It's playoff time in both the NHL and the NBA and it got me thinking, what is the most meaningful championship trophy in all of the professional North American sports leagues?
This includes the Vince Lombardi trophy for the NFL (pictured to the left), the Larry O'Brien trophy for the NBA (pictured second to left), the Commissioner's Trophy for the MLB (pictured second to right), and finally the Stanley Cup for the NHL (pictured to the right).
It takes great talent and effort to be able to obtain one of these trophies through an intense playoffs each and every year. But what trophy is actually the most meaningful trophy to the athletes themselves?
There is no correct answer here, but my opinion sides with the Stanley Cup trophy. The Stanley Cup trophy was first awarded in the 1890s, dating back almost 135 years ago, outlasting the longevity of the rest of the trophies by a lot.
This just shows the tradition that is centered around the Stanley Cup trophy and what pride the players take when they finally get to hold it up. Speaking of tradition, when awarded the cup it has lots of traditions that come along with it.
Still dating back to the 1890s, each team that wins the cup goes and drinks champagne out of the top of the bowl to celebrate the victory. Also, what is very different from the other trophy ceremonies is that every player on the team takes a victory lap with the trophy on the ice, which in my opinion is the best tradition.
There also come some superstitions as well leading up to the Stanley Cup such as not touching the conference trophy because teams believe if they do, they will lose in the finals. The tradition and history behind the Stanley Cup in the end is what makes it so great. Looking at the other trophies, there is really not as much tradition or history either centered around them.
Another reason why the Stanley Cup is the best trophy is because it is the most unique out of the four. When you envision winning awards, you envision taking home a gold statue that signifies your victory. On the other hand, the Stanley Cup is almost 3 feet tall, and made of silver and nickel as well. It makes it so winning the championship in the NHL isn't like receiving just some boring old gold trophy, instead you have this.
In the end, the tradition and history behind the Stanley Cup just proves how meaningful the trophy is to the player and why it is so much more meaningful than any other trophy. At the start of every season, the end goal is to be skating around the ice with the large silver cup in your hands, celebrating with joy.
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