There’s a lot that is special about the Stanley Cup. The history, of course, is a big part of the mystique. It’s also one of the few trophies in pro sports that you have to defend to keep. But perhaps most important to any hockey player that battles for it, is that once you’ve won it, your name is on it forever.

It’s not just that a player gets his name on the Cup, though. It’s that his name is permanently alongside others that have gone before him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fourth-line grinder or a late-season call-up. Your name will be on the same Cup that is graced by Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr and Rocket Richard and Wayne Gretzky.

Now the names of the members of the 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks are on the Cup. Hockey Hall of Fame director and "Keeper of the Cup" Phil Pritchard posted a photo of the official engraving for the 2014-15 entry.

Many players already have their name on the Cup three times thanks to having been with the Blackhawks since they started their run in 2010. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Niklas Hjalmarsson have to be getting used to this by now.

Probably not as used to it as Blackhawks senior advisor, Scotty Bowman, though. His was etched on the Stanley Cup for the 14th time in his career.

For others, however, this was a momentous first.

Kimmo Timonen, who was traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Blackhawks near the deadline for just that purpose – getting one last shot at the Stanley Cup, has his name on it now. He retired after the victory.

Assistant coach Kevin Dineen, who played 18 years in the NHL and coached for four years at the top level, had never won the Stanley Cup either. His father Bill, however, won the Cup with the Red Wings in 1954 and 1955.

The Cup engraving is also a stark reminder of the number of players that won't be returning to the Blackhawks this season. On the Cup, but now gone from the team are Timonen, Sharp, Brandon Saad, Johnny Oduya, Kris Versteeg, Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, Joakim Nordstrom and Daniel Carcillo.

It's also important to remember that not everyone on the roster is eligible to get their names on the Stanley Cup. A player has to have played in at least 41 games during the regular season or at least once in the actual final to get their names engraved.

Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kyle Cumiskey both spent most of the year in the minors, but got on the Cup thanks to their appearances in the Stanley Cup Final.

However, the rule for inclusion also stipulates that a team can petition the commissioner for permission to include players that don’t meet that criteria.

One such player was Daniel Carcillo. He appeared in 39 regular-season games, but never dressed during the Blackhawks’ playoff run. It is his second appearance on the Cup as he also won with the 2013 Blackhawks.

This past year was a difficult one on a number of levels for Carcillo, who dealt with the death of his close friend and former Blackhawk Steve Montador. He recently announced his retirement and his quest to aid former players in their post-career transitions with a new foundation called Chapter 5, inspired by Montador.

With the number of players they had to get on that small space for engraved names, it was a nice gesture to get Carcillo on the Cup, after this difficult year that ended up being his last as an NHL player.

The team also reportedly petitioned to have Joakim Nordstrom's name on the Cup after he appeared in three playoff games, with the last coming int he Western Conference Final.

The Blackhawks will raise their Stanley Cup banner on Oct. 7 ahead of their game against the New York Rangers to open the season. That will be the last official act of their championship commemoration before the club has to get back to trying to defend their title.

The names of the Chicago Blackhawks were once again etched on the Stanley Cup. (USATSI)
The names of the Chicago Blackhawks were once again etched on the Stanley Cup. (USATSI)