Fresh Ice, Old Traditions

The ice is fresh, the fans are pumped and the playoff beards are growing long. It’s down to the last four teams, the Conference Finals. Let’s play hockey! The New York Rangers lead the Montreal Canadiens (3-2) (best of 7) in the Eastern conference and the Los Angeles Kings lead the Chicago Blackhawks (3-1) in the Western conference. Winners move on to the championship, playing for the coveted Stanley Cup.

In addition to playoff beards, hockey is full of unique and long-lasting traditions. These include: throwing hats on to the ice when a player scores a hat trick (three goals by the same player in one game), taunting the opposing goalie in an effort to distract him, the sudden death format of overtime and more recently, the Winter Classic. The Winter Classic is a hockey game that takes place on or around New Year’s Day in outdoor stadiums in cities that are in close proximity to NHL teams. It began in 2008, where the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins faced off at Ralph Wilson Stadium (where the Buffalo Bills play home football games).

No hockey tradition, however, is greater than that of the Stanley Cup itself. The Stanley Cup is different than other professional sports trophies. It’s traveled farther than any other trophy and is updated each

Following each season, all players and staff from the winning organization get to spend 24 hours with the trophy. The possibilities are endless! Players have taken it to all corners of the earth, posing for pictures and cheering with pride. No other professional sport can claim the same. The Stanley Cup has also made stops at various military bases across the globe, supporting America’s Finest and offering them a chance to share in the excitement.

Can the Chicago Blackhawks (who most recently won the Stanley Cup in 2012-2013) get back into the series and defeat the Kings, champions of 2011-2012? The Kings have won the last 3 straight in this series. Can the Rangers pull out a win in the 6th game, avoiding a Game 7 against the Canadiens? In this series, arguably two of the most recognized franchises have battled head-to-head. These final few games are sure to be thrillers! The Stanley Cup finals are set to begin June 4.

year to include engraving of the latest roster of champions. It takes 13 seasons to fill each ring of the trophy. Once a ring is full, an older ring is removed for display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, making way for new champions.