Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is one of the strangest sporting trophies in the world. It was originally put up by England's Lord Stanley in 1893 for the amateur hockey championship of Canada. Since 1908 it has been emblematic of the world's professional championship. It cost $50. It looks like an ashtray on an obelisk. The cup itself, battered by travel and rough usage, long ago became too small to hold the names of all the teams that have won it. Ten 2-in. rings of silver have been added to its original base to make more room for the names of the players.

The Stanley Cup's peculiarities are not limited to its appearance. It is awarded each year, not to the team which wins most games in the National Hockey League season, but to the one which, when the season is over, wins a tournament that excluded this year only the three feeblest teams in the league. One of the first teams eliminated in the tournament last fortnight were the New York Rangers who won the Stanley Cup last year. The Toronto Maple Leafs, by far the ablest team in the National League judged by their season's record, were put out fortnight ago in a semi-final against the Detroit Red Wings, owned by Broker James Norris of Lake Forest, Ill. Opponents of the Red Wings in last week's three-out-of-five series for the Cup were the Chicago Black Hawks, owned by Mr. Norris' neighbor, Major Frederic McLaughlin.

First Game was played in Detroit where Chicago had not won a hockey game in two years. Both fast, light teams, unpopular with crowds all winter because they lacked power to play "open" hockey against heavier opponents, Black Hawks and Red Wings started by playing even more cautiously than usual against each other. Seasoned Lionel Conacher, most celebrated all-around athlete in Canada, made the first goal for Chicago near the end of the first period. Herb Lewis, captain and star left wing of Detroit's first forward line, tied the score in the third. In games in the final series for the Stanley Cup, no ties are allowed. Black Hawks and Red Wings, tied 1-1, had started a second 20-min. overtime period last week when Romnes, Chicago's center, stole the puck in front of the Detroit net. Said he, after the game: "I looked up to see Paul Thompson sweeping in from the left. I fed him the puck. . . . And did you see him put it in?" Except for the mishap that gave Romnes the puck in time to pass for goal, Detroit's only mishap was a broken nose for Center Ralph Weiland. Hardened by two previous fractures of the same sort, Center Weiland for the second game wore a noseguard while he sat on the bench, took it off when he went on the ice to play.

Second Game-- Ordered by their manager. Jack Adams, to "bump 'em a little harder." the Red Wings tried it in the first period. Chicago's Lolo Couture raced in on Detroit's Goaltender Wilfred Cude, fell down just before he reached the net, flipped the puck over Cude's stick as he fell. Herb Lewis tied the score for Detroit in the second period. In the third, Romnes and young Art Coulter, Chicago's right defense man, made two quick goals for Chicago before the period had fairly started. Detroit was playing desperate hockey--five forwards all hammering at Chicago's handsome little Goalie Chuck Gardiner--when Johnny Gottselig, left wing on Chicago's second line, scooped the puck out of a scrimmage near the sideboards, streaked down the ice alone for the last goal of the game: Chicago 4, Detroit 1.

For the Third Game, the teams moved to Chicago. Paul Thompson of Chicago scored 20 sec. after the face-off. Reckless, overconfident, the Black Hawks broke another Detroit nose--Goalie Cude's--in the second period but when it ended the score was tied, at 2-all. In the last period, Detroit finally began to play the close-checking, deceptive hockey that they had showed against Toronto in the semifinals. Young, defense man on Detroit's second line, broke the tie with six minutes left to play. Weiland and Aurie each scored a goal in the last two minutes of the game: Detroit 5, Chicago 2.

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