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Why Gordie Howe's name will be off the Stanley Cup this year

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup on Sunday night after a game six win over the Nashville Predators, they will have names inscribed on what some say is the best trophy in all of sports.

The Penguins will be the last team placed on the bottom ring of the Cup, according to The Hockey News, which means in 2018, a new ring will be added to the cup.

Instead of making the Cup larger, they take off the top ring and put a brand-new ring on the bottom of the cup.

The top ring features teams from 1953-54 through 1964-65, according to The Hockey News.

That means late Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe will no longer have his name on the Stanley Cup. He won cups with the Red Wings in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955.

The ring won't disappear, though. Instead, it will go on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Other names that will no longer be on the Cup include Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Bobby Hull and more.

According to The Hockey News, the Stanley Cup ran out of room for names in 1992 when it turned 100 years old. Instead of starting a new Stanley Cup, they decided to replace rings about every 13 years.

Other fun facts about Detroit Red Wings on Stanley Cup from the Hockey Hall of Fame

  • The Detroit Red Wings have the most names engraved on the Cup for one year (55 in 1997-98)
  • Scotty Bowman has the most appearances on the Cup as a coach (9, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens)
  • Marguerite Norris was the first woman engraved on the Cup (1954 & 1955 as President of the Detroit Red Wings)
  • Other women on the Cup from Detroit include Marian Ilitch (Detroit, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008), Denise Ilitch (Detroit, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008) and Carole Ilitch (Detroit, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)
  • 1951 Coach Tommy Ivan's name is misspelled as "Tommy Nivan" and Alex Delvechhio's name is misspelled as "Alex Belvecchio)
  • "Manny Lagase" from the 2001-02 team was corrected to his actual name, Manny Legace