Ozymandias

The problem with social media falls somewhere between the “me” and the “i.”  The problem with selfies and selfie-sticks is, well, pretty obvious.  We live in a world that counts by ones, with little interest in the other.  So, I was surprised to read that the NHL has a little-noted policy that strikes at the heart of me, i, self and one.

The team that wins the Stanley Cup gets to parade the Cup around in the weeks following; each player gets his turn.  It’s virtually impossible not to see video or pictures of players posing with the Cup in some odd place, either alone or with fans.  The result is a whole lot of selfies get taken.

Another tradition has the winning team’s roster etched into a silver band beneath the Cup, which is actually a replica of the original deemed too fragile for all that hoisting.  If I’ve read things correctly, what players have been showing off since the 1990s is the replica Cup with five attached silver bands.  Once a band gets filled up, a new one is added and the oldest one removed.

According to yesterday’s Sun-Times, the band with the names of the 1961 Blackhawks, featuring the likes of Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, is the latest to be removed (and put on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame).  So, no matter how great the player, his name will eventually be removed from the trophy everyone wants to be photographed with.

For some reason, this reminds of a line from Shelley’s “Ozymandias”:  “‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings;/Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!’”  But no one remembers Ozymandias, and even names like Howe, Hull and Richard are removed from Lord Stanley’s cup.