Sharing The Cup

On the corner of Sparks and Elgin streets in Ottawa, Ontario, once stood a famous hotel called The Russell House. Built in the 1840s, this majestic resort was the foremost destination for any distinguished visitors. 

Most of Canada’s politicians lived in the hotel when Parliament was in session, enjoying the wonderful bar, food and other amenities. In 1892, the Governor General was holding a dinner meeting to discuss the Canadian ice hockey teams. 

Lord Stanley was an avid sportsman who was raised in a royal family in London, and loved watching hockey. At this meeting, he announced he would offer a trophy in his name to the best Canadian hockey team, then known as the Dominion Hockey Cup Challenge. From that day forward, the trophy would forever be named the Stanley Cup. 

The Stanley Cup Trophy comes with certain rules. 

1. The winners shall return the Cup in good order when required by the trustees so that it may be handed over to any other team which may win it.

2. Each winning team, at its own expense, may have the club name and year engraved on a silver ring fitted on the Cup.

3. The Cup shall remain a challenge cup, and should not become the property of one team, even if won more than once.

4. The trustees shall maintain absolute authority in all situations or disputes over the winner of the Cup.

5. If one of the existing trustees resigns or drops out, the remaining trustee shall nominate a substitute.

It also comes with traditions. The winning team must drink champagne from the bowl. The captain of the winning team is the first one to hold the trophy and skate around the ring, showing the fans. 

The winning team is allotted 100 days of sharing the cup with members of the team but it is always accompanied by one representative of the Hockey Hall of Fame. When the 100 days has ended the cup is returned and no one is allowed to touch the cup with their bare hands. 

"You don't touch the Stanley Cup until you've earned it," said Philip Pritchard, vice president and curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame. "It's an unwritten rule, but it's one of the best rules in sport."

These traditions and rules make winning the cup even more special.  As Florida Panther coach Paul Maurice, said after their win about the Cup. “It’s not mine. I got a piece of it — just a piece of it. So, I don’t feel like I won a Stanley Cup. I feel like I got a piece of it. And that’s way better.”

What Maurice eloquently said is what the Cup represents and is a reminder to all leaders and teammates — sharing success is what separates the good leader from the great ones, what makes good teams, GREAT.  Lord Stanley’s Cup represents sharing the achievement, sharing the joy, the pain experienced from all the hard work, sharing the champagne from its cup, to bring to our hometowns. The Cup is never about ONE, it’s about all, and the winners all share — each gaining a piece that can last a lifetime. As a leader, Maurice is right, we only take a small piece and let those we lead gain the biggest slice.

From a hotel dinner, to a Fort Lauderdale arena, the Cup carries a larger message than winning. It reminds us we all need to share in the wins. 

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