The Stanley Cup finals are here! This year, the Pittsburgh Penguins battle against the San Jose Sharks for the honor of being the 2016 National Hockey League’s playoff winner. The coveted trophy is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, the governor of Canada who first awarded it to the top-ranking amateur hockey club in Canada. Today, teams from the U.S. and Canada face off in the Western and Eastern Conferences to battle in the Conference Finals, also known as the Stanley Cup playoffs. While this is the fifth Stanley Cup Finals for the Penguins, this is the first year for the Sharks. Catch the last remaining Stanley Cup games by flying your private jet to San Jose or Pittsburgh, depending on the game.
Stanley Cup Accommodations
San Jose, California
Book a Mansion Suite at the award-winning historic Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose’s South Bay. The hotel is in a renovated Spanish colonial revival-style manor that blends turn-of-the-century opulence with high-tech comforts. It is 15 minutes from the San Jose Airport and about 17 minutes from the SAP Center.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The ultimate luxury accommodation in downtown Pittsburgh, the Omni William Penn Hotel, has fabulous suites to meet every need. The largest are the Luxury and Presidential Suites. At 0.8 miles from the Consol Energy Center, you’re within walking distance to the game. The hotel is about 30 minutes away from Pittsburg International Airport.
2016 Stanley Cup Upgrades
Sitting with masses of fans is an incredible experience. To get away from the crowds and the cold (don’t forget to dress in layers if sitting in the arena), rent or purchase a suite. Suites entitle you to premium souvenir items, the best views, and visits from hockey players who are more than happy to provide autographs and pose for photos.
If you’re a Penguins fan, download their app onto a tablet or smartphone and select the “Upgrade Your Game” option. The feature gives you access to unique experiences, such as in-seat visits with Iceburgh, post-game photo ops on the ice, seat upgrades and pre-game Lexus Club dinner reservations.
Hockey Lingo
While hockey is a relatively simple (and exciting) sport to follow, knowing some of the lingo will make your Stanley Cup experience more enjoyable.
- Barn: The ice arena, like the SAP Center or Consol Energy Center
- Barn burner: A game that’s exciting to watch
- Bucket: Helmet
- Biscuit: The puck
- Captain America: The nickname for Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, who was also the center for the U.S. Olympic team; some consider Pavelski the best hockey player in the country
- Clapper: A powerful slapshot
- Chiclets: Teeth, or a lack thereof
- Chirp: Trash talk
- Dangle: Fancy stick-handling with a puck
- Flow: Fantastic hair on a hockey player with a longer mane
- Hoser: Loser; In traditional pond hockey games, the losing team had to hose down the ice for the next day’s game
- Lettuce: Great hair on a hockey player
- Playoff beards: A hockey tradition in which players grow out their beards through the duration of the playoffs
- Plumber: A player who does dirty work in the corners
- Power play: When an opposing team sends a player to the penalty box for two minutes
- Ride the pine: A player who sits on the bench the entire game
- Salad: A player’s hair
- Sieve: A bad goalie
- Twig: Hockey stick