What's more fun than celebrating with the Stanley Cup? While the Vegas Golden Knights continue to celebrate their Cup win, Stan Fischler looks back to how the New York Islanders celebrated their Cup victories.

When the Golden Knights captured The Stanley Cup on Tuesday, the celebrations in Sin City resembled VE-Day, VJ-Day, and any ten New Year's Eve fetes all rolled up in one humungous hangover. 

And why not? 

It was Vegas' first honeymoon with Stanley, and club owner Bill Foley always has subscribed to the belief that overdoing anything is roughly equivalent to undergoing it.

From today on, through the end of August, we shall be hearing tales about Smythe-winner Jon Marchessault's assaults on the Cup in the Province of Quebec.

No doubt near-Smythe-winner Adin Hill will have some fun with the mug in his native British Columbia, and ditto for Jack Eichel, wherever he may be. 

You can be sure it was different in Uniondale -- unless you were there as I was -- in 1980 when the New York Islanders captured their first of four straight Stanley Cups. 

Call it sane by comparison, or reserved if you will, and fun without the fireworks. 

In the immediate aftermath of Bobby Nystrom's red-lighter, the tailgaters went appropriately nuts in the Coli's vast parking lot. (Remember, it was a day game that ended in broad afternoon daylight.). And since virtually everyone came to the game by horseless carriage, the return home was accompanied by horn-blaring in the proper BEEP-BEEP-BE-DE-BE-BEEP. 

Naturally, one BEEP hello was returned in kind. 

Cup celebrations over the decades fascinated Minnesota author Ross Bernstein that he wrote a book about them. It's called "Raising Stanley," and pal Bernstein granted The Maven permission to tell you about some of the Isles' post-Cup whoopees.

"Some stories made me laugh," wrote Ross, "especially the ones that happened when the players got to celebrate with the Cup for a day. Like the one with Clark Gillies and the time he let his pet dog eat out of the Cup.

"Jethroe was just one of several Nassaumen who starred in "Raising Stanley."

Others included Ken Morrow, Bob Nystrom, Butch Goring, and John Tonelli.

"When the Islanders were in the midst of their dynasty," added Bernstein, "the rules surrounding the Cup were relaxed, big-time, compared to now. 

That's where most of the great stories with it begin to take shape."Also taking shape at the time was the now -- everyone does it -- practice of beard-growing. Historian Bernstein traces the beard tradition to the Islanders left wing Gillies.

Bernstein: "In addition to Gillies, Ken Morrow, Butch Goring, Gord Lane, and John Tonelli started the beard business. To them, it was a symbol of camaraderie."

Here are some of the Islanders' stories as recorded by Bernstein: 

CLARK GILLIES: "We had a big party at my house, and it was about four in the morning. We were all feeling pretty good, so I decided to fill up the Cup with dog food. Then I let my German shepherd, Hombre, eat out of it. He looked like he was feeling left out, so I decided to let him enjoy the moment too. It was classic."

BUTCH GORING: "I have a great picture of my youngest daughter sitting in the Cup, smiling at Daddy. That's what it's all about right there. That's it."

KEN MORROW: "I had The Cup on the backseat of my compact car and was driving home. All of a sudden, I got pulled over by a policeman. I'd been driving through a small town and wasn't speeding, so I didn't know what was up. The cop came over to my window and says, 'Aha! I thought I saw the Stanley Cup in your backseat!' It was pretty funny. I sat in my seat while this cop and his partner are reading all the names on the Cup. Their sirens were going off and everything. It was crazy. All I could do was laugh."

BOB NYSTROM: "It was after we won our third Cup in Vancouver, 1982. On the flight home, we filled up the Cup with every single tiny bottle of booze that they had on board, and then we all took turns drinking out of it. We sang and drank and partied the whole way home. It was pretty amazing."

JOHN TONELLI: "The first year we won it (1980), I got to touch it out on the ice, and then I basically never saw it again. The next year -- after we won it again -- I made sure to get my day with Stanley. I rented a big stretch limo and took it to 18 different places -- from the police station to the fire hall to my golf club. I went everywhere with that thing. It was a nonstop party all day. I just wanted to share it with as many people as I could. It was an unbelievably great day!"