My Day with the Cup: NHL Players Tell Their Stories about Hometown Celebrations with Hockey's Greatest Trophy

by Jim Lang

Never-before-told stories of wild celebrations and heartfelt moments with the Stanley Cup, in the words of the champions themselves, including Sidney Crosby, Brendan Shanahan, Larry Robinson, and Mike Modano.There is no trophy like the Stanley Cup. It has the names of every champion who’s won it engraved on its shining sides. And when it is won, it is presented first to the players, who have fought so hard to raise it above their heads. The Cup is special in another way, too. Every summer, it goes on a cross-continent tour (sometimes even overseas), visiting every player, coach, and team member who won it that year. Everyone gets their day with the Cup, chaperoned by one of the ever-watchful Keepers of the Cup from the Hockey Hall of Fame to make sure it doesn’t get into too much trouble. The Cup has been everywhere, from the bottom of a pool at a rock star’s mansion to a ride through the sky above Montreal in a helicopter flown by none other than hockey legend Guy Lafleur. It has served beer and champagne, breakfast cereal for kids, popcorn, and hot dogs. It brings joy to players and fans and inspires awe everywhere it goes. Veteran sportscaster and bestselling author Jim Lang has interviewed more than thirty players and coaches, and a couple of Keepers of the Cup, to collect these behind-the-scenes stories of the Stanley Cup’s adventures. Each one is special, but they all share strong themes of family and friends, community, gratitude, and the feeling that the greatest achievements in life are best celebrated with others.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Hockey

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Breanna]

A little insight into Stanley Cup celebrations, and unsurprisingly, they are all very similar. There’s only so many things you can do with it, so shoutout to the guys who proposed or planned a powwow or did something unique. Props to the author for skipping all Blackhawks years, good call. (I skipped the 2011 chapter because it’s been 14 years and I ain’t over it. Also Boychuk broke MayRay’s back so I absolutely dgaf what he did on his day)

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for any hockey fan! Also good for fans of nonfiction sports books. I loved hearing stories from different players and coaches or other staff who have won the Cup. It truly is the best trophy in all of sports and there is a lot of history and lore around it.

Now what I'd really love to read is a book written by the Keepers of the Cup, though I'm sure they are sworn to secrecy or signed NDAs and can't discuss all of the craziness they've seen over the years lol.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, the book is repetitive. Lots of similar stories. However, I still enjoyed it. I am a huge NHL fan so I loved reading the players tell their story about their day with the cup. And I know what my dream job would be now. Keeper of the Cup!!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are lovely and you can tell how much it means to the players and coaches. It’s just too repetitive, same day with the cup over and over again.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t read this whole book. The introduction chapter was really interesting and I learned a lot but unless you are a diehard hockey fan I’m not sure you’ll want to read all the chapters about random hockey players- at least I didn’t. I also didn’t find it was written very well because a lot of it was just transcripts. I skipped to the players I knew and then read the final chapter which was also pretty interesting. What I really wonder though is how many times the word Cup appears in this book!

[Ryan Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty cool reading how players have spent their day with the Cup

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

repetitious

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prior to 1995, NHL players had their only substantial moment with the Stanley Cup on the ice after they'd won it all and aside from a few events and the championship parade, many did not get to spend time with hockey's ultimate prize; the physical manifestation of their hard work and sacrifice. However, that all changed with the development of a program that would allow players and staff to have one day to do as they wish with the iconic trophy.

Author Jim Lang sat down with several players and asked them to speak about their twenty-four hours with The Stanley Cup and how they chose to celebrate with family and friends.

This book is a lot of the same thing from start to finish. I loved the idea and the approach, but there isn't much in the way of originality with respect to how players spend their day with The Cup. Last summer, my wife and I attended an event where the athletic trainer for the Las Vegas Golden Knights had his day with the cup here in Ottawa. To celebrate, he filled the cup with Golden Palace Egg Rolls and also held an event to raise money for Ottawa West Little League. That's more or less the extent of many of these stories - a player either holds an event for charity, takes The Cup to a place that is special to him, drinks a lot of alcohol, or spends the day with family and friends while he looks over the names of his heroes etched in the rings.

There are a few fun stories (Vinnie Paul's legendary Dallas party is a standout), but after a while, it began to feel dull. No disrespect is intended to those who worked hard to win The Cup or Lang's effort to put together a history of championship celebrations, it's just that the stories weren't overly interesting. I'm not sure what I expected, but perhaps a bit more variety.

[Michelle Caverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a well written book. Alot of player quotes that were awkwardly put together with text. Every chapter was the same, as far as "when I had time alone with the cup, I looked for the names of players I liked"-repeated every chapter. Made for a boring and uninformative read.

[Simarbir Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a heartwarming ensemble of memorable moments and heart touching emotions.

Stanley Cup is one of the biggest honors and the oldest championship trophy awarded annually to the NHL playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America.

Every year the Stanley cup goes on a cross continent tour and the players who have won it get to spend a day or two with the Cup. It is an important and memorable day of their lives when the players get to celebrate their victory and commemorate their turn with the cup. This book has brought together some really jubilant, memorable and gratifying moments from the lives of all those players who won this cup. Each player gets to share the spotlight and the author has very skillfully collected these chronicles, along with their success stories, their struggling journeys on the way to winning this cup. Every chapter of this collection is a source of inspiration, and joy, the purest form of happiness, the most organic, the most concentrated form of gratification.

