Scramble for hockey history treasures begins when team clinches Stanley Cup

VANCOUVER - In the moment the Stanley Cup is decided, so are the collector's items.

At the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, staff are coveting gear like the game-winning puck, stick, jerseys and skates, but they'll have to do some convincing to get them.

Curator and keeper of the cup Phil Pritchard says the museum asks for player donations by explaining how it will immortalize the team's great year.

Fans play a big role in amassing the collection too, and Pritchard is hoping the museum will get its hands on a neon bodysuit worn by the famous Vancouver green men.

Each year the museum creates a new memorial paying tribute to the year's best team, and produces a video of highlights from the past season.

Curator Jason Beck, at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, says it only takes a moment for an item as unlikely — or even gross — as a player's mouthguard to transform into an artifact that people are drawn to.