The Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning have survived 82 gut-wrenching regular season games and three rounds of pulse-pounding postseason action, waging war over the biggest prize in the National Hockey League: The Stanley Cup.
Ranking The Goals From Blackhawks-Lightning Game 1
The Blackhawks took Game 1 from the Lightning by a 2-1 margin after a frantic third period comeback from Chicago at the Amalie Arena on Wednesday in Tampa Bay.
Game 2 emanates from the Amalie Arena on Saturday and as the Blackhawks look to position themselves two wins away from their third Cup in six years and the Lighting hope to even up the best-of-7 series.
NHL Stanley Cup Final Prediction and Preview
One thing is certain; Lord Stanley's Cup has been on a wild ride throughout the years.
Whichever team wins this series is due for a summer of adventures, or as the case has been in years past, possibly several misadventures with the greatest trophy in sports. While the Cup is a heralded and revered achievement, it hasn't always received the best treatment from winning clubs throughout the years.
Here are five of the craziest stories involving the Stanley Cup through the years.
1905 Ottawa Senators: Kicking The Cup
There are many ways to celebrate winning a trophy to clinch the season. Some players hoist it above their head triumphantly. Others plant a kiss on it and some drink out of it. None of these options were good enough for one unspecified member of the Ottawa Senators, who attempted to dropkick the trophy across Rideau Canal in Ontario. The kick across failed, and the Cup wasn't retrieved until the following day. Thankfully, the canal was frozen over.
1924 Montreal Canadiens: Kicked To The Curb
The Canadiens overcame the Calgary Tigers by sweeping the best-of-three series two games to none in 1924, but the jubilation of celebrating after winning the trophy didn't stop the team from being neglectful. As the story goes, members of the club were on the way to Leo Danduran's house to celebrate their achievement when the unthinkable happened. The players endured a flat tire on their voyage and after fixing it, they forgot the Cup on the side of the road and drove off. Later on, realizing their error, the Cup was found right where they left it.
1940 New York Rangers: Burning Down The House
The Blueshirts hoisted the Cup in 1940 after knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime of Game 6, and while fans didn't know it at the time, it would be the last occasion the team would do so for 54 years. It just so happened, that another feat was accomplished that same year with the mortgage of Madison Square Garden being paid off. Team ownership opted to burn the mortgage papers inside the Cup, leading to a perceived curse that was only broken when the Rangers won the trophy again in 1994.
1999 Dallas Stars: Sink Or Swim
This alleged story occurred after the Stars defeated the Buffalo Sabres in six games to win the Cup and a pool party was thrown at defenseman Craig Ludwig's house. Guy Carbonneau supposedly tried to hurl the Cup into the pool from a deck high above, but his throw was off and the trophy hit a lip at the edge of the pool, causing a dent in it. The Keeper of the Cup has denied the story since it came to light, so it's unknown exactly what caused the dent.
2008 Detroit Red Wings: No. 1 Trophy Gets A No. 2
Kris Draper's daughter was in no mood to celebrate her father's accomplishment after the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to hoist the Cup in 2008. Draper's daughter reportedly defecated in the Cup when he put her in the top bowl. Never deterred, he opted to drink from it anyway after it was thoroughly cleaned.
The Stanley Cup has been on quite the ride throughout the years and now the Lightning and Blackhawks are vying to be a part of the history.
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