The Engleson Files

Wow! What a wonderful experience I had last night at the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Ceremony. Last night Brett Hull, Dennis Kearns, Bob Hall and Brian Burke were inducted into the Hall, and luckily for all of us Mr. Burke brought along the Stanley Cup for all to enjoy. Now, I have seen the Cup once before but it was only for a few brief seconds before they whisped me away to keep the line moving along; but last night was a totally different expereince. For $20, which all proceeds went to Canuck Place, I was able to hang out with Cup for, at least, 45 minutes to an hour (alone) and was able to just look, touch and revel in all that it had to offer - it was absolutely fantastic! In looking at the Stanley Cup, the real charm of the trophy is in all its imperfections throughout. From afar it looks perfect, but close up you can see all the scrapes, knicks, dents and spelling mistakes that cover it; and in my opinion, is where the real beauty is hidden. There is definitely something magical about the Stanley Cup and I was like a kid in a candy store last night that couldn’t get enough.

Did you know…

- It takes 14 bottles of beer to fill up the Stanley Cup.
- The 1980/81 New York Islanders are, in fact, spelled - Ilanders
- The Stanley Cup actually claims that Vancouver has won it twice - 1915 and 1917
- 14 teams can fit on one ring of the Stanley Cup, and no more rings will be added to it. When one ring is finished, the upper one is removed and then placed into the Hockey Hall of Fame; therefore, the Anaheim Ducks will remain on the Stanley Cup for another 63 years.

As for the ceremony, it too was fantastic. Big Pat Quinn was there and many told some very funny stories about him and his time in the game, and others like Ken Hitchcock, Dave Nonis and Brian Burke also gave some wonderful, funny insight into the game that we all love. This event is a highlight on my yearly calendar and last night did not disappoint at all.