Question about Stanley Cup Traditions

[GMR]

When did the tradition of having each player take turns skating with the Cup on the ice begin? How about the tradition of having the team photo taken on the ice with the Cup?

Also, was the Conn Smythe always awarded before the Cup presentation?

Just curious to know which teams started these trends.

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[Killion]

When did the tradition of having each player take turns skating with the Cup on the ice begin? How about the tradition of having the team photo taken on the ice with the Cup?

Also, was the Conn Smythe always awarded before the Cup presentation?

Just curious to know which teams started these trends.

The tradition of hoisting the Cup overhead & skating it around the rink was started in the modern era & by your team actually GMR, the Detroit Red Wings, 1950. This was initiated by Ted Lindsay who as tradition had it, the Captain receiving the trophy would then simply shake hands with the NHL President or a dignitary (varied)... sometimes hoist it up (first on that in 1896 during the Challenge era by the Victorias) & sometimes not... Sometimes the Stanley Cup was present, in the building, others times not prior to 1932 but thereafter, from 32 on present (Leafs winning that year), but it wasnt "skated around" & passed hand~hand.... Ted Lindsay started that as he wanted the fans to be able to see it properly up close.

Team photo's & the presentation of the Smythe I'll let someone else weigh in on.

 

[GMR]

The tradition of hoisting the Cup overhead & skating it around the rink was started in the modern era & by your team actually GMR, the Detroit Red Wings, 1950. This was initiated by Ted Lindsay who as tradition had it, the Captain receiving the trophy would then simply shake hands with the NHL President or a dignitary (varied)... sometimes hoist it up (first on that in 1896 during the Challenge era by the Victorias) & sometimes not... Sometimes the Stanley Cup was present, in the building, others times not prior to 1932 but thereafter, from 32 on present (Leafs winning that year), but it wasnt "skated around" & passed hand~hand.... Ted Lindsay started that as he wanted the fans to be able to see it properly up close.

Team photo's & the presentation of the Smythe I'll let someone else weigh in on.

Thanks for the info. Didn't know that.

I may have to google "team photo" and "Stanley Cup" and see how far back it'll let me go.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

in his autobiography, gretzky credits himself with inventing the team photo (at least the version with everyone on the ice in a big morass around the cup) in 1988.

no idea if this is true though.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Haven't read the book, but Gretzky doesn't seem to take credit for much in interviews...half the league is better than him according to him...so if he says he invented something, I'm inclined to believe him...

I couldn't immediately find evidence of a photo pre-dating 1988. The 1986 Habs kind of have a group of people standing around looking at a camera with the Cup overhead, but it's definitely not the same concept...

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Haven't read the book, but Gretzky doesn't seem to take credit for much in interviews...half the league is better than him according to him...so if he says he invented something, I'm inclined to believe him...

stands to reason

 

[quoipourquoi]

Also, was the Conn Smythe always awarded before the Cup presentation?

Don’t think the on-ice presentation began until 1988. Before then, I believe it was announced on TV but handed out backstage.

 

[Michael Farkas]

I'd bet my lunch money that Roy got his in the locker room in '86...

Then again, I don't recall Lemieux getting either Conn Smythe on the ice in '91 or '92...

 

[K Fleur]

I'd bet my lunch money that Roy got his in the locker room in '86...

Then again, I don't recall Lemieux getting either Conn Smythe on the ice in '91 or '92...

I’ve never see a pic of Lemieux with the Smythe on the ice.

Fast forward to ‘93 and we get this pick of Roy on the ice accepting the trophy.

 

[Michael Farkas]

So maybe it's a Bettman only thing, isn't that the timing...?

 

[quoipourquoi]

So maybe it's a Bettman only thing, isn't that the timing...?

Gretzky and MacInnis got theirs on the ice in 1988 and 1989.

 

[Staniowski]

Beliveau got the 1st Conn Smythe on the ice in 1965.

 

[Tarantula]

I believe a saw a picture somewhere of Johnny B of the Bruins skating with the cup around the ice at MSG, and everyone behond him. Could be a romantic picture of something I didn't see, but I believe they did skate around the ice before the presentation had carpets along the ice.

I think the 70's were a bit more informal.

