The NHL approached Tokens & Icons in 2018 to create a Commissioner's Award to acknowledge annual team accomplishment. They coined it "The Stanley" and said only, "Think Oscars!"
Tokens prides itself in using "cycled out" game used artifacts, so we cut and bonded 11 plies of game used Winter Classic & Outdoor Games rink plexiglass.
Like the Oscars, the awards ceremonies are festive affairs. The NHL has made The Stanleys into an annual acknowledgement of business achievement, expanding beyond a single Commissioner's Award to providing Stanleys across a number of categories.
This has become an anticipated League event, with all 32 teams submitting their initiatives for consideration. At the Summer NHL club meetings, the 3 finalists' one-minute video submittals are played on screen, and then the winner is selected via an envelope just like the Oscars.
Commissioner's Award
2018 Stanleys Presentation
This proved to be a production challenge. The Trophy design is a statuette inspired by the Stanley Cup itself. The sheets of Winter Classic or Outdoor Games rink Plexiglass must be first laminated together into a block and then initially put on a lathe for 20 hours of shaping.
More recently, the Stanleys are crafted with a combination of lathe and CNC.
Laminated Plexiglass
Shaping on Lathe
After the shaping, an aluminum base is added along with engraving of the winning team and category.
Each Stanley Receives Custom Engraving
Like the Stanley Cup itself, special artifacts deserve special handling. To ensure each Stanley would make the last leg of its journey safely home, we handcrafted a custom, foam-lined wooden box to accompany it.
Stanley Award & Handcrafted Box