Florida Panthers will have their names engraved on the Cup (Picture Credits: IMAGN)

The Florida Panthers will get their names engraved on the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. They won the cup in their 30th season after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the finals with a 2-1 score. This is an important and historic win for the Panthers, which also means that the trophy will have new names engraved on it.

But what happens when the Stanley Cup has no space left to inscribe more names?

The Stanley Cup has a rich history of over 130 years. It keeps on adding new names of winning players, coaches, and staff every season. Altogether, the trophy has five straps surrounding the barrel of the cup.

Each band can contain the names of 13 winning teams, and when a band is full, it is sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Phil Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup, says this way the Cup’s shape and size remain intact.

“There was talk of adding more rings, adding another 3½ inches every 13 years,” Pritchard said in 2018 (via Sportsnet). “We’d be onto another 10 inches by now. Then someone brought up that Bryan Trottier had said it’s the perfect height to hold over your head and that kind of resonated in everyone’s mind,” he added.

The process of retiring a band entails flattening the particular band before storing it in the Hall of Fame’s display case. This delicate work is done by Louise St. Jacques. She is from the fourth generation of Stanley Cup engravers and has been doing this job since 1982.

The history of this trophy is unique and its design is timeless, which makes it even more special for NHL players and fans.

More details about the Stanley Cup’s history and the process of engraving the names

The Stanley Cup, a 34.5-pound trophy made of silver and nickel, is a symbol of hockey greatness, originating in 1893 as a $50 bowl by Lord Stanley of Preston.

The cup is not owned by any particular team. They win it for a year, and then contest to win it again. Engraved names remain on the Cup for a minimum of 52 years, ensuring their place in hockey history.

Each summer, before the NHL season starts, names are meticulously engraved by hand over 10 days using stencils and a hammer, a tradition upheld since 1988 by Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques.