The Passing of the Cup (2010)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
At the conclusion of every NHL hockey season the Stanley Cup is ceremoniously handed from the league's commissioner to the captain of the winning team, and this exchange is considered sacred. The championship team watches as their leader accepts one of the most cherished and sought-after items in all of sports. 
Once the captain accepts the Cup, he will inevitably raise it triumphantly over his head and then lower is so he can kiss its body, which is littered with the names of every person who has ever had the pleasure of hoisting it. As this takes place, one of the most important moments and hockey and perhaps one of the most underrated events in sports takes place: the passing of the Cup. This first exchange, beginning with the captain, is in no way random - it's a selective choice made by the teams leader, and it is intended to be an honor. To have the Cup passed to you first means being one of the most monumental, respected, and important figures on your team. The sequence in which the Cup is passed is in many ways a sort of pecking order in which those who have earned the right to touch the Cup first will. Many times we see the Cup go to a long time veteran who has gone a whole career without winning a Cup. We saw this in 2001 when Ray Borque won his first Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche after 22 years in the league. So as we reach the end of this year's Stanley Cup Final round, the question has to be asked: Who gets the cup first? Normally, the first people you look at are the assistant captains. The Blackhawks' A's are Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp and the A's for the Flyers are Chris Pronger, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timmonen.
If the Blackhawks win I think it would make most sense for the trophy to go to Duncan Keith first - hes been nominated for a Norris Trophy this year as the league's best defenseman and he has been one of the most reliable players on the Blackhawks' roster this year. At this point in the playoffs he has 16 points in 21 games played, and during the playoffs he has averaged 28 minutes a game. If it doesn't go to Keith it'll most likely go to Sharp, but it'd be very surprising if that were the case.
For the Flyers, it seems that no player has been more feared, dominant, or respected than Chris Pronger. He's playing 29 minutes a game and has been an absolute force on the blue line. The Flyers have depended on him to shut down opposing teams' top guns through the entire playoffs and he has met the task. His competitiveness and toughness have made it extremely difficult on opponents to get in and around the net, which is a big reason why the Flyers are giving up less than 2.6 goals a game in the playoffs. Of course, Pronger has already won a Cup and if it were to go to another assistant captain who doesn't have a Cup, I'd pick Kimmo Timonen.
Of course, one of the great stories of this year's playoffs have been the Flyers' Ian Laperriere. He is a hero in Philadelphia. The fan's love this guy, and he is one of the most respected players in the whole league. People would love to see the Cup go to him, especially after all he has sacrificed for this team. The guy doesn't wear an A on his jersey but he plays like he wears a C. Despite not being an actual captain, he's considered a leader by anyone who has ever seen him play, and it would be awesome to see the Cup go to him.
The best part of this whole process to me is the fact that everyone is regarded. It doesn't matter if you were the best player on the team or the worst because you, in some way, contributed to the feat of winning the Cup, and that's what this tradition is all about. So as we watch the series come to a close we'll soon watch the camaraderie of the winning team as they share what they all earned together.
Once the captain accepts the Cup, he will inevitably raise it triumphantly over his head and then lower is so he can kiss its body, which is littered with the names of every person who has ever had the pleasure of hoisting it. As this takes place, one of the most important moments and hockey and perhaps one of the most underrated events in sports takes place: the passing of the Cup. This first exchange, beginning with the captain, is in no way random - it's a selective choice made by the teams leader, and it is intended to be an honor. To have the Cup passed to you first means being one of the most monumental, respected, and important figures on your team. The sequence in which the Cup is passed is in many ways a sort of pecking order in which those who have earned the right to touch the Cup first will. Many times we see the Cup go to a long time veteran who has gone a whole career without winning a Cup. We saw this in 2001 when Ray Borque won his first Cup as a member of the Colorado Avalanche after 22 years in the league. So as we reach the end of this year's Stanley Cup Final round, the question has to be asked: Who gets the cup first? Normally, the first people you look at are the assistant captains. The Blackhawks' A's are Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp and the A's for the Flyers are Chris Pronger, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timmonen.
If the Blackhawks win I think it would make most sense for the trophy to go to Duncan Keith first - hes been nominated for a Norris Trophy this year as the league's best defenseman and he has been one of the most reliable players on the Blackhawks' roster this year. At this point in the playoffs he has 16 points in 21 games played, and during the playoffs he has averaged 28 minutes a game. If it doesn't go to Keith it'll most likely go to Sharp, but it'd be very surprising if that were the case.
For the Flyers, it seems that no player has been more feared, dominant, or respected than Chris Pronger. He's playing 29 minutes a game and has been an absolute force on the blue line. The Flyers have depended on him to shut down opposing teams' top guns through the entire playoffs and he has met the task. His competitiveness and toughness have made it extremely difficult on opponents to get in and around the net, which is a big reason why the Flyers are giving up less than 2.6 goals a game in the playoffs. Of course, Pronger has already won a Cup and if it were to go to another assistant captain who doesn't have a Cup, I'd pick Kimmo Timonen.
Of course, one of the great stories of this year's playoffs have been the Flyers' Ian Laperriere. He is a hero in Philadelphia. The fan's love this guy, and he is one of the most respected players in the whole league. People would love to see the Cup go to him, especially after all he has sacrificed for this team. The guy doesn't wear an A on his jersey but he plays like he wears a C. Despite not being an actual captain, he's considered a leader by anyone who has ever seen him play, and it would be awesome to see the Cup go to him.The best part of this whole process to me is the fact that everyone is regarded. It doesn't matter if you were the best player on the team or the worst because you, in some way, contributed to the feat of winning the Cup, and that's what this tradition is all about. So as we watch the series come to a close we'll soon watch the camaraderie of the winning team as they share what they all earned together.
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