What is engraved in the bowl of the Stanley Cup?

One of the best parts of the Stanley Cup is that the players who win the trophy get to have their names engraved on the trophy. As you look at the rings you will see a who’s who of hockey players with their name on the cup. However, all of the names are not engraved on the rings there are actually some on the inside of the bowl.

What is engraved in the bowl of the Stanley Cup? On the inside of the Stanley Cup the winners from the 1906-07 Montreal Wanderers and the 1914-15 Vancouver Millionaires have their names engraved along with the name H. Broadbent on the outer bowl. Regular roster engravings on rings underneath the cup portion did not begin until 1924. 

Embed from Getty Images


A brief history of engraving on the bowl

When the Stanley Cup was first donated by Lord Stanley of Preston in 1892 there was the understanding that teams would be allowed to engrave their team name on the cup at their own expense. 

The first team to win the Stanley Cup, Montreal HC, did add the first ring and their name (but not the name of the players) onto the cup, but after that every team did not necessarily add their team name to the cup (Do you know who was the first American team was to win the Stanley Cup?) (Do you know who was the first American team was to win the Stanley Cup?) .

The Stanley Cup did not start regular engraving of team and players to the cup until 1924 with the Montreal Wanderers and has continued with every winner since. 

So there is a lot of variation of what was put on the cup between the first winner in 1893 and the regular engraving in 1924. 

One of those variations is that some teams would not buy a ring for themselves to put their team name on, but would add it onto other parts of the cup.


Engraving on the Inside Bowl

The variation that we are discussing is the engraving on the inside of the bowl. On the inside of the bowl the teams who won the Stanley Cup got their team name on and the name of the players on that team. 

Here is a chart of the two teams plus the one player who appear on the inside of the cup. 

Inside Bowl
1906-07Montreal Wanderers20
1914-15Vancouver Millionaires9
Unknown and upside
down on outer rim of
the bowl
H. Broadbent1
Total30

Let’s take a look at all three of these engravings


Montreal Wanderers 1906-07

The Montreal Wanderers defeated the Kenora Thistles in March of 1907 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was decided over a two game series, which Montreal won 12-8. 

The Montreal Wanderers became the first team to engrave their roster onto the Stanley Cup. 

It is not known why or who decided to engrave their names on the cup, but they did and forever cemented themselves in hockey history.

Here is a photo of the engraved names: 

Photo of the engraved names from the Montreal Wanderers on the inside of the Stanley Cup
Source


Vancouver Millionaires

The Vancouver Millionaires played out of the Pacific Coast Hockey league and they challenged the defending Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Senators to the cup. 

Ottawa was so confident they would win the up that they did not even bring it on their trip out West. The Millionaires actually dominated Ottawa outscoring them 28-6 over a three game series. 

After the series, “Vancouver B.C./1914–15/Defeated Ottawa/3 Straight Games” was added to the Cup. Eight players’ names and the manager’s name were also engraved inside the bowl along the fluted sides. Source 


H. broadbent 

H. Broadbent did not play for either the Montreal Wanderers or the Vancouver Millionaires.

H. Broadbent was for Harold Lawton “Harry” “Punch” Broadbent. Broadbent is a Hall of Fame hockey player, who was considered a star forward in his day and even won the league scoring title in 1922. 

However, no one is quite sure why his name appears upside down on the outer rim of the cup and who put it there. He did win the Stanley Cup, but not with those teams listed. 

His name appears on the first Stanley Cup ring with the Montreal Maroons in 1926. He also won the cup with the Ottawa Senators in the early 1920s. 

In the championship against the Vancouver Millionaires in 1915 Broadbent was part of the defeated Montreal Wanderersand did score 3 goals against them and then went to fight in World War I for 3.5 years after. 

It is possible that those circumstances led to his name being put on the cup but it will go down as one of those stories and quirks of the Stanley Cup that is a mystery. 


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the size of the original Stanley Cup?

Original Bowl (silver)
Height:18.5 cm / 7.28 inches
Diameter:29 cm / 11.42 inches


How much was the original Stanley Cup purchased for?

Lord Stanley purchased the Stanley Cup in London, England for 10 guineas or about $50.

Leave a Reply

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Related Articles
Hockey Answered Secondary Logo

Welcome to Hockey Answered: a resource for anyone curious to learn & understand more about the great game of hockey.

I am a lifelong fan who grew up in a major market (Calgary), and I have played, coached, and watched a lot of hockey!

As my daughter began watching NHL games with me, I realized how many questions come up about the sport. Hockey Answered is full of, well, answers! If you are a new fan or lifelong enthusiast, I hope that you can enjoy hockey even more by learning something new around here.

How can we help?