The coveted cup. The Stanley Cup is the prize that NHL hockey teams strive to receive at the end of a hockey season.

The history of the Stanley Cup, the most coveted award sought after by the NHL hockey teams dates back to 1892. Lord Stanley, the then Governor General of Canada proclaimed that he thought that a challenge cup should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion.

At that time, there was no cup. Subsequently, Lord Stanley purchased a silver cup that was 7 inches high by 11 inches wide for the price of approximately $50.00. Lord Stanley appointed two trustees of the cup, Philip D. Ross and Sheriff John Sweetland from Ottawa and also set forth conditions to administer the yearly competition.

The champions had to return to cup to the trustees in order that it be handed over to another team which may win it. Each champion team was to have their hockey team name and year engraved on a silver ring fitted on the cup. The cup was never to be the property of a team but to remain a challenge competition.

If the existing trustees resigned this post, new trustees would be named in their place. Unfortunately, Lord Stanley never saw a hockey playoff game nor did he present his cup to a winning team. Lord Stanley had elected to return to his home in England. However, the pursuit of winning the Stanley Cup has flourished over the years and has become a world class sporting competition.

Finally you've caught the perfect fish. Now, do you know how to fillet your fish?

You can't be happier. You have finally caught the perfect fish. Do you know how to fillet your fish? Once you become an expert at fish filleting, you probably will be asked to fillet everyone else's catch.

Firstly, get a good knife and a cutting board or hard surface and lay the fish down on it. You must cut the head of the fish off right to the rear of its gills.

Secondly, holding the fish by its tail, take the knife with the blade pointing away from your body and toward where the head was; slice the body of the fish crosswise. The backbone of the fish can be used to direct the knife through.

Thirdly, take one half of the sliced fish and place the fish piece flesh side up. Holding the fish piece by the tail, place the knife between the skin and the flesh and run the knife down the length of the fish piece to remove the skin cutting in the direction of the tail to the head area. Now there. A perfectly filleted fish.

Handmade Mothers Day gifts are an all-time favorite with moms everywherewith a handmade gift, it doesnt matter how much money you spend but rather how much thought you put into making it. Handmade gifts are especially good if you have small children. What you need to be successful is mainly a little bit of creativity. The project will be a lot of fun as children and their fathers try to make the perfect gift for the number one person in their lives. This process is one way to ensure that your mom gets a unique gift.

An always popular handmade gift is a bouquet crystals, pebbles, and potpourri. The first two are easily available and inexpensive. Making potpourri is simple. All you need are different types of dried flowers.

Getting your mother her favorite plant in a pot is also a very popular gift. You could also make her a hanger for the pot. To make the hanger, all you need is a milk carton, a sharp pair of scissors, and some paint. Cut some windows on the top of the carton, paint it, add your plant to the bottom of the carton, and hang it using string. Voila! Your hanging potted plant is ready!

If you know to knit or sew, you can make your mom anything a sweater, a top, cushion covers, quilts, etc. Just make sure you start on your project well ahead of time so that you dont have to rush it. You could also take photographs of your family or your mom when she was young and put them into a photo frame, make her an album, create a collage or even use the pictures in quilts, throws and cushion covers.

If youve run out of money and time, there is another option for an excellent gift. You can give your mom coupons and IOUs she can cash in whenever she wishes. Through your coupons, you can volunteer your services for household chores. For instance, your coupon could be a promise to wash and dry the dishes, set the table, clean the house, do the laundry, etc. You can make the coupons attractive and probably give them along with a breakfast in bed for your mom on Mothers Day.

Carlisle returned to the top of League Two after thumping basement club Rushden & Diamonds 5-0 at Brunton Park. Derek Holmes put the Cumbrians ahead after 42 seconds and it was one-way traffic thereafter with two goals each from Karl Hawley and Simon Hackney. Paul Simpsons side were 8/15 favourites on the day and 4/1 to win the division outright.

Second placed Wycombe were held to a 1-1 draw at Boston. Julian Joachim gave the home side a 56th minute lead but Kevin Betsy levelled matters 15 minutes later. This was John Gormans sides seventeenth draw of the season, something noted by shrewd punters backing at 9/4.

Veteran Ian Taylors goal nine minutes from time propelled 8/15 Northampton into the third automatic promotion spot with a victory against Torquay United on Friday night.

Fifth placed Leyton Orient kept up their promotion dreams and plunged Chester into further relegation trouble with a 2-0 win. A Matthew Lockwood penalty 10 minutes before the break and Paul Connor after 72 minutes secured a 13/10 win.

Play-off chasing Peterborough chalked up their fourth win in five matches with a 2-1 victory at Notts County. Danny Crow and James Quinn put the 9/5 Posh in the driving seat before Eugene Dadi netted a late penalty for the Magpies.

Wrexham looked set to earn victory at 9/5 after on-loan Blackburn striker gave them a 2-0 lead at Mansfield, only for Richie Barker to hit back with two goals in three minutes to secure a point at Field Mill.

Stockport kept their heads above water after coming from two goals behind to draw 2-2 at Bristol Rovers. Two goals from Richard Walker looked enough for an 8/11 home win, but the Hatters fought back through Adam Le Fondre and a Mark Hughes equaliser two minutes from time.

You can make a fortune in business without really trying, however, most people do nothing of the kind. Many more people try really hard and make little or nothing. Why does this happen. In many cases its because although they work hard, they fail to work smart. They expend far too much effort for meager returns. Perhaps this is you. Youve tried everything. Online business, offline business, eBay, you name it, youve tried it. Why has nothing worked?

It doesnt matter weather you are just beginning a home based business or have been running a business for years, there are certain things you must do in order to become successful. The first is planning. Its often been said that those that fail to plan, plan to fail. Do a business plan. A good business plan will cover all aspects of your business. It should include your service or product line, your marketing plan and a timeline for the future. You should have a good financial plan as well. Where will your revenue come from? Where will it go?

Do you need capital to begin or expand your business? If you plan on seeking financing, either from conventional sources, such as banks, or other sources such as private investors, they will want to see how you plan to spend their money. This will help them evaluate your chances of success. After all, your ability to repay the loan or increase the value of their shares depends upon how you will be using their money.

A business plan will also enable you to plan for contingencies so you can effectively deal with them. The more you can plan for risk, the better you will be able to mitigate them. You dont want to be waylaid by something unexpected that could cost you dearly. Youll never be able to anticipate all business problems, but you can plan for as many as possible.

The next thing you need to do is execute your plan effectively. Many great plans, in business, sports and war have been undone by poor execution. Youll probably need to make changes to your business plan due to unforeseen circumstances or opportunities. These are similar to the halftime adjustments made by a football coach. Its often the coach or business owner who makes better adjustments that is the most successful.

The third thing you must do is test everything. You should test your marketing and advertising to determine what gives you the best R.O.I. If you are doing pay per click advertising or other online advertising, you have an advantage in that you can very quickly see the results of any changes you make. Youll probably see big differences from small changes. For example, headlines can often give very different results from just one or two word differences. The only way youll know is through rigorous testing. Test different product mixes to see what sells the best to your market. Do lots of research and find a good niche to market to and then test, test, test.

These three things, planning, execution, and thorough testing combined with the resultant changes, can make you a fortune in your business. Failure to do any of these things properly can limit your profit and chances for ultimate success.