Hockey has problems, but they'll always have Lord Stanley's Cup

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Monday night I got goosebumps. It wasn't because the air conditioning was too cold, or because I was watching "Saw" or some other horror/gross-out flick.

Instead I was watching NBC and the euphoric reaction of Carolina Hurricanes fans when they caught their first glimpse of the majestic Stanley Cup.

The throngs inside the RBC Center in Raleigh were already loudly cheering for their beloved 'Canes, who had just won their first NHL championship. But when the Cup appeared - carried to the ice by two men wearing gloves, mind you - the fans started jumping up and down and the decibel level rose to an intensity usually reserved for rock stars _ or somewhat sentient human beings, anyway.

Hockey is my least favorite of the four major professional team sports. But it has the best trophy, bar none.

The Stanley Cup dates back to 1892 when Lord Stanley of Preston donated the trophy to be presented to "the championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada." Since 1926 it has been presented to the winners of the National Hockey League.

Every Hurricanes' team member will have their name engraved in one of the bands of the trophy. And every member of the Hurricanes' organization will get to spend 24 hours with the Cup. There is nothing else like it in pro sports.

The NFL's Vince Lombardi Trophy is classy, but it has only been around since 1967.

Major League Baseball Commissioner's trophy is an eye-poking hazard-in-waiting with its 30 golden pennants. It was first presented in 1967.

The NBA began awarding its Larry O'Brien trophy 10 years later.

These trophies are given away, then new ones are created each year.

The Stanley Cup is eternal. It has been passed down from champion to champion, from generation to generation, from the 19th century to the 21st century.

Goosebumps, indeed.

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