PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins received their Stanley Cup rings Tuesday night, replete with 167 diamonds.
The players, coaches, hockey staff and executives received their 2009 Stanley Cup championship rings at a private ceremony at Le Mont restaurant in Mount Washington.
"Everybody was anxious about this. We have been waiting a long time for this," Penguins winger Bill Guerin said.
The rings were manufactured by Intergold and were designed in consultation with Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, general manager Ray Shero and head coach Dan Bylsma.
Each 14-karat white and yellow gold ring contains 167 diamonds, totaling approximately 4½ carats of diamonds, and averaging approximately 100 grams of gold.
The top of the ring is crowned with a custom-cut black onyx embedded with a 1.3-carat pear-shaped diamond to create the Penguins logo on an image of the Stanley Cup, which is sitting on a bed of round diamonds replicating the arena and ice surface. The ring is further adorned with 12 princess-cut diamonds on each side of the shanks.
The rings are much bigger than the ring Guerin got back in 1995.
"Styles have changed, the size has changed, but in today's day and age, size matters," Guerin said.
Each player has his name and number added to the left side of the rings. Every ring's right side has the year "2009" split with three Stanley Cups, adorned in diamonds. The two outer Stanley Cups are inscribed on top with "91" and "92," paying homage to the Penguins' two previous championships.
"When you think about winning, you think about hoisting the cup, and then, this something that comes to mind. So, it's a pretty nice ring and I think everyone is pretty happy with the way they look," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said.
The Penguins said this will be the first -- and last time -- they will be seen bearing the bling.
"We are going to raise the banner, but this is kind of our last event doing this type of thing. Now, it's back to business," Guerin said.
"It's great to get it and things like that, but like you said, once you get the season started, you are trying to get another one," Crosby said.
The Stanley Cup and Vince Lombardi trophies will be displayed side by side this week at the City-County Building downtown on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The trophies were last seen together in Harrisburg in July.
"To have your name on the cup that is eternal, that is something that will never go away in the history of the game," Crosby said.
The Penguins are set to raise the Stanley Cup banner at the season opener on Friday, which fans will also be able to watch on the big screen outside.
A special ceremony is planned before the game against the sell-out game against the New York Rangers on Friday. Gates at Mellon Arena are set to open at 6 p.m., and the team is asking fans to be seated by 7:25 p.m. for the raising of the banner.
Fans who do not have tickets can watch the big screen outside Gate 3. The big screen is set to start operating on Wednesday, showing playoff game highlights and the Penguins' Stanley Cup championship DVD.
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