Courtesy of the Laredo Bucks The Laredo Bucks and the Central Hockey League announced today that in conjunction with the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, the Stanley Cup will be part of the festivities surrounding the 2005 CHL All-Star Game this coming January. The holy grail of hockey will be in the Gateway City January 10th-12th, and on display at various events, including the All-Star Banquet scheduled for January 10th at the Laredo Entertainment Center.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Stanley Cup to the City of Laredo for the 2005 Central Hockey League All-Star Game,” CHL President Brad Treliving said. “The Stanley Cup is one of the most sought after and difficult to win trophies in all of sports, and embodies hockey’s rich history and tradition.”

The Stanley Cup, which is awarded to the champion of the National Hockey League, is the oldest trophy competed for in professional sports. The Cup takes it name from Lord Stanley, the Earl of Preston and Governor General of Canada, who purchased the bowl measuring 7 ½ inches high by 11 ½ inches across for the sum of 10 guineas (approximately $50) in 1892. The Stanley Cup was crafted in Sheffield, England.

The first winner of the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) hockey club, champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada for 1893.

The Stanley Cup is unique because the names of the winning coaches, players and staff are actually inscribed on the Cup. Thru 2004 more than 2,300 names have been immortalized in hockey history. The current version includes the Stanley Cup and the barrel that contains the rings which hold the names of the winning players. It weighs 32 pounds and stands just under three feet tall. During the summer time each member of the winning team gets to spend a day with the Cup.

The Stanley Cup travels more than 250 days a year and has visited the Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, the Bahamas, Alaska, Austria, Germany, and all across North America. In the last seven years it has traveled more than 500,000 miles promoting the game of hockey.