posted 05-22-2008 04:23 PM            

My interest in silver has me seeing familiar events in new ways.

I've been a hockey fan for decades, and have become a much more committed and knowledgeable one through contact with my partner's Canadian-Michigan family, which includes a National Hockey League general manager. Every May, I've watched the western conference finals, including the ceremony in which the trophy is awarded to the winning team.

This year, as in quite a few years past, the winners are our beloved Detroit Red Wings -- but for the first time, my attention was focused not on the players but on the trophy itself.

Despite its official name, the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl is a cup. (In an odd parallel, the much more well-known Stanley Cup is actually a bowl.) The trophy is a covered two-handled cup of the form known as the loving cup or grace cup in 17th century Britain, which came into use as an ecclesiastical piece in North America in the 1700s and, in a larger form, as a presentation item.

In its basic outlines and scale, the Campbell cup greatly resembles a well-known piece of American presentation silver: the 1744 Tyng cup by Jacob Hurd, a masterwork of Queen Anne style in the Garvan collection at Yale. (It, like every item (!) in the Yale University Art Gallery, can be seen online by searching here; enter 1932.48a-b in the accession number field.) The Tyng cup is also pictured on the frontispiece and on p. 94 of Silver in American Life (Barbara and Gerald Ward, eds, 1979), and probably in other catalogs of and books about the Garvan collection.

The surface of the Campbell trophy, though, is heavily decorated; no surprise, given that it was made by a British silversmith in 1878, the height of the Victorian era. The style of the decoration is a combination of rococo and Empire revival -- applied and engraved leaves, both stylized and figural, along with scrolls and floral motifs.

The Campbell has only been awarded since 1968, and was given to the league then -- by whom, I can only guess. Most other NHL trophies were made at the time of and for the specific purpose of their first awarding. This one was already in the possession of someone, probably someone Canadian, most likely someone from British Columbia. A trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto might enlighten, but I wouldn't count on it. The curators there are far more likely to focus on the object's hockey history than its provenance.

Until I'm able to pass on more about the cup's physical history, here's a bit more of just such lore: The photo at the link in the first paragraph is included for purposes of establishing scale, but it also illustrates a recently developed superstitious tradition among players.

posted 05-22-2008 07:39 PM            

Due to my friendships, I have to go with Pittsburg, only because the Devils aren't in it, (Brodeur still rules)! I am glad though that Detroit won their division. Good luck to both of us!

posted 05-22-2008 07:55 PM            

My brother-in-law traded Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh after it became clear he wouldn't resign with Atlanta. Painful decision. I'm a huge fan of Hossa's, and he's showed what he's capable of in the playoffs so far; he's made up for repeated postseason disappointments with Ottawa. But I can't root for him against the Wings. In our family, it's just Not Done.

If any Canadians are reading along: any ideas about who donated the Campbell trophy? Or the maker? The hallmarks are probably underneath the base, not visible in the Hall of Fame display, but if you're close enough to visit, try asking...

posted 05-22-2008 08:36 PM            

The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, or the Campbell Trophy, is the National Hockey League trophy awarded to the Western Conference playoff champions. Named after Clarence S. Campbell, who served as President of the NHL from 1946-47 to 1976-77. The trophy itself is constructed of sterling silver, crafted in 1878 by a British silversmith. I am still trying to find out the smith. Perhaps one of our English forum members can find out who he/she was. The Detroit Red Wings are the current holders as you know.

Odd that it's us girls that are the hockey fans~!
We'd (fans) would love Hossa, but I don't think Lou agrees. Age I think being the factor.

Jersey

posted 05-23-2008 01:44 PM            

~Cheryl

posted 05-23-2008 03:30 PM            

The BIL made his career in the I (Flint Generals, Saginaw Gears, Toledo Goal Diggers, founding GM of the San Diego Gulls) before he got hired by the big show.

Very interesting news about the new incarnation of the Turner Cup (another cup that's really a bowl). The first thing that struck me in the photo at your link (of the "real" one at the Hall of Fame) is all the blank space on the bottom tiers... mournful blankness.

What happened to the first incarnation of the Turner Cup, do you know? Was it the same form?

Some of the others are just plain hideous (what were they thinking when they changed the Hart?).

