WATCH: Golden Knights take victory laps with the Stanley Cup

Watch the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights take part in one of sports’ greatest traditions: the on-ice trophy presentation.

(Video courtesy of @NHL YouTube)

There is only one proper way to crown the newest Stanley Cup champions.

First introduced in 1932, the on-ice trophy presentation to the new NHL champions is a staple of league tradition and history. The Cup is presented by the league commissioner and handed to the captain of the Cup-winning team, who then skates a ‘victory lap’ around the rink.

In 2023, Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone was the first to receive the trophy from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

This tradition became an annual affair in the 1950s, and involves more than just the captain hoisting Lord Stanley. 

The ‘Stanley Cup handoff’ has become a tradition within the tradition, as the first player the captain hands the Cup to is widely covered by the NHL and other media outlets. The captain handpicks this player himself.

Following the Golden Knights’ first ever Stanley Cup triumph, Stone handed the trophy to “Golden Misfit” Reilly Smith.

The “Golden Misfits” consist of six members of the original 2017/18 Golden Knights roster - Smith, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, and William Carrier – who were also members of the 2022/23 Cup-winning group.

After Stone, these six players were the first to take a victory lap with the Cup. 

David Schneidman

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