The New Murrey and Blue blog

All ice hockey fans, especially Canadians, are aware of the famous Stanley Cup, awarded to Canadian amateur ice hockey teams from 1893 onwards (American teams now also participate). The cup is known variously as Lord Stanley’s Mug and The Holy Grail of Hockey. And yes, the Lord Stanley in question is, in fact, a direct descendant of the side-swapping Thomas Stanley.

Frederick Arthur Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby, was Governor General of Canada and the donor of the cup. He is listed in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his family members became avid players, with two of his sons, Arthur and Algernon, setting up their own team. His daughter Isobel was also instrumental in setting up a women’s team.

It is amusing to perhaps imagine a medieval Battle of Bosworth on the ice, with perhaps a much-less-lucky (or turncoaty) Stanley’s head serving as a rather more grisly puck. (A bit like Tolkien‘s origin of the game Golf, where the head of the great goblin Golfimbul was used as the ball!)

HE SHOOTS…HE SCORES!!!! (Crowd screams!)

OLD TYME HOCKEY FIGHT!