1. The first American team to play for the Stanley Cup was the Portland Rosebuds of the PCHA, the first American team to win the Stanley Cup was the PCHA’s Seattle Metropolitans.

2. The Stanley Cup was originally known as he Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup.

3. Lord Stanley not only never presented the Cup to a championship hockey team, but because of having to unexpectedly return to England earlier than planned he never had a chance to see a Stanley Cup championship game.

4. The Kenora Thistles won the Stanley Cup in 1907, with a population of roughly 4,000 at the time, this is the smallest community to ever win he Cup.

5. Due to labor issues, no Stanley Cup was played for or awarded in 2005. This was the first year with no Stanley Cub champion since the great flu pandemic of 1919.

6. Jean Beliveau’s name appears on the Stanley Cup more times than anyone else. He won the Stanley Cup as a player on ten different occasions, he then was part of seven Stanley Cup championships as a member of management.

7. The first woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup was Marguerite Norris who was President of the Detroit Red Wings when they won the Cup in 1954 and 1955.

The Stanley Cup is one of the most sought after and famous awards in sports. The unique start that the Cup had as a challenge trophy that was not confined to only being won by National Hockey League teams is unlike the championship trophy awarded in any other major sport. The Stanley Cup is one of the few trophies that fans of the sport have that much knowledge and respect for, and there is obviously a reason for that.

1. First played professional hockey in the now defunct World Hockey Association (WHA) before he entered the National Hockey League.

2. After his first season in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky did not win the Calder Memorial Trophy that is awarded to the NHL’s top rookie player because of his one year of experience in the WHA. Instead the award was won by Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque.

3. When Wayne Gretzky played for the New York Rangers, it was the only time during his NHL career that he was not the team captain.

4. When the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings, the trade included 15 million dollars in cash and three first round draft picks going back to the Oilers.

5. When Wayne Gretzky requested a trade during the 1996 season, the two teams most interested were the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues. The trade would eventually be carried out with the Blues. After a half season in St. Louis, Gretzky would then sign with the Rangers.

6. Early in Wayne Gretzky’s career he broke the long standing “50 goals in 50 games” record that had been held by Maurice “The Rocket” Richard and Mike Bossy. Gretzky scored his 50 goals in the first 39 games of the season.

7. Wayne Gretzky’s name appears on the Grey Cup that is awarded to the champion of the Canadian Football League. He was a part owner of the Toronto Argonauts in the early 1990′s when they won the championship.

Wayne Gretzky is not only one of the most famous hockey players in the world, but one of the most famous professional athletes. He has successfully made the transition from hockey player to front office to head coach and is poised to make just as big of an impact off the ice that he made while on the ice. Wayne Gretzky will definitely go down as one of the most important professional athletes in history.