Faced with the potential absense of an NHL operated Stanley Cup championship this season, some folks have begun to discuss alternatives. Colby Cosh recently linked to the Free Stanley website, and to his own post on the subject from a few months ago. And, I see that he also linked to coverage by the Mother Corp. Of course, none of these folks work for the NHL organization so the chances are slim that anything will actually happen.
I did know that amateur teams from a variety of leagues originally contested for the Cup, but according to the Free Stanley site Lord Stanley established relatively specific rules about the Cup. It would appear that the Stanley Cup was intended to be a challenge prize more like many of the European football championships rather than a league championship trophy. The fact that Cup champions in the past actually defended the Cup against open challenges is remarkable; not to mention incredibly cool.
I’m not a fan of NHL hockey, but I have been known to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs on occasion. There just seems to be something missing from most regular season play in the NHL. A system to award the Stanley Cup not run by the NHL would almost certainly create a more exciting story. Even if they wouldn’t succeed very often, the very possibility of a small club knocking off a big club would create more real drama than the NHL’s “Cup Crazy” campaign could ever hope for. It has the potential to make non-finals hockey interesting.
Unfortunately, I suspect the Stanley Cup may have been too long the league trophy of the NHL. I’m not a lawyer, but I’d imagine there are time limitations on contesting stuff like this. Although, it might be worth it for a non-NHL team to challenge the current champions for the Cup whether or not the league gets itself put back in order. Of course, if the league keeps the players locked out through the end of the season, the Lightning might not have any players to defend the cup with.
I really hope the Free Stanley guys keep their project going as long as possible. No matter what happens, it will be fun to watch. And, isn’t that the whole point of professional sports?