Original Stanley Cup in spotlight to celebrate its 125th anniversary

TORONTO --It's not every day when the original Stanley Cup, first awarded 125 years ago Tuesday, is on display for all to see. So it was no surprise visitors from across the world came to mark the occasion at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The Cup glistened and sparkled, much the same way it likely did when donated by Lord Stanley of Preston and presented to the Montreal AAA Hockey Club on May 15, 1893.

"We are very interested in hockey at home, so it was a must-see, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the original Stanley Cup," said Yann Iuberg of Hamburg, Germany. "It's pretty awesome; this is one of the highlights for sure. Seeing this one, which is the very original one is pretty, pretty cool."

Last presented in the late 1960s, the Original Stanley Cup has a permanent home in the vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame and is rarely taken out for public viewing.
Carol MacMullin, who grew up in Nova Scotia in a family of 18 children and now lives in Toronto, did not want to miss an opportunity to see the Original Stanley Cup. She said viewing the current Cup never gets old to her.
"I've seen the Cup a few times but I just love it and want to touch it every time," MacMullin said. "The original one is beautiful, I think it's beautiful. It's amazing to think how far this goes back."

Despite living in Toronto, MacMullin said she is not a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, but is cheering for the Winnipeg Jets this year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"My sister's team is Winnipeg so I don't like cheering for them around her," MacMullin said. "I don't want her to see me cheering for Winnipeg, but I am because they're the only Canadian team left."

Trevor Beck, who lives in Muskegon, Michigan, and is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, had visited the Hall once before as a child but said his memory of that day was faint. He did not know the Original Stanley Cup was going to be on display before visiting Tuesday, but said it was an added bonus to see it up close.
"This was the first thing we wanted to come see when they told us it was out, so we were pretty excited," Beck said. "It's absolutely crazy to think how long the game has been around and this was the Cup that was originally used."