When the NHL regular season is over, many people begin to wonder how to get Stanley Cup tickets. It is no wonder that the competition for the Cup draws such huge audiences. Not only are the spectators treated to great hockey games, but they are also involved in a tradition dating back to 19th century royalty.

The Stanley Cup has been presented to the year's hockey champions since 1910 and in 1926 it became the coveted prize for the NHL only. Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the Earl of Derby, purchased the trophy in 1892 for approximately $50.00 to present to the hockey champion in Canada in 1893. The recipient of the trophy, originally called the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup," was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.

Sir Stanley, later the 16th Earl of Derby, came from a wealthy English family. His great-grandfather, Edward Smith-Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby was an avid horseman and race enthusiast. He was the founder of the English Derby, which was named after him as a result of a coin toss, and after which the Kentucky Derby was named and fashioned.

The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy for which professional sports teams vie, and each winning team's name is inscribed on the Cup. That requires that some of the inscribed bands be replaced and the fully inscribed bands are removed and put on display in the Lord Stanley's Vault at the Verizon Great Hall of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It is the only trophy that every person on the winning team's organization is allowed to have in his possession for 24 hours. The Stanley Cup has traveled over the world. It has been to Russia, Japan, the Rocky Mountains, and to igloos in Alaska.http://proicehockey.about.com/od/stanleycupbunker/a/stanley_cup.htm

The hockey championship finals for the Stanley Cup are held in the cities of the teams participating, making ticket availability a last minute acquisition and adding to the drama and exhilaration of actually getting tickets.

TicketMaster is the official ticket outlet for the NHL. However, the number of seats and the prices available to TicketMaster are determined by the event providers. Teams may hold back a number of tickets for season ticket holders, promotions, box office-only sales or special Internet sales.

To purchase tickets from TicketMaster, go to ticketmaster.com and click on "NHL." Then click on the team. This will take you to a calendar. Click on the date, then fill out the requested information. The computer will search for seats satisfying your request.

When TicketMaster receives your inquiry, they will show you the tickets available and hold them for a short period of time (in which you must make a decision as to whether you want to buy them or not). If you don't act fast enough, those tickets will be released to be purchased by someone else.

Once your tickets are confirmed, TicketMaster offers options as to how to obtain them. You can take advantage of:

• TicketFast®: NOW: An option by which you log into an e-mailed link provided by TicketMaster, print the tickets yourself, and present them at the admission gate.

• Retail Outlet Pickup: TicketMaster has a number of locations in various cities. You can purchase the ticket online then go to an outlet to pick up them up. To receive the ticket, the credit card used for the purchase must be presented by the credit card holder (or the gift card used), and the order number as well as a valid photo ID are required.

Additional fees will be applied for both of these options.

For no additional fee, you can choose the Will Call option in which your tickets will be available at the stadium at the "Will Call Window." The credit card holder must be present with the credit card used and a valid picture ID.

Other fees will be applied in forms of service fees, delivery fees, and any other collections required by the city or state, or by the stadium, the team, or the NHL.http://www.ticketmaster.com/

There are a number of ticket brokers listed on the Internet offering playoff and championship tickets for sale. Many of these sites allow for available tickets to be offered up for sale to the public. The sale price is determined by the ticket owners, then additional fees are added as profits to the ticket brokers.

If you decide to use this option, there are some things to keep in mind.

• A reputable Ticket Broker will require that all transactions be made through their site. If you are forwarded directly to the ticket seller, don't go any further. It's probably a scam.

• Ticket brokers usually do not accept cash, cashier's checks, money orders, or any form of payment other than credit cards.

• Check their credentials. One good indication of legitimacy is a BBB (Better Business Bureau) seal. Do an Internet search on the company

• Check with your credit card company to find out if you have any protection against scammers who charge your credit card, but never deliver the goods.

Other ticket brokers deal with options to buy the ticket when it becomes available. Some require a nonrefundable deposit that will hold your place in line to purchase tickets as they are offered for sale on a first come, first served basis. The sites vary in their policies. Some require that if the tickets becomes available, you must purchase them, while others give an option to accept or decline the offer. Read the company's "fine print" before taking any action.

In most cases, city and state scalping laws do not apply to tickets sold over the Internet.http://www.newsobserver.com/2009/01/02/83837/panthers-let-scalpers-sell-on.html

• The NHL and TicketMaster offer the NHL Ticket Exchange option. This is an opportunity for season ticket holders to offer their tickets for re-sale through the TicketMaster site. Ticket prices are determined by the seller and may be above face value. You can access this site by going to the team's official website and clicking on tickets. This will include the ticket exchange link.

• Tickets are sometimes available on auction sites. Make sure that you understand the procedure before making a bid. Also make sure that it is a reputable company.

• If purchasing on E-Bay, check the customer data of the seller and read comments and reviews before taking any action.

• Check local ads. Oftentimes, people will place an ad in their local newspapers.

• If your last option is to find someone selling tickets at the stadium on the day of the event, make sure that you are fully aware of the policies regarding ticket re-sales. People can be very ingenious. Beware of counterfeit tickets, tickets that may have been voided, or tickets that have already been validated. Most stadiums will not allow re-entry into the arena if a person chooses to leave. Many scams have been recorded of ticket holders passing their validated tickets to someone on the outside for fraudulent re-sales.