 

[sharkhawk]

The tradition of hoisting the Cup overhead & skating it around the rink was started in the modern era & by your team actually GMR, the Detroit Red Wings, 1950. This was initiated by Ted Lindsay who as tradition had it, the Captain receiving the trophy would then simply shake hands with the NHL President or a dignitary (varied)... sometimes hoist it up (first on that in 1896 during the Challenge era by the Victorias) & sometimes not... Sometimes the Stanley Cup was present, in the building, others times not prior to 1932 but thereafter, from 32 on present (Leafs winning that year), but it wasnt "skated around" & passed hand~hand.... Ted Lindsay started that as he wanted the fans to be able to see it properly up close.

Team photo's & the presentation of the Smythe I'll let someone else weigh in on.

The cup wasn’t always present. In 38 the cup was still in Toronto when the hawks won. No one expected a hawks win. It was a big deal on Chicago radio in 2015 when the cup was stuck in the storm, and the announcers were mentioning the hawks had never had a home Stanley cup presentation.

 

[Killion]

The cup wasn’t always present. In 38 the cup was still in Toronto when the hawks won. No one expected a hawks win. It was a big deal on Chicago radio in 2015 when the cup was stuck in the storm, and the announcers were mentioning the hawks had never had a home Stanley cup presentation.

Yes, absolutely correct, my understanding as well so if I didnt make that clear my apologies. Seems it was a tad inconsistent during the first few decades of the NHL's existence. Sometimes it was on-site & presented to the team others not.

Until Lindsay in Detroit picked it up & skated around with it, more formal presentations when it was on-site. There are photo's that pre-date Lindsay carrying it. Still shots of players holding it on the ice, posing with it. Quite a few peculiarities, anomalies, unusual activities & inconsistencies surrounding the Stanley Cup during its first several decades of existence....

Lord Stanley bought it in London for the equivalent of about $1200 in todays money. Size-able sum for what was made in Sheffield as a "Rose Bowl". Rather chi-chi bit of bling for the Lords & Ladies Manor. Sort of thing you'd put on a highly polished mahogany hallway or foyer' table in the grand entrance but... obviously re-purposed. If the maker or retailer knew where its been, what its been up to.... spinning in their graves I'm sure. Victorians generally a pretty prude lot.

 

[Canadiens1958]

1965 Conn Smythe was presented on ice:

 

[Canadiens1958]

Picture of Beliveau receiving the 1965 Conn Smythe:

Jean Beliveau then skated around the rink with the SC.

 

[Killion]

^^^ Seems like yesterday @Canadiens1958 .

 

[Big Phil]

When did the tradition of having each player take turns skating with the Cup on the ice begin? How about the tradition of having the team photo taken on the ice with the Cup?

Also, was the Conn Smythe always awarded before the Cup presentation?

Just curious to know which teams started these trends.

First paragraph without a doubt it is Gretzky in 1988. He had heard whispers that he may be traded and he thought this might be his last Cup in Edmonton. Just by a hunch he gathered the players around for a team photo on the ice. It is very telling, in the picture the Oilers are all celebrating and Gretzky is just sort of looking down at the Cup in a solemn way. So 1988 was definitely the first time a picture was taken on the ice with them gathered around it.

As for the skating with the Cup it used to be up until 15-20 years ago or so that the mob of players just all skated around together and took turns hoisting it. Somewhere along the way it evolved into just one player skating with it on his own for a few seconds.

I looked up some old pictures and Messier in 1984, Gretzky in 1985 and Roy in 1986 all had the Conn Smythe presented in the locker rooms. Hextall too in 1987. Although I do remember it at least being announced with Hextall and the Oilers faithful jeered the decision on the ice. So maybe in a losing cause back then it was just announced and then handed out afterwards. Because Giguere was on the ice in New Jersey when he accepted it in 2003.

Also, Ranford is in the locker room when he gets it in 1990, in a winning cause of course. Lemieux definitely had it handed to him backstage because there are pictures of it. I have no idea why it changed from Beliveau getting it on the ice in 1965. Maybe it was just done more on the seat of their pants back then. I can't find images of Dryden or Orr or Keon back then getting it on the ice. There is an image of Lafleur in 1977 getting it in the locker room. Bossy in 1982 presented behind closed doors too, although for the TV audience to see.

I like how they do it today for the crowd and the TV audience to see it. Maybe with Beliveau it was just more because it was a new trophy perhaps? Then a bunch of backdoor presentations until Roy in 1993, save MacInnis and Gretzky in 1988 for some reason. I don't know, it wasn't always perfectly planned in order back then I guess.