A thunderous chant rises up; races like a tidal wave from one fan to another, spills over and echoes throughout the rafters above. “WE WANT THE CUP! WE WANT THE CUP! WE WANT THE CUP!” The Stanley Cup is the ultimate embodiment of a dream-come-true. To achieve this dream means your name will be etched onto a scared challis and forever be linked with hockey’s holiest of holies. The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy to compete for in North America and with age comes some pretty weird stories! It has been dented, stolen and has traveled to some unusual locations.

Partied too Hard

In 1905 the Ottawa Silver Seven partied so much after they won the Cup they kicked it onto a frozen river canal and forgot it there. Needless to say the next morning, they remembered what happened and went back to the scene of the crime and luckily the Cup was in the same spot.

Stanley Cup Reaching New Heights

On August 22, 2002 Mark Weggoner, a VP for the finance corporation that owns the Colorado Avalanche climbed the highest peak in Colorado (14,233 feet) with the Stanley Cup strapped to his back. And in 2007 Scott Niedermayer took the Cup to the highest peak in British Columbia. Niedermayer even rented a helicopter to snap photos of the Stanley Cup atop Fisher Peak.

A Little Boy’s Dream

In 1995, New Jersey Goaltender Martin Brodeur called his childhood buddies to play a game of street hockey for the Stanley Cup on the same street they did when they were kids. Except this time, the real Stanley Cup was there! Brodeur’s street hockey team lost that year but luckily for him the Devils won the Cup again in 2000. Brodeur called for a rematch and this time Brodeur’s street team won. Brodeur said when he was a kid, these same neighbors would yell at him and his friends to get off the street and they would even threaten to call the cops! But twenty some years later with the real Stanley Cup in tow, the police were called to block the street so they could play and the neighbors were there to cheer them on!

An Inside Job

The tradition of getting 24 hours with the Stanley Cup only began in 1995. But that didn’t stop Montreal Canadiens star Guy Lafleur in 1979. After the Canadiens victory parade to celebrate their fourth consecutive championship, Lafleur smuggled the Stanley Cup into the trunk of his car and drove it to his hometown of Thurso, Quebec. Lafleur had the Stanley Cup on the front lawn of his parents’ house for people to see. The team officials and NHL executives knew nothing about this and were hysterical thinking the trophy had been maliciously taken. Lafleur returned the Stanley Cup unharmed to officials late that night. Friends, family and neighbors still brag to this day that they got the chance to see the Stanley Cup on Lafleur's lawn.

Life Jacket? No thanks, I got the Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup has been found at the bottom of two swimming pools. One belonging to Mario Lemieux the other swimming pool belonging to Patrick Roy.

Scoring in a Different Way

The night after the Edmonton Oilers won the Cup in 1987, it appeared on stage with an exotic dancer at an Edmonton strip club. Mark Messier took the Stanley Cup to various night spots and let fans drink from it that night. Then in 1994, this time with the NY Rangers, Messier struck again. Messier took the Cup to Scores, the notorious East Side strip joint. A spokesman for Scores said it was the first time he’d seen customers wanting to touch something besides the dancers.

Rough Rides

1988 During the Edmonton Oilers tour of victory around the city, the Cup was dented and taken to be repaired at an auto body shop. And this year’s Stanley Cup winners, the Detroit Red Wings have already made their mark on the cup! The Stanley Cup received a slight dent after players took the trophy to Cheli's Chili Bar owned by Wings defenseman Chris Chelios. The dent has since been smoothed out. No word if a Motor City mechanic had the honors.

Holy Water

In 1996, the Colorado Avalanche assistant captain Sylvain Lefebvre spent his day with the Cup at church. Lefebvre and his wife Marie-Claire had their first newborn daughter Jade-Isis baptized in the Stanley Cup.

The Tip Off

After the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Cup in 1962, the original bowl and collar were retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame to be placed on display. But in January 1970 it was stolen and remained missing for seven years. Toronto police received an anonymous phone call telling them to look in the storage room of a local cleaning store. The tipster said they would find a very important piece of history there. Police were unsure of what would be waiting for them but as soon as they arrived and saw the distinctive bowl and collar, they knew what they had found.

And You Thought Your Spelling Was Bad

For many years, there have been rumors of a full-size replica of the Stanley Cup. Only recently did the NHL acknowledge its existence. If you get the honor of being in the presence of the Cup, here are some ways to tell if the Cup in front of you is the real deal! The real cup is riddled with errors and recent corrections!

• 1956-60: Montreal Canadiens. Jacques Plante won the cup in five consecutive years and his name is spelled differently each time.

• 1962-63: Toronto Maple Leafs is misspelled “TORONTO MAPLE LEAES”.

• 1971-72: Boston Bruins is misspelled “BQSTQN BRUINS”

• 1974-75: Montreal Canadiens left winger Bob Gainey’s name is misspelled “BOB GAINY”

• 1980-81: New York Islanders is misspelled “NEW YORK ILANDERS”

• 1983-84: Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington included the name of his father Basil Pocklington on the list to be engraved. Basil Pocklington was not affiliated with the team and when the NHL became aware of this, the name was ordered removed. Peter Pocklington’s father’s name is now covered with 16 X’s.

• 1995-96: Colorado Avalanche. Adam Deadmarsh was misspelled as “ADAM DEADMARCH” and was the first spelling correction on the Stanley Cup.

• 2001-02: Detroit Red Wings. Manny Legace’s name was misspelled “MANNY LAGACE” and subsequently corrected.