The biggest surprise was the Monteith bowl that's the Selke. It strikes me as girly; what must it seem like to hockey players?

posted 05-23-2008 05:28 PM            

Jersey

posted 05-23-2008 06:28 PM            

quote:

---

Even the Stanley Cup that Mikey tours with & is given to all the players and coaches etc. on the winning team for a day to bring to their families is NOT the "real" one. What wild stories THAT cup can tell.

---

My partner and I still kick ourselves that we passed up the chance to go hold that cup when the BIL had it for his day in the summer of 1998. It was supposed to be a little family party at a sibling's house in a downriver Detroit town. Word of the Cup's arrival got around within minutes via cop radio and word of mouth, so hundreds of people stopped by that afternoon.

posted 05-23-2008 07:21 PM            

Jersey

posted 06-05-2008 07:42 PM            

I'm Hoping for Brodeur's 4th Vezina too! One for each of the children.

Can't wait for next season..........rooting for the Yankees for the summer season.

Jersey

posted 06-06-2008 05:43 AM            

Sadly, the brother-in-law was only with the Wings for that one year, so I'll have no more chance than the average fan to visit the 35-pound hunk of silver. We blew what might have been our only chance in 1998.

posted 06-13-2008 09:48 PM            

BUT..........My Marty got his 4th. Vezina! that one is I guess for Annabelle. I am a happy camper. It was a squeeker, but a win is a win.

On to next year.

So sad about Tim Russert the NBC reporter & a great Buffalo NY native son, & Buffalo Sabres Fan.

May we all live a good life today, because tomorrow may never come!
Enjoy the day!

Jersey

posted 07-18-2008 07:51 PM            

Two-handled loving cup by Benjamin Godfrey, England, 1737-8. The similarities to the Campbell Cup, reportedly made 140 years later, are remarkable. If not for the handles, they'd be almost identical.

This cup was acquired by the DIA in 1971 (if I'm interpreting the accession numbers correctly), three years after the CC began to be awarded.

posted 07-18-2008 08:03 PM            

I particularly like the 'bound reeding' effect separating the upper and lower halves of the cup's body. There's a French piece in the museum's collection from the exact same period with a similar motif; the French example uses fasces with the crossed-strap binding.

posted 03-12-2009 08:52 PM            

That time of year again! Just an FYI. Here's an opportunity for you if you care to take the trip. OR you can hope Detroit wins again & you can go there. Be nice to have my Devils play you.

Stanley Cup to be at Devils' alumni charity game on Sunday March 15, 2009.

The Stanley Cup will be on hand for the Devils Alumni Charity Hockey Classic Sunday at Bridgewater (NJ) Sports Arena.

The Devils alumni will take on The Bomber Hockey Club in a game beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Former Devils scheduled to play include Chico Resch, Bruce Driver, Jim Dowd, Grant Marshall, Randy Velischek, Sergei Starikov and Rob Skrlac.

Fans will be able to have their photos taken with the Stanley Cup. Proceeds will benefit the Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity. Cost is $20.

posted 03-13-2009 12:09 PM            

I've been to the Hockey Hall of Fame and seen the trophies. I found it interesting that the older ones are being constantly adjusted. For example the rings that are added to the base of the Stanley cup where they engrave the team names and all of the player names get filled up after a few years requiring more rings to be added. Rather than just keep adding more and more rings to the bottom which would make the trophy grow into tree-like proportions they take off old ones and retire them to make room for new ones.

posted 03-13-2009 01:23 PM            

Welcome to the club.

BTW Zach is a very nice young man as well. Maybe next year will be his, I doubt he will beat Ovetchkin this year but he is certainly giving it his best shot (pun intended).
Maybe the league can come up with a silver puck award!

Jersey

posted 03-14-2009 09:47 AM            

The brother-in-law's team is playing great of late, but they were so stinky earlier that there's no chance for playoffs unless we win every game the rest of the way. So I'll be rooting for Ovechkin and company to go a little further than last year. He is a ton of fun to watch.

New NHL trophies are fun to think about. The b-i-l's most prized trophy is an MVP award from a world juniors tournament decades ago, when it was in Montreal. MVP for a single game, not the whole tournament -- but Gretzky was in the game, so it's an achievement.

posted 03-14-2009 06:17 PM            

Happy to hear about "your" teams current success, nothing like winning,

Does the Trophy you are speaking about have a specific name? Love to see it.

