Every 13 years, the top band of the Stanley Cup is removed to make room for the new crop of Stanley Cup champions.
The Washington Capitals‘ Stanley Cup victory will mark the start of a new era on hockey’s holy grail. They are going to be the first team engraved on the newest band, with the top band of the Cup getting removed and permanently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Sometime near the end of September, once the Capitals are done with their individual celebrations, the band will be removed.
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Every 13 years, the bands on the Cup get changed. The top band gets removed and displayed, while a new one is added to the bottom. The band that is coming off, however, only has 12 teams on it because the Montreal Canadiens champions from 1964-65 take up twice the space than normal. That is one of the many reasons why the Stanley Cup is the most unique trophies in the world, it’s perfectly imperfect.
In fact, there are entire articles dedicated to all the mistakes on the Stanley Cup, including the 1971-72 Boston Bruins spelled as the “BQSTQN BRUINS”.
“An organic monument” is the perfect way to describe the greatest trophy in sports. The Cup is constantly undergoing change and it is growing with the league.
The teams to be removed this time will be the champions from 1954-1964. This includes the Detroit Red Wings (x2), Montreal Canadiens (x6), Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs (x3).
Of the 342 names on the band to be removed, there are 14 Hall of Famers, including players like Gordie Howe, Jacques Plante, Maurice Richard, and Bobby Hull.
Even though it’s sad to see these players removed, they will still be on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame and fans will never forget these iconic players. Change is difficult, but a new band is required for the future champions. Alexander Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom will lead the new wave of Stanley Cup Champions.