Q.  Did Lord Stanley do anything of importance besides donate the hockey cup that bears his name?   And what can you tell me about the Stanley Cup?

 A.  Frederick Arthur Stanley, or Lord Stanley as he later become known, was Canada's Governor-General from 1898 to 1893.  He's been described as publicity shy and a "careful" Governor-General.  Stanley's main claim to fame of course is the Stanley Cup, but he also served as a Member of Parliament in Britain from 1865 to 1886.  He also became a member of the House of Lords.

During his tenure as the Queen's representative in Canada, he was a strong advocate of closer ties between Canada and Great Britain. However, he has another claim to fame.  According to one source, Lord Stanley participated in the first known sound recording in Canada.  In 1888, he recorded with the new technology "A Message to the President of the U.S.A."

Each year when you see the captain of the winning hockey team hoist the Stanley Cup over his shoulders he his lifting about 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms).  Of course, the Stanley Cup has gotten larger over the years as they add bands to it to hold names.  However, a spokesperson at the Hockey Hall of Fame says those bands only weigh one or two pounds and can last a long time because "they can hold a lot of names."

The cup is silver plated and there is a kind of aluminum casting underneath. For those who might think the Stanley Cup you see being presented at the end of the finals is a replica, you're wrong.  As far as the Hall of Fame and National Hockey League officials are aware, there is only one Stanley Cup and it's the real thing that is used during the presentation or at any other function.

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