Wayne Gretzky On The Grey Cup? Fun Facts About NHL And CFL's Championship Trophies

While American football and hockey are two vastly different sports, the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the NHL have shared connections for generations. That includes links between the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup.

Here are three fun facts about the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup, which will be awarded on Sunday after the final between the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Gerry James: The Only Man To Play In A Stanley Cup Final And Grey Cup In The Same Season

While his name sometimes gets lost among the great athletes of the 20th century, Toronto Maple Leafs right winger and Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Gerry James deserves his prize for doing something that no one else since has been able to accomplish. From 1955 to 1960, James juggled playing in the NHL and professional football in Canada.

James, a member of the Canadian Pro Football Hall of Fame, won the Grey Cup with Winnipeg four times between 1958 and 1962 and was the Canadian Football Council's most outstanding Canadian in 1954 and 1957. He also played 149 career NHL games and recorded 40 points.

On Nov. 28, 1959, he played for the Blue Bombers against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. On Dec. 17, he made his season debut for the Leafs and later played every playoff game for them in a 4-2 semifinal win over the Detroit Red Wings and a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Cup final. It's safe to say the odds of this happening again lean more towards "none" than "slim."

Wayne Gretzky's Name Is Engraved On The Stanley Cup And The Grey Cup

Hundreds of people have their names on the Stanley Cup or the Grey Cup, but only five people are on both. Hockey's greatest icon, Wayne Gretzky, is among one of those people.

Most people know he won the Stanley Cup four times with the Edmonton Oilers. Still, some may not know that as a part owner of the Toronto Argonauts, his name was retroactively added to the Cup in 2007 as part of the 1991 championship team. Gretzky was part of an ownership group that involved then-Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall and legendary Canadian actor John Candy.

The other four names on the Stanley and Grey Cup are Normie Kwong, Carl Voss, Joe Miller, and Lionel Conacher – more on him next.

Canada's Male Athlete Of The Half Century Has Grey Cup and Stanley Cup Titles

When you look up Conacher's accomplishments and the many sports he excelled in, you wonder what sport he didn't play.

A man who's considered Canada's Jim Thorpe, an homage to the great American multi-sport athlete, Conacher is in the hockey, Canadian football, Canadian lacrosse and Ontario Sports Halls of Fame. He also played minor league baseball and was an accomplished wrestler and boxer. In 1950, he was named Canada's greatest male athlete of the half-century.

As for his exploits in football and hockey, the stories are legendary.

In 1921, Conacher led the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup title with 221 rushing yards in a 23-0 win over the Edmonton Eskimos – it was the first-ever East-West Grey Cup game.

While Conacher didn't start skating until he was 16, he still found a way to have a long career in hockey, playing 12 seasons and 498 NHL games. The defenseman won two Stanley Cups, one with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1934 and then with the Montreal Maroons in 1935.

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