Stanley Cup comes to WRAL News Wednesday

The prized Stanley Cup made a visit to the WRAL News studio Wednesday morning.

The second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs is currently in full swing. Game 5 is Thursday at 7 p.m.

For those who don't know the story of how the Stanley Cup came to be the top prize in hockey, here's a little history:

• The Stanley Cup is the oldest and most revered trophy in professional sports, now in use for 131 years.
• Dating back to the 1850s, the Stanley Cup was created as a silver punch bowl in Sheffield, England – home to some of the world’s greatest silversmiths. In 1892, it was purchased in London by Frederick Arthur Stanley.
• The cup became a symbol of professional hockey supremacy in 1910, when it was acquired by the National Hockey Association
• The name "Stanley Cup" is a nickname, but the trophy’s official name is the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup."
• The Stanley Cup is the only professional sports trophy on which the name of every member of the winning team is hand-stamped onto rings known as bands.
• Following the 2021-22 NHL season, 3,489 names have been engraved on the Stanley Cup. A total of 1,477 players have won the Stanley Cup.