Finally

Panthers Coach Paul Maurice with Stanley Cup

It's over. No, not the long national nightmare, the 2023-2024 N.H.L. hockey season, ending with Game 7 being played in Sunrise, Florida on an improbably late date in June—after the start of summer—and seeing the Florida Panthers avoid a fourth straight loss in beating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1.

That's right, after winning the first three games of the finals, the Panthers let the Oilers back in, allowing them to win three straight. Each team won on the other team's ice. Shades of the 1941-1942 season when the Toronto Maples Leafs took the final four games against the Detroit Red Wings to win the cup in the ancient era of 6 teams and all Canadians playing the game.

The game is no longer dominated by Canadians. When I was a die-hard fan there might have been one or two players who were from the United States. No one wasn't from North America. Bobby Clarke, the Hall-of-Fame center for the Philadelphia Flyers would comment when he got in the front office that allowing someone to play hockey who wasn't from North America was taking a job away from the continent.

Boy, do things change. Players are now from all over the globe. The Team Canada tournament in 1972 introduced the parochial world of Canadian hockey to European style hockey when the Canadian all-star team struggled, but eventually came out ahead of the Russians. It was an eye opener.

The game now moves continuously more than it ever did. Whistles are not blown when the players try and freeze the puck along the boards. There can be 5-6 minutes of continuous play before there is a whistle for a penalty, offside or icing.

The center zone was shrunk to add more space behind the goal. allowing players to make plays from back there. Two line passes have been allowed that create great solo scoring opportunities when the  passes land right on a player's stick, allowing a player to burst over the blue line and challenge the goaltender one-on-one.

The Stanley Cup is the most emblematic trophy in all professional sports. And also the oldest. It's history goes back to the early 20th-century. Sure the N.F.L. M.L.B. and the N.B.A. present trophies, but these do not have the history of the Stanley Cup and they were created decades later.

Players from those winning teams don't get to take those trophies around during the off season and show them off to their friends and public. My friend Johnny M. and I have eaten breakfast at Poopies in Glens Falls, New York for many years when we were upstate for our annual pilgrimage to Saratoga racetrack.

The owner, Jerry Di Manno who works the grill, grew up in the area, likely in the house that is above the eatery and knows everyone in the town. Glens Falls is the home of the Adirondack Red Winds, an A.H.L. affiliate of the parent club the Detroit Red Wings.

After the Red Wings won the cup someone stopped by Poopies and allowed Jerry to the photographed with it. The photo is one of the many assorted photos on the walls of the small restaurant.

Hockey is unique in that thee are other historic trophies awarded at the end of the season; serious silver hardware. These awards/trophies are for several playing achievements other than just being the champions. There is the Conn Smythe trophy awarded to the M.V.P. playoff player in the incredible long playoff rounds that can go 28 games if each bracket goes 7 games.

This year's winner was Connor McDavid, a center for the losing Edmonton Oilers. It was only the second time that a player from the losing team won the award. Connor amassed an incredible 34 assists and 8 goals for 42 points in 25 playoff games, third behind Wayne Gretsky and Mario Lemieux in a playoff season..

The trophy depicts Maple Leaf Garden as it stood on Cabbage Street in Toronto. In the middle 70s I saw a game there between the Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. Toronto fans then were quite reserved and didn't make much noise. You also couldn't bring a beer back to your seat. Conn Smythe was a principal owner of the Leafs from 1927-1961. Hockey trophies honor individuals.

Other named trophies will be awarded to their recipients this year at the Sphere in Las Vegas, televised by ESPN. There isn't anything that can't be made into a TV show.

Art Ross Trophy

There are a slew of other named trophies: Vezina for the best goaltender; Hart for the M.V.P. for the season; Art Ross, scoring title; Calder, rookie of the year. There are more. It's what makes hockey unique.

All trophies are on display at the Hockey Hall of fame in Toronto. Always worth a take.

In the early 70s all the hockey trophies were on display in the Madison Square Garden Rotunda. My friend Andy and I went to see and take pictures. The pictures I think were lost by the processor. I took more picture when I visited the hockey Hall of Fame in the mid-70s.

But the Stanley Cup is the Holy Grail. It is brought to the arena by the custodian, Phil Pritchard, when there is a game that can result in a team winning the Cup. Needless to say, it is there for a Game 7.

Phil has been the custodian for over 30 years, and handles the Cup like an auction presenter at Sotheby's. He treats the Cup as if he was handling the Mona Lisa. He always wears while gloves, and the rule is no one else can touch the Cup until they've won the cup. Then, they don't wear white gloves as the cup gets passed around after being presented to the captain of the winning team. The Cup is impressively shiny. Phil takes good care of it.

His care extends to saving the gloves he was wearing as he presented the Cup each year for the past 30 years. He bags the gloves in what could be called an "evidence bag" and marks the year. He's got quite a collection.

Panthers/Oilers...another pair of teams I have no affinity for other than liking hockey. The good news for the Florida fans was that they won the Cup at home.

Goodness knows, they paid plenty to attend all those playoff games. At least they came away a winner.

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