall nominate a substitute.

The cup itself was a decorative punch bowl engraved with the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" and "From Stanley of Preston". The bowl would have been purchased for approx $1,186 today.   This original bowl, purchased by Lord Stanley and physically awarded to the champion until 1970, is displayed in the vault room at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

The trophy was first presented in 1893 to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association on behalf of the affiliated Montreal Hockey Club. The rules for the cup were then revised to be more specific, ensuring all teams had opportunity for the cup.  It was in 1947 that the NHL became the league with control over the cup.

The cup has been awarded every year except 2: in 1919 due to the flu pandemic and in 2005 due to the labour dispute.

In the spring of 2010 the Stanley Cup made its third trip to Afghanistan - a morale booster for Canadian Troops.  The Stanley Cup is back there right now visiting the troops in Kandahar Airfield in what could be the last event of its kind as Canadian Forces set to end its combat mission in Kandahar this summer.  In honour of International Women's Day, Team Canada alumni took on an all-female team of soldiers at Kandahar Airfield rink.

The Stanley Cup is currently with the Chicago Blackhawks - 2010 winners of the Stanley Cup - who will hold it for 2011?

Source: Wikipedia, Legends of Hockey, Hockey Hall of Fame