25 most insane things people have ever done with the Stanley Cup
24. The New York Rangers bonfire
Perhaps the wildest (and maybe most disrespectful) story of the bunch occurred in New York. The 1940 Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the trophy in the same year the team had finished paying the mortgage at Madison Square Garden.
The team would celebrate both of these impressive feats by burning the mortgage papers in the cup, which caught fire. Rumor has it that Rangers players urinated on the fire to try to put it out, which, while a funny sight, is also pretty disrespectful.
Many believe they cursed themselves by disrespecting Lord Stanley’s Cup, as it was another 54 years before they got to hoist the trophy again. The curse was lifted when avid Stanley Cup strip club visitor Mark Messier guaranteed that the Rangers would win Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final with his 1994 New York Rangers.
If you're a @nyrangers fan, you know exactly where you were 24 years ago tonight.
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 25, 2018
Mark Messier's guarantee proves there's NOTHING like playoff hockey. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/uhKy1J9aZM
Messier’s statement was a bold one, especially considering that the curse was well-known at this point, but he walked the walk when he scored a third period natural hat trick against the New Jersey Devils and then went on to defeat Pavel Bure’s Vancouver Canucks in the Cup final.
By all accounts, the original Rangers team were the first to disrespect the Cup to this level, though surprisingly, it would not be the only time it was set on fire.