It's the grandest trophy in North American sport. Though, some would argue the Arctic Winter Games Hodgson Trophy -- a six-foot narwal tusk -- is grander.
Regardless, the Stanley Cup will be awarded sometime between June 8 and 15 to the Vancouver Canucks or the winner of the Boston Bruins/Tampa Bay Lightning Eastern conference series.
In 1982, when Vancouver faced the New York Islanders, the Stanley Cup was exhibited at the Hotel Vancouver. During the 1994 finals against the New York Rangers, it was joined by the rest of the marquee silverware collection for public display at the Waterfront Centre Hotel. Thousands of Vancouver fans made a pilgrimage to see the shiny prizes. Some had tickets to the games. Others could not afford to see the finals in person.
So where will the holy grail of hockey be in 2011 before Commissioner Gary Bettman hands it to the winning team?
"This year there is no public showing planned of the trophies as of right now," the Hockey Hall of Fame's curator Phil Pritchard told me.
Tell the NHL and HHoF you want your eyes on the prize, that you want a chance to see the Cup on display during the finals in Vancouver. Send an email message to:
bhay@hhof.com
bmansur@nhl.com
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