A little more to it... Prior to 1977 only players who had completed the Stanley Cup playoffs were eligible to have their name inscribed on the Stanley Cup. Currently, a player must have played at least 41 games for the championship team during the regular season (provided the player remains with the team when they win the Cup) or played in at least one game of the Stanley Cup Finals. However, since 1994 teams have been permitted to petition theNHL Commissioner, to be considered on a case-by-case basis, to engrave a player's name on the cup if the player was unavailable to play due to "extenuating circumstances". For example, The Detroit Red Wings received special permission from the NHL to inscribe the name ofVladimir Konstantinov, whose career ended after a car accident on June 13, 1997, on the Stanley Cup after Detroit defended their title in 1998