The 10 Weirdest Things Hockey Players Have Done With The Stanley Cup

Every NHL player dreams of hoisting the Stanley Cup, and that hallowed trophy is the centerpiece of plenty of celebrations that are held in the wake of a championship win. It would also have some crazy stories to tell if it was able to talk thanks to what it’s been subjected to since it was handed out for the first time.

In 1892, Lord Frederick Stanley commissioned the “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup” that was presented to the Montreal Hockey Club the following year to signify their status as the best amateur team in Canada.

What was eventually dubbed the “Stanley Cup” became the trophy handed out to the best team in the NHL in the 1920s and has arguably become the most iconic piece of hardware up for grabs in any sport.

Hockey players famously avoid touching the Stanley Cup until they earn the right to have their name etched on the side, and it tends to be front and center at the parties and gatherings where they take a victory lap.

Some of those celebrations have gotten a bit out of hand, and those incidents comprises a good chunk of the entries on the list of the strangest things the Stanley Cup has ever endured.

Tried To Kick It Across A Canal

The Ottawa Silver Seven had a night out on the town after winning the Stanley Cup in 1905, and a story that’s been parroted by generations of hockey fans asserts they were walking on the banks of the Rideau Canal before one of the players tried to kick it to the other side.

If that tale is to be believed, the effort came up short as The Cup came to a rest on the canal’s frozen surface and remained on the ice until someone went back to fetch it the following morning.

Multiple members of the team claim that never actually happened, although one writer asserted Wanderers defenseman Sprague Cleghorn confirmed its veracity.

We want to believe.

Forgot It At A Photoshoot Before It Was Used As A Flower Pot

The Montreal Wanderers decided to take some photos with the Stanley Cup after they won it in 1906, but they forgot to take it with them after wrapping up the session (it’s worth noting the cup was still a glorified bowl at the time, as the first band with player names wasn’t added until 1912).

The team went to display the trophy a couple of months later before realizing it was nowhere to be found, and they headed back to the studio after realizing it was the last place anyone had seen it.

They were able to reclaim it, but only after discovering the photographer’s mother had been using it to display the flowers she’d grown in her garden.

Left It On The Side Of The Road

Some members of the Canadiens were taking the Stanley Cup to their coach’s house after winning it in 1924 when they were forced to hop out and push the Model T that stalled while making its way up a hill.

Interestingly enough, Sprague Cleghorn was also a member of that squad and had been holding the trophy in his lap before putting it on the sidewalk after he hopped out of the vehicle to help.

However, he realized he’d neglected to retrieve it once the car started, and it was thankfully still sitting there when they went back to get it around an hour later.

Cursed Themselves By Using It To Burn Mortgage Documents

The Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1940 to cap off a season where they team had paid off the mortgage for Madison Square Garden, and some higher-ups decided to celebrate by burning the documents in the trophy’s bowl.

There are versions of the story that involve The Cup catching on fire and people peeing on the flames to put them out (as well as another tale that claims some players used it as a urinal in an unrelated instance just because they could).

New York wouldn’t win the Stanley Cup again until 1994, and plenty of fans managed to convince themselves the decision to use the Stanley Cup for that purpose sparked a drought stemming from a curse handed out by the angry Hockey Gods.

Chipped Their Teeth While Drinking From it

Most hockey players don’t have an immaculate set of teeth thanks to the hazards you tend to encounter in that particular line of work, and the legendary Maurice “Rocket” Richard was no exception.

The Canadiens star ended up winning the Stanley Cup eight times during an 18-year career he spent exclusively in Montreal, and he managed to chip his two front teeth after taking a celebratory glug after his fifth win in 1957.

Tossed It Into A Bonfire

The Rangers aren’t the only team responsible for a a fire-related incident involving the Stanley Cup, as the Maple Leafs also got in on the action after winning a championship in 1962.

The team hosted a celebratory bonfire in the wake of the victory, and it’s safe to assume the unnamed player who mistook The Cup for wood had consumed a few drinks before he tossed it into the flames.

Toronto had to pay for the repairs, but they’d win it three more times before kicking off a drought of their own after the triumph in 1967.

Thrown It Into A Swimming Pool To See If It Floats

Mario Lemieux had never won the Stanley Cup when he helped the Penguins secure it for the first time in franchise history in 1991, and he decided to see if it floated before he confirmed it does not when it sank to the bottom of his pool at a party he threw at his house.

Tried (And Failed) To Throw It Into A Pool From The Balcony At A Rock Star's House

A number of players on the Stars befriended the members of the legendary metal band Pantera before Dallas won a title in 1999, and they brought the Stanley Cup with them to a party drummer Vinnie Paul threw at his home to celebrate the win.

The trophy was sporting a sizeable dent the following morning, and a story that began to circulate asserted Guy Carbonneau had it in his possession on a second-floor balcony when he attempted to throw it into the swimming pool below (one shaped like a bottle of Crown Royal).

Carbonneau has pushed back while claiming he simply dropped it from the balcony to another teammate who failed to catch it, but he also acknowledged his memory of what transpired at that point in the night was very hazy.

Used It To Baptize Their Kid

A number of NHL players have harnessed their day with the Stanley Cup to incorporate it into the baptism of their children.

Sylvain Lefebvre seemingly became the first when he won it with the Avalanche in 1996, Tomas Holmstrom went the same route when the Red Wings reigned supreme in 2008, and Jack Johnson follow suit when Colorado got another one in 2022.

Let Their Kid Use It As A Toilet

There are also multiple NHL players who’ve put a baby in the bowl of the Stanley Cup right before nature called; Red Kelly’s son peed in it after the Maple Leafs won in 1964, while Kris Draper admitted his newborn daughter pooped in the bowl after Detroit win in 2008.

That’s something fun to think about whenever you see a player drinking out of it.