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What Is the Stanley Cup?

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Ice hockey fans will pull on their skates and gear up for this Who HQ title about the Stanley Cup Finals--the National Hockey League's championship games.

Out of the thirty-two pro hockey teams that compete, only one can call itself the champion and proudly hoist up the Stanley Cup--the oldest sports trophy in the world! From the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers' Stanley Cup curse and the uncertain fate of the teams during the Spanish flu epidemic, this book recounts the highs and lows of this exciting ice hockey series.

112 pages, Library Binding

Published March 12, 2019

36 people are currently reading
137 people want to read

About the author

Gail Herman

228 books74 followers
Gail Herman, formerly a children's book editor in New York City, has written picture books, easy-to-reads, and chapter books, including many titles in the Who Was/What Was series. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her family.

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5 stars
95 (49%)
4 stars
58 (30%)
3 stars
28 (14%)
2 stars
7 (3%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Stasia.
1,034 reviews10 followers
June 4, 2019
VERY well done. Great illustrations, great facts and timelines, great way for ANYONE to learn a little more!!!
333 reviews
May 28, 2022
So the Stanley Cup is kind of like a cop is like a bowl and it's holding out some type of stand and you get it if you compete in the hockey this book tells you a lot about the team's a lot of fast and this is an amazing book mostly the hockey and and a fun fact is the first championship game was played in 1893 now some games were canceled because that's when the war has happened and some people have come within the war who are playing in the hockey field there were less people playing in the hockey to know more facts you got to read it
112 reviews
June 19, 2019
This informational book helps young readers understand what the Stanley Cup is and the history of hockey. The Stanley Cup at the beginning was actually a big silver punch bowl that a Lord Stanley dubbed as the prize for his children because they wanted to help championship hockey matches amongst the family. The game of hockey took off from there.
Profile Image for David.
1,630 reviews179 followers
September 21, 2019
What is the Stanley Cup by Gail Herman starts out with description of the start of the Stanley Cup and its history. It also does a nice overview of the beginnings (and endings) of teams and leagues from the earliest teams, to the low point at six teams, and expansions. The later part of the book gives a running account of famous games and players.
Profile Image for Lisa D.
3,174 reviews45 followers
May 16, 2019
Great book for young kids to learn the history of hockey& the Stanley Cup
978 reviews
October 10, 2019
Excellent easy read for hockey fans. I learned a lot.
Profile Image for Kennedi.
28 reviews
November 11, 2022
Since I’m a big hockey fan I deeply enjoyed. Definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Cole.
111 reviews
March 26, 2024
I'm not too familiar with hockey, and I think they could could have made the rules a bit more clear, because there were some things I was confused about. Still a good book overall, though.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
2,520 reviews71 followers
October 1, 2020
Why, yes, I did time the reading of this for during the Stanley Cup final round. {Delayed in 2020 because of COVID. Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning.} I’m a “newish” hockey fan: I’ve been a season ticket holder for 10 years and, for diehards, that is new. So, while a lot of the tidbits contained in this entry into the Who Is…? Who Was…? What Is…? What Was…? series were familiar to me, I learned a few things as well: specifically, the league format(s) prior to the NHL.

As is common with the books in this series, there were timely and relevant insets within the text that offered a look at the wider world. It was nice to see the box on “Players of Color” and that the “Hockey Is For Everyone” campaign was mentioned. And, as with the other books in this series, there is a timeline for the Stanley Cup with a timeline of the world on the facing page. A bibliography also is included.

The only thing I felt the book lacked was a complete list of the 31 teams as of publication – and even a mention of the new Seattle expansion team would have been nice (as it had been announced prior to this 2019 publication).

Of course, any hockey fan will hunt for mentions of their own team. And, yes, I was disappointed that the only mention of the San Jose Sharks was in the discussion about objects being tossed on the ice (apparently Sharks fans toss small leopard sharks on the ice? Maybe I’ve seen this once? It is not as regular as the Red Wings octopus!). However, I know my beloved Sharks have not yet captured this prize-of-all-hockey-prizes so their omission is understandable. Disappointing. But understandable.
Profile Image for Veronica.
150 reviews
January 30, 2020
Great book! I love hockey but didn't know how the cup started or who Lord Stanley was. Very informative, this book series is a great starting point for young readers to learn about important historical figures, events, and places.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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