Prized possession
Lord Stanley's Cup in good hands of Neubrand
Posted: Monday January 25, 1999 09:00 PM
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The Stanley Cup is the most storied trophy in the sport of hockey Robert Laberge/Allsport |
By Denise N. Maloof, CNN/SI
TAMPA, Fla. -- Not surprisingly, one of the most popular public exhibits at the NHL's 49th annual All-Star Game in Tampa was the display of the league's annual awards trophies.
Housed in lighted glasses at the NHL FANtasy display at the Tampa Convention Center, and dressed with engraved silver nameplates of past winners, the old sterling silver bowls and polished, worn wood bases literally spoke their history. Included were the league's oldest trophies -- the Art Ross (1947), the Vezina (1926-27) and the Hart (1923) -- while the youngest, the inaugural Maurice Richard Trophy, was unveiled during pregame ceremonies at the Ice Palace.
The exhibit's star, however, was the Stanley Cup. The real one, mind you, not an exact replica -- all 34 pounds of it, plus its personal escort, Walt Neubrand, a Hockey Hall of Fame guest services superviser. A line of people still waited to view the Cup, and have their picture taken with it for a $5 charity donation, as late as 90 minutes before game time Sunday, and Neubrand said that many fans had old him that the Hall's trophy exhibit was their favorite All-Star experience.
"It's history," he said, wearing a dark suit and lint-free, white jewelers' gloves. "And that's something that's unique to hockey."
If the Cup leaves the Hall of Fame, Neubrand accompanies it. It's league tradition that NHL trophies only leave their Toronto home for the annual post-season awards banquet, All-Star and Stanley Cup Finals exhibits, or any charity functions. Neubrand and Phil Pritchard, the Hall's acquisitions direction, shared babysitting duties in Tampa, but it's Neubrand who follows the Cup wherever it may roam.
"It's funny," said Neubrand, 29, who's had that responsibility for two seasons. "Where it goes, I go. I've been to birthday parties with it. I've been to construction sites with it. I've been on boats with it."
He's also been to Sweden for two weeks with Detroit's Niklas Lidstrom, and to an Ontario tomato field with Detroit's Darren McCarty, who wanted to show it to friends who owned the tomato field. Part of the spoils of winning a Stanley Cup means that each player on the winning team gets to show off, ogle, or just delight in the Cup for a week during the offseason, and that also means expecting a house guest - Neubrand.
"Most of the guys are real good," he said of the Red Wings' individual hospitality. "That's what good about the Cup. You gotta respect it if you're a player, eh? And they do."
As a result, the Cup is not allowed in strip clubs or casinos, or anywhere that's deemed disrespectful. It also doesn't appear in anything that's not charity-related. All proceeds from the past weekend's $5 photo fees will go to U.S. and Canadian cancer =-fighting organizations, and oh yeah, there's one other stipulation.
"Excuse me," Neubrand said, temporarily rushing to the Cup's rescue. "There's no babies allowed in it."
Drinking champagne or beer from it wide-brimmed bowl, however, is a must.
"Players who have won the Cup have earned the right to do that," Neubrand said. "And it's funny - guys who haven't won a Cup won't even touch it. It's an unwritten rule."
Or go near it. During last year's NHL playoffs, the Cup was obligated to a charity appearance in Dallas during the same week as the Stars' second-round home games against the Edmonton Oilers. Neubrand says Dallas players initially objected to his mere presence in the city - much less the Cup's -- and finally relented only when assured that the Cup wouldn't come near Reunion Arena.
"They were not going to let me in the Arena," Neubrand said. "That's how serious they were."
Part of the Cup's appeal, judging from Sunday's never-ending line at the Tampa Convention Center, is its link from hockey's past to present to future, an innate barrier against abuse. Neubrand compares its lineage to the Super Bowl, or World Series trophy, and respectfully suggests that the Stanley Cup has a bit more history behind it. Each player who wins a Cup championship receives a 14-inch Cup miniature to accompany his Cup-hosting memories. All the league's annual award winners also accept the original Selke, Norris or Masterton Trophies, but receive permanent 14-inch miniatures, which means that Buffalo's Dominik Hasek has two small Vezina replicas somewhere among his possessions.
"This is the same Cup that Gordie Howe carried," Neubrand said. "It's the same one that Steve Yzerman carried. And it's the same Cup that someone else will carry 15 years from now."
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