44: Lord Stanley-NHL

Every April the National Hockey League enters its second season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is one of the most exciting times in sports. But unlike Major League Baseball, the National Football League or the National Basketball Association, hockey’s playoff season is actually named after a person, Frederick Arthur Stanley. But why? Who was the man who later became known as “Lord Stanley”? Why is the trophy awarded to the champion team in the NHL named the “Stanley Cup”?  Author Kevin Shea, who, to date, has written 17 books about hockey including, “Lord Stanley, The Man Behind the Cup,” (he co-authored this book with John Jason Wilson) returns to Sports’ Forgotten Heroes for an in-depth conversation about Lord Stanley and Stanley’s introduction to the game; and how he was convinced to donate a sterling silver cup to the amateur hockey champions of Canada. Hint: Stanley’s daughter, the Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, played a big role. Lord Stanley, who had never played hockey and saw only a few games, was in Canada working as its Governor General at the request of Queen Victoria. Stanley’s children took a liking to the sport and from there the Stanley Cup came about. Not only will we talk about the origin of the Stanley Cup, but we’ll dive in deep to so much more including who Frederick Arthur Stanley was and the history of hockey’s championship trophy.

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