As you know for me tonight is a big night for my Devils. I am a wreck & holding my breath.

Jersey

posted 03-14-2009 07:44 PM            

This one, since the Montreal hosts produced it, says it's for (if I remember correctly) 'Le Joueur du Match'.

posted 03-14-2009 10:01 PM            

My Godson from Chicago is a Blackhawk's fan, hoping he will be here for a visit on Tuesday!

I'll see what I can find out about your Juniors trophy. I found some other interesting Trophys as well. Will post later on.

Glad to see Detroit won too!

Jersey

posted 03-17-2009 09:43 PM            

What a glorious win for Marty! Maybe a Sterling silver puck would be in order!

posted 05-27-2009 12:46 PM            

But in the Eastern Conference, the grip of superstition has been broken -- for now. Last year, captain Sidney Crosby took the "traditional" stance with the Prince of Wales trophy, but it did his Penguins no good as they fell to the Wings in the finals.

So when Pittsburgh eliminated Carolina last night in the conference final, Crosby enthusiastically grasped and lifted the trophy. This pleased not only photographers and rational skeptics, but also those who think silver should be enjoyed rather than simply put on display.

Update: My original account of how the "tradition" of not touching the cup started is belied by the evidence supplied in several hockey blog posts, which show that Yzerman hoisted the Campbell Cup in both 1997 and 1998. One such post also documents the rather inconsistent upholding of the superstition since; a notably successful punctuation was by Scott Stevens of Jersey's beloved Devils in 2003.

posted 05-27-2012 11:12 AM            

Hoping to see Lord Stanley again!

posted 05-31-2015 11:33 AM            

quote:

---

Chicago Blackhawks pose with the Campbell Bowl, still refuse to touch it

By Hemal Jhaveri

The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl usually doesn’t get a lot of respect. The trophy, given to the Western Conference champion, is the final stepping stone on the way to the Stanley Cup Final and many teams choose to not even get near it lest they jinx their chances for the real prize.

Usually, the captain poses for a quick photo and scurries away.

But, after Chicago’s commanding 5-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7, captain Jonathan Toews didn’t hesitate to wave his entire team over to pose with the Bowl.

In a nice little touch, players who didn’t suit up for Game 7 but still had a part in the Blackhawks’ successful season also posed with the trophy in their suits. That’s a sign of good leadership from their captain.

Captain Clutch also led his team on the ice, giving the Blackhawks a first period lead with two goals in first 12 minutes of the game.

“It speaks volumes about the character in this room, and the leadership, starting with the captain,” Patrick Kane said of Toews. “You get two goals right away. It’s pretty remarkable how he shows up in these games, and seems to come through time after time.”

This will be the third time since the 2009-10 season that the Blackhawks advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Last year, the Blackhawks got close, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final. They are also two-time Cup champions, but that doesn’t seem to mean much.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” Kane told reporters. “But it’s a great step.” Kane had three assists for the evening, marking the fifth time he’s had a multi-point game when the Blackhawks are facing elimination.

But, Chicago is only willing to test the hockey gods so much. Mindful of superstition, not one single Blackhawk player touched the trophy, all of them practically holding their breaths lest they breathe on it a little too hard.

“Tonight, we’ll enjoy this accomplishment. We know how rare and how much hard work goes into getting to this point,” Toews said. “But, it won’t be long before we move on.”

Chicago will meet Tampa Bay in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday.

---

posted 06-10-2015 06:56 PM            

As you may have guessed I'm going with the Hawks!
I am sitting here wearing my Christmas gift, from him to me, his signed jersey Johnny O # 27....I've known him a long time now. Hope he brings the cup over to me if they are successful.

Just to let you know also my Retired netminder is well & loving the Midwest & it's people!

posted 06-25-2015 10:13 PM            

That is a nice trophy. It was I believe originally made by Gorham & in 1946 was destroyed in a fire. It was subsequently reproduced by Spalding. It is now housed in a museum in Fall Hills N.J.
I myself am not an avid follower of golf but many of my friends are. Please continue to enjoy the game & the trophies.

posted 05-25-2016 02:45 PM            

To Doc

I would consider Tampa but my Penquins fan friend would unfriend me...LOL!