How do they engrave the Stanley Cup? Exploring the intricate process behind age-old tradition

By Evan Bell

Modified Jul 06, 2024 20:27 GMT

The Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup celebration is beginning to wind down in Florida. The Cup is back in the possession of Louise St. Jacques, a silversmith based in Old Montreal. He will engrave the names of all 52 Florida Panthers roster members, and staff, into the fifth band of the prestigious trophy.

Jacques has been the silversmith of the Cup ever since 1989, spending 35 years engraving the names of players and staff members into NHL history. Much like in years past, Jacques will use a hammer and nails to hammer the names into the fifth band of the Stanley Cup.

Unlike other professional sports leagues, the Stanley Cup contains the names of every player, and every staff member, who has been fortunate enough to raise it.

Because of this, bands are retired and put on display along with the original Stanley Cup in Esso Great Hall in Lord Stanley's Vault. With Jacques back in possession of the cup, the fifth band will undergo alterations as the smith gets to work.

The Panthers will become the seventh team added to the fifth band of the Cup. This process will happen before players, and staff members get their time with the Cup this summer.

The Cup didn't have any players or staff members' names on it for their parade. But it will already have been engraved when each player and staff member gets their time with the Cup.

Looking further at the Stanley Cup's summer vacation after silversmith Louise St. Jacques' work

The Florida Panthers' cup celebration has already seen the franchise celebrate with plenty of memorable moments. In the days following the team's win, Matthew Tkachuk ran into the ocean with the cup held above his head.

In addition, the team celebrated at Elbo Room, a famous tourist location in Florida, where fans gathered to see the Cup in all its glory. There, players were seen pouring beer into the mouths of fans on the sidewalk two stories below.

Since then, in addition to the team's parade, the Cup has made the rounds with the team. However, the real fun will begin this summer once Louise St. Jacques completes her work. One by one, each player and staff member who was a part of the organization during their championship run will get 24 hours with the Cup.

In the past, this has resulted in some hilarious images and videos as the tradition of doing wild and funny things with the Cup has continued. Specifically, many players have eaten food out of the Cup and partied with it. And in some rare cases, they even wound up with their children using it as a toilet.