Super Bowl 2011: The Vince Lombardi Trophy Shouldn't Be Presented to Executives

While watching the Super Bowl, as primarily an NHL fan, the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation left me disappointed. The presentation of the trophy to the owners/executives seemed very disconnected from the passion of the game.

In the NHL, the Stanley Cup is presented directly to the captain of the winning team. The captain lifting the Cup is one of the most iconic images in all of sports, and in that moment, realization of a lifelong dream is so vividly clear.

The captain then passes the Cup to the rest of the team, and they all share the emotion of the victory.

One of my best hockey memories was seeing the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2001. One of the best players in NHL history, Ray Bourque, had joined the team  during the previous season, after playing 21 years in Boston.

In 2001, Bourque won his first Stanley Cup, in his 22nd season. Avalanche captain Joe Sakic didn't even lift the Cup, but skated directly to Bourque and gave it to him.

Bourque's passion for hockey was so evident as he lifted the Cup, and it was clear right then that he would never play another game in the NHL because he'd finally accomplished his goal and could retire.

Three days later, Bourque took the Cup back to Boston and shared the victory with the fans who had supported him for so long.

The moment was so great because of the gesture of Sakic giving Bourque the Cup. Sakic had been through every game, every shift and every battle with Bourque, and he "deserved" the Cup every bit as much as Bourque did.

But as one of the classiest players of all time, Sakic's handing off of the Cup showed how the entire Avalanche team had wanted to win the Cup for Bourque, more than they'd wanted it for themselves.

If the Cup had been presented to the Avalanche's owners, and they'd made the same move, it wouldn't have meant as much. It still would have been a nice gesture, but the owners didn't go through the same fight to win, and they don't really know what it takes to win.

I feel like the NFL is the same way. The owners are the ones who pay the salaries and hire the executives, but most importantly, they're the ones who watch the games from the luxury suites.

They're obviously passionate about their team, but they're not really part of the team the way the players are.

Defensive captain Charles Woodson was having a great game before being forced out by a broken collarbone. Aaron Rodgers put together one of the great Super Bowl performances of all time and was named MVP.

Wouldn't it have been so much better to see Roger Goodell present the Vince Lombardi Trophy directly to Woodson and Rodgers in front of 100,000 screaming fans?

I certainly think it would.