The Stanley Cup. First presented in 1894 by Lord Stanley as the Dominion Challenge Cup, it was originally awarded to the top amateur hockey teams in Canada. It's now controlled by the National Hockey League, and is the oldest team-sports trophy in North America. The Calgary Flames have been in two Stanley Cup Finals previously, losing in 1986 to the Montreal Canadiens and later defeating those same Canadiens in 1989. The names of the winning players and coaches are engraved on the Cup.

Every little boy (and some little girls) in Canada grows up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup. In road hockey games and pickup shinny games across the land, every game is Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals of the imagination.

It's more than a shiny trophy. It's literally a piece of our national heritage. Winning it is one of the most difficult achievements in all of sports. Some of the greatest players in the history of the game, such as Darryl Sittler and Marcel Dionne, have played long careers and never won it. Winning it is the culmination of a lifetime's work.

So yeah, people get a little excited once the Stanley Cup Finals start. :-)

When the Flames won their first Stanley Cup in 1989, I was 13 years old and full of optimism. It was the first of what I was convinced would be a long string of championships for my hometown Flames. But the Flames never returned for a second drink of champagne from Lord Stanley's Mug. Indeed, until this year, they never won another playoff series.

But to paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger.... "we're back!" It's a long, arduous road to the Stanley Cup, but the boys are hangin' in. In the rear-view mirror we see the Vancouver Canucks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Eastern Conference Champions Sharks, and all the other NHL teams who didn't make it this far.

The road ahead still has one more obstacle: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

proicehockey.about.com undated - The Stanley Cup Marathon: A Fan’s Survival Guide

Calgary Sun May 21 2004 - The breast Finals ever!

bloomberg.com May 21 2004 - Low ratings predicted

espn.com May 23 2004 - Sutter attitude goes a long way

The Arizona Republic May 23 2004 - Stanley Cup for Calgary, it's only fair

foxsports.com May 25 2004 - Pay Attention! Snooze and lose if you overlook the Stanley Cup finals

tsn.ca May 26 2004 - Flames burn his team, then his house.

CNN/Sports Illustrated May 26 2004 - Game One ratings: awesome in Canada, awful in USA

nhl.com May 26 2004 - The end of the neutral-zone trap?

Edmonton Sun May 30 2004 - Old-time hockey!

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