Wed May 27, 2009 9:53 am EDT

On the left is an aluminum foil-covered Stanley Cup replica that fans lug to playoff games every postseason. Some are defined by intricate internal structure and intense attention to detail. Others look like someone crumpled up a PB&J wrapper and stuck a logo on it.
On the right is a Stanley Cup made entirely of Legos, which is exponentially cooler. This brings us to our latest Puck Daddy Reader contest, in the grand tradition of "Gary Bettman: Portraits in Heroism" and "Puck Daddy Create-a-Card":
The No-Foil Stanley Cup Replica Competition.
Very important first point: This is not a Photoshop contest. We want replicas of the Cup that can be touched, smelled and/or thrown onto the ice during the post-series handshake (not that we'd advocate that, mind you). Again: This is not a Photoshop contest.
What we want are 3-D handmade Stanley Cup replicas that stray far away from the usual foil-wrap jobs. Build one with matchsticks. Build one with marshmallows. Build one with three dozen people contorting their bodies in a field. We want the most outlandish, creative and inventive "replicas" of the Stanley Cup you can conceive -- as long as you don't create a traditional "foil" version and, in the end, it looks like the Cup.
Judges (TBA) will determine the winners based on creativity and execution of concept. If you want to place your No-Foil Replica in some sort of scene, that's fine; just know that in the end, the Cup's the thing. Since this contest requires more than a few mouse clicks and a silhouette of Gary Bettman's head, we have some actual, pretty cool prizes for the top placers. (Note: We've had a few people ask and, yes, you can swap the prizes if you place first or second.)
First Place: A one-year subscription to The Hockey News that includes The Hockey News Yearbook. Prize courtesy of THN and THN.com.
Second Place: Author Ross Bernstein has penned over 40 sports books, and he's put together four good ones for a Puck Daddy prize pack: "Slap Shot Original," his book on Dave Hanson of the Hanson Bros.; "The Code," his classic examination of hockey pugilism; "America's Coach," a biography on Herb Brooks; and "Old Time Hockey," with scout and broadcaster Glen Sonmar.
Third Place: In honor of the Chicago Blackhawks' last Stanley Cup championship: $48 cold hard cash and a Blackhawks T-shirt of our choosing.
HOW TO ENTER: Send us a photo or a video (this can be a YouTube clip) on e-mail that proves you've actually built something, and feel free to sell us on the complexity of its construction. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 12 at noon EST. Either teams or individuals can enter, and enter as many times as you'd like. Hit us on e-mail with any questions. Good luck, and we'll see you at Home Depot.
Puck Daddy is an NHL blog edited by Greg Wyshynski. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Detroit 3, Montreal 2 (Nov. 21)
Posted Nov 20 2009
Dallas 5, New Jersey 3 (Nov. 21)
Posted Nov 20 2009
Chicago 5, Edmonton 2 (Nov. 21)
Posted Nov 20 2009
Edited by MJD
Edited by 'Duk
Edited by J.E. Skeets
Edited by Greg Wyshynski
Edited by Matt Hinton
Edited by E. Brennan
Edited by Jay Busbee
Edited by Jay Busbee
Edited by Steve Cofield
Edited by Chris Chase
Edited by Chris Chase
Edited by Andy Behrens
57 Comments
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1fKnNWTBT4
I like the part where the cake painter ays he got the color right without poisoning anyone.
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How could you punish someone who spent that much time making a faux cup by giving them a blackhawks shirt?
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+1. Although as we pointed out, you ain't got nuthin on Chicago.
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I'm making mine out of rocks and twigs and animal hides. Might make Chris Chelios nostalgic.
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That's must be an almost $17 value.
I could probably take the thousands of pages of equipment-advertisements-masquerading-as-actual-hockey-stories from just this year's Hockey News issues and fashion a pretty damn good Stanley Cup.
/Sarcasm aside, that Lego Stanley Cup is the greatest thing in the history of the universe.
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Waste of time.
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Besides the real Stanley Cup, of course.
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1 - 25 of 57