It was so fascinating to read all these stories and the unique ways of celebrations that the players had arranged when they got their cup. I had a smile on my face throughout this book. The cup holds a very special place in the hearts of these players, and the way they cherished each moment with the cup in the limited time they got was so unique and euphoric. Some stories make you smile, some make you laugh and some bring tears to your eyes. A moment when the player tears up after making his mother pose with the cup, melted my heart. And there are so many such moments.

The players can get really creative with their celebrations. Another interesting tradition with the cup is that the players get to drink from the cup. They have served beer, champagne, breakfast cereal, hotdogs, ice creams, and popcorn. From arranging parties as big as weddings, to taking the cup on a road trip. From taking the cup to the pool to taking the cup to the bed. This book is filled with such amazing and funny anecdotes teamed up with pictures.

Almost all the players celebrated these days with the cup with their families, friends, communities, and their fans. While sharing these moments, the players have attributed their success to not only individual efforts but also to the sacrifices and efforts of their families and loved ones. Some of the players collected donations by letting fans pose with the cup and collecting money. It was their way of giving back to the community.

Highly recommended. These motivating stories can turn your lackluster day into a cheerful one and can inspire you into working hard, and giving your best to achieve your dreams.

Thank you @simonschusterca for my gifted advanced copy of this book.


Jim Lang

[Benjamin Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lather, rinse, repeat...

The good:
Nice quick read for a hockey fan.
This book covered Cup stories ranging from NHL legends to 4th line players that had a bit of luck making the team.
Some of the stories were unique.
It really pout in perspective what the Keepers of the Cup go through. A nonstop grind of touring and acting as security to the most precious trophy in the World.
Hey! - Lang should've interviewed the Keepers and wrote the book about them!

Bad:
It was SOOO repetitive. "I can't believe I got another few hours with the Cup." "I read the names of players I grew up watching." "We drank beer and had Lucky Charms out of the Cup".
The book read like a bunch of internet interviews bunched together.

[Jonesy.Reads]

Just in time for the Stanley Cup celebration this year comes Jim Lang's My Day with the Cup. Full of never before told stories of NHL greats day with the Stanley Cup. Each player and coach on the winning team gets to enjoy the Cup for a full 24hrs, and sometimes a bit longer. Some choose to party, some use it to fundraise for hockey in their hometown, some take it to their favourite spot, their new house, their childhood home, etc., but they each get to enjoy it however they choose. There's been wine, beer, champagne, and even cheerios in the cup for consumption. If you haven't already gotten your hockey fan a Father's Day present, you're not too late to go out and grab them a copy!

[Chantal Côté · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love to read sports biographies especially hockey related, so I was for sure interested in this one!

Although I did learn a few facts about the process of getting the cup, and how it is safely guarded, I feel the stories became very rapidly repetitive. All players basically plan the same thing and feeel the same during this 24 to 48 hours event. It doesn’t help that some players were unknown to me. Still, the author went through all the Cuos won since 1995, the year the Cup first became available during the summer through 2023.

However, I am glad I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Lance Petry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about some NHL players' day with the Cup. It covers the time starting from 1995, the year after the Cup Tour started with the '94 Rangers, and why there are Keepers of the Cup. It doesn't clear up the rumor of the Cup ending up in the bottom of the pool at Vinnie Paul's (of the band Pantera) house in 1999. Any more-than-average hockey fan will have a pleasant read and realize that every hockey player that wins the cup has a deep respect for the cup.

[Jeremy Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, nice stories of what players did with their teammates, families, prior billets and communities - but somewhere around page 20 the author comments on respecting ‘the cup’ as opposed to calling it, well, it. Yes, fully understandable given the history - but from that point onward ‘the Cup’ or ‘Stanley Cup’ was used in every second sentence. Ugh.

Who knew … three cups. I knew of two.

[brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book reading about hockey players have their turn with the Stanley cup and share their joy and excitement. There are photos in the chapters that were fun to see the players with the cup. Thank you @simonschusterca for an advance copy.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a copy from goodreads giveaways. A feel-good type of book. If you follow the NHL, then you've probably heard Cup stories before, this is more of the same. Can get repetitive so I ended up reading chapters in between other stuff.

[Lesley Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although an interesting topic and fun read, the writing is very poor. Editing was obviously not considered necessary. The author asked for favourite photos of each player but then included some other trivial photos and not the ones the players described.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

My goodness this needed an editor. The repetition was just too much for me.

The stories really weren't diverse either - I guess the juicy stuff wasn't really going to come out, but I was hoping for at least a variety of stories.

Not my jam and pretty disappointed.

[Richard Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️. Easy and enjoyable read. Stories are short and digestible. Interesting to see the common themes creep up between players and their day with the cup.

[Howie · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read about sports greatest trophy. a lot of the players' stories were similar in nature, but enjoyable just the same.

[Zach Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all things hockey, but this book was very repetitive and I wish it was maybe condensed into more detailed stories than a bunch of guys with the same story pretty much.

[Kaden Harty · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very good. I would have preferred a lot more of some recent cup winners, but overall, I liked the Saskie story!

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read

[Sayo -bibliotequeish- · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what you think it's going to be - The same story told in slightly different ways.

In the end, it was still an enjoyable read.
I obviously enjoyed the stories of the players I knew best most of all. Shanny being my favourite, and his shout out to the blue goose

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful look from players sharing their moments with the Stanley Cup. Well written and captivating read, highly recommend!