Head Tale

The 1899 Montreal Shamrocks With the Stanley Cup

The second team to make it to the Stanley Cup Final was decided tonight as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime of Game 7 of the Western semi-final. The Kings will meet the New York Rangers, starting later this week.

To celebrate another Stanley Cup, here’s an amazing video featuring a montage of every Stanley Cup winning celebration since 1949:

Some highlights…

– In 1984, Gretzky is the first person to hoist the Cup from end to end in the way we now normally picture players holding the Cup

– That 1989 Cup celebration should’ve had a sequel ten years ago

– Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that the last Leafs’ celebration was way back in 1967?

– Some people love that the first person Joe Sakic hands the Cup to in 2001 is Ray Bourque but I’ve never liked players leaving their long-term teams to teams they think will give them a better chance to win and whom they have no history with <cough>Iginla</cough>

– What this video doesn’t capture is that it’s become an annual ritual for the fans, whether the Cup is won in a home or away city, to boo the hell out of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.  There have been a few ideas about a better way to do this – one way I like is the idea of having a well-known team alumni present the Cup to the winning team’s Captain.  So in the last five years, you might’ve had…
2013 – Stan Mikita presenting to Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks
2012 – Wayne Gretzky presenting to Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings
2011 – Bobby Orr presenting to Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins
2010 – Bobby Hull presenting to Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks
2009 –  Mario Lemieux (if you’re okay with an owner filling this dual role) presenting to Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Anyhow, here’s the clip…