By the end of the summer, it's hoped as many as 40 of the game's oldest surviving Cup winners, most in their 80s and 90s, will get to experience what has become an annual tradition for Stanley Cup winners, an intimate visit with the most famous sporting trophy in the world.

In some cases, these players will celebrate their day with the Cup almost 70 years after their names were first etched on the trophy.

\"It would have meant much more back then. But it just wasn't done,\" Red Wings great Ted Lindsay said. \"Back then, the Stanley Cup parade went from center ice to the dressing room. That was the parade.\"