Chronology of Stanley Cup engravings

The format and location of the engravings, including the addition and deletion of extra bands and rings attached to the bottom of Lord Stanley's original cup/bowl, has changed through the years.

With no room to engrave their names (perhaps unwilling to pay for a second band to the Cup), teams started leaving their mark on the bowl itself.

(*) Note: The Winnipeg Victorias engraved "1895" instead of "1896" because they won their Stanley Cup Challenge against Montreal prior to the end of the 1896 season.

However, the 1915 Ottawa Senators, the 1916 Portland Rosebuds, and the 1918 Vancouver Millionaires all engraved their names on the Cup even though they did not officially win it under the new system.

The base of the Stovepipe Cup (all of the bands before the New York Rangers' 1928 ring) was moved back to the top directly under the bowl.

All of the 1927–28 to 1945–46 rings from the Stovepipe Cup were redone into nine bands of various heights that were attached below the new collar, forming a vastly expanded barrel-like body.

The 1946–47 Cup champion Toronto Maple Leafs, who had to wait a year because of the redesign, was also added to the wide band.

As soon as the 1956 Montreal Canadiens added their names to the Cup, all of the various narrow and wide bands of the trophy's barrel were full.

Also the Cup underwent several minor alterations, namely the retirement of the collar in 1963 and the bowl in 1969 in favor of duplicates because the originals became too brittle.

One year later, the shoulder collar listing the names of the previous winners was also filled to capacity, but it was decided to keep it on the trophy, unchanged in perpetuity.

In previous years, the engraving of players and staff of each champion team took place during the preseason of the succeeding NHL season.