Longtime Detroit Red Wings great and hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe will have his name stripped off of the Stanley Cup. And Howe is not the only one from his era of hockey that this will happen to.
The Stanley Cup will be undergoing yet another change of bands this spring when they retire an era (1953-54 to 1964-65) of hockey into the Hall of Fame. A pair of Gordie Howe-led Red Wings teams will be among the names stripped.
For those unfamiliar with the process of engraving with the Stanley Cup, it’s comprised of eight “bands” holding up a copy of the original cup that was donated by Lord Stanley back in 1892. The bottom barrel portion of the 3-foot trophy comprises of five wide bands with names from past winners of the Cup. Each of those bands has roughly a 13-year span of hockey champions on it, meaning it gets switch out when one ring fills up and a new blank one gets placed on the bottom. Add it all up and teams nowadays can see their names on the Cup for 65 years.
The current model of the coveted hardware has had that look (with the five wide bands on the bottom portion) going back to 1957.
This will mark the third time in the Stanley Cup’s existence that it endures this type of facelift, if you will. Champions from 1927-40 and 1941-53 have already been retired.
Gordie Howe and the Red Wings hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in both 1954 and ’55, occupying two of the 12 team champions on that soon-to-be retired band. Those back-to-back championships preceded a string of five consecutive Stanley Cups for the Montreal Canadiens (1956-60), who also won in 1965.
This era also includes one title from the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961 followed by a three-peat from the Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-64).
Part of what makes the Stanley Cup so gosh darn better than any other national championship trophy handed out in sports is that it’s the same piece of hardware being handed out every season to a new champion. While there are technically three Stanley Cups (the original, the replica in the HOF, and the one presented to teams), the storied engraving tradition that allows for “recycling use” makes it arguably the most iconic among all trophies in sports.
At the same token, that engraving tradition allows for the Cup to maintain its height and weight requirements, so players and coaches can carry it around wherever they damn well feel like it.
As far as the old-timers seeing their names stripped, their names will be re-immortalized once removed, just in a different home in Toronto.
“People in Saskatchewan are a little upset Gordie’s name is coming off, but that’s the tradition,” said Mike Bolt, one of the Hall of Fame staffers assigned to escort the Cup around the world. “It can’t get any bigger. … We wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
“I run into some of the older timers, like from the ’70s, even the ’80s. They’re always like, ‘Hey, Mike. How many years have I got left on the Cup?'” Bolt said. “Some guys start doing the math, ‘Oh, I won’t be around anyway.’ But if you win it when you’re young, you’re going to be around when your name comes off.”
The 2-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up what will be the fourth of five bands going down the Cup. This year’s champion will be the first ones etched into the new blank band at the bottom. Now occupying the top band on the barrel of the Cup are the winners from 1966-78, who have that honor until 2031.
Here’s to you, Mr. Hockey. Rest in peace.
