Oilers Start a Cup Tradition 29 Years Ago Today

Back in 1988, the Oilers won their fourth Stanley Cup against the Boston Bruins and turned the celebration into a tradition that lives on today.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always enjoyed watching the Stanley Cup get handed out and seeing the winning team crowd around the trophy for a group picture. I always found it interesting to see the sheer joy expressed on the faces of men that just spent the last two months killing themselves for a chance to win it all. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that this tradition was actually started by the Edmonton Oilers after winning their fourth Stanley Cup in five seasons.

After collecting the trophy from former NHL President, John Ziegler, the Oilers did the usual twirl around the ice with every player and coach taking turns raising it. When the Cup got back to Gretzky, he set it down near the Oilers logo and summoned his teammates, coaches, and trainers to crowd around for a group shot that has since become a yearly tradition for the winner.

At the time, Bob Cole described the group shot as a great moment that had never been seen before, and it’s pretty neat to see how things unfolded. Watch the entire video below: