One of the finest and most desirable Stanley Cup championship rings ever produced, this striking and thought-provoking Montreal Canadiens 1959 championship gold ring memento was presented to Ralph Backstrom. The very first Stanley Cup ring issued by the historic franchise to its players, the Canadiens won their fourth straight championship on their way to their record run of five straight from 1956-60. Among the many honors garnered by this historic team was Backstrom's nod for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. In the playoffs, Montreal was pushed to six games by the Chicago Black Hawks before ousting the Toronto Maple Leafs in a five-game final. This championship marked the first of six in Backstrom's 12 years with "The Flying Frenchmen," during which time he appeared in six NHL All-Star games. He spent four more years in the NHL after being traded from Montreal, and appeared in over 1,000 career games. The face of the ring features a raised image of the Stanley Cup trophy, and includes the original engraving listing each of the four straight cups from 1956-59. Surrounding the image of Lord Stanley's prize is the raised engraving "World Hockey Champions." The Habs' iconic CH logo appears on the left shank with "R. Backstrom" engraved on a banner above and maple leaves below. The NHL shield is on the opposite shank with "1956" and "1958" on banners above and "1959" in raised numbers beneath. The ring is size 8, and this item is in NRMT condition, with maker's mark and "10K" stamped on the interior of the band.