Why is it called the Stanley Cup? How the NHL's championship trophy got its name
Every kid dreams of winning it, but only a select few have gotten to hoist it.
The Stanley Cup is regarded as one of the most iconic trophies in sports. It's easily recognizable due to its shape and size, and no championship teams celebrate with the trophy like hockey players do.
While other professional leagues hand out a different trophy every year, the Stanley Cup is one of a kind. The same piece of hardware is given to the championship club every year, allowing teams the opportunity to properly celebrate with it before it has to be handed off to the next team that wins the NHL title.
The name is extremely well-known in the sports world, but where does it actually come from?
MORE: Stanley Cup winners: Complete list of every NHL champion
The Sporting News explains the history behind the name for the Stanley Cup.
Why is it called the Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada in 1892.
He purchased a decorative cup that was eventually donated in order for it to be awarded to the top amateur hockey team in Canada. Stanley and his family had fallen in love with the sport of hockey after viewing games at the 1889 Winter Carnival in Montreal.
The Cup bounced around a number of leagues before the NHL took a firm hold of professional hockey in North America. By 1926, the Cup was only given out to NHL teams and in 1947, the NHL reached an agreement with Cup trustee J. Cooper Smeaton to grant total control of the Stanley Cup to the NHL.
How old is the Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup was first awarded in the 1892–93 season.
It is the oldest trophy that can be won by professional athletes in North America.
How much does the Stanley Cup weigh?
The Stanley Cup weighs 34.5 pounds or 15.5 kilograms.
It is 35.25 inches tall, which is 89.64 centimeters.
How many Stanley Cups are there?
There are technically three Stanley Cups.
The first one, the original one purchased by Lord Stanley, was awarded until 1970. Clarence Campbell, who was the president of the NHL at the time, felt as though the original was becoming too brittle to be passed around to championship teams. Now that Cup, which is referred to as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, is on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The current cup, called the Presentation Cup, is the trophy that is given out to the championship teams. There is a Hockey Hall of Fame seal at the bottom that confirms its authenticity.
The final cup is a replica of the Presentation Cup. It was created in 1993 to be used as a stand-in at the Hall of Fame when the Presentation Cup is not available.
Stanley Cup winners year by year
The Panthers entered the 2024 playoffs as the defending Eastern Conference champs, looking to avenge their Stanley Cup Final loss from 2023 against the Golden Knights. Florida did just that, claiming the franchise's first championship in league history.
Here is a look at every winner of the Stanley Cup since 1927.
| Season | Winner | Series | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Florida Panthers | 4-3 | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2023 | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-1 | Florida Panthers |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche | 4-2 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 | Dallas Stars |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues | 4-3 | Boston Bruins |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals | 4-1 | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 | Nashville Predators |
| 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 | San Jose Sharks |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings | 4-2 | New York Rangers |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Boston Bruins |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Kings | 4-2 | New Jersey Devils |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins | 4-3 | Vancouver Canucks |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-3 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-2 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 2007 | Anaheim Ducks | 4-1 | Ottawa Senators |
| 2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-3 | Edmonton Oilers |
| 2005 | — (Lockout) | — | — |
| 2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-3 | Calgary Flames |
| 2003 | New Jersey Devils | 4-3 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| 2002 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-1 | Carolina Hurricanes |
| 2001 | Colorado Avalanche | 4-3 | New Jersey Devils |
| 2000 | New Jersey Devils | 4-2 | Dallas Stars |
| 1999 | Dallas Stars | 4-2 | Buffalo Sabres |
| 1998 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 | Washington Capitals |
| 1997 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1996 | Colorado Avalanche | 4-0 | Florida Panthers |
| 1995 | New Jersey Devils | 4-0 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1994 | New York Rangers | 4-3 | Vancouver Canucks |
| 1993 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Los Angeles Kings |
| 1992 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-0 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 1991 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 | Minnesota North Stars |
| 1990 | Edmonton Oilers | 4-1 | Boston Bruins |
| 1989 | Calgary Flames | 4-2 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1988 | Edmonton Oilers | 4-0 | Boston Bruins |
| 1987 | Edmonton Oilers | 4-3 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1986 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Calgary Flames |
| 1985 | Edmonton Oilers | 4-1 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1984 | Edmonton Oilers | 4-1 | New York Islanders |
| 1983 | New York Islanders | 4-0 | Edmonton Oilers |
| 1982 | New York Islanders | 4-0 | Vancouver Canucks |
| 1981 | New York Islanders | 4-1 | Minnesota North Stars |
| 1980 | New York Islanders | 4-1 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1979 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | New York Rangers |
| 1978 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 | Boston Bruins |
| 1977 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | Boston Bruins |
| 1976 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 1975 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-2 | Buffalo Sabres |
| 1974 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-2 | Boston Bruins |
| 1973 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1972 | Boston Bruins | 4-2 | New York Rangers |
| 1971 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-3 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1970 | Boston Bruins | 4-0 | St. Louis Blues |
| 1969 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | St. Louis Blues |
| 1968 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | St. Louis Blues |
| 1967 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-2 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1966 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1965 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-3 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1964 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-3 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1963 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-1 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1962 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-2 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1961 | Chicago Black Hawks | 4-2 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1960 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1959 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1958 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-2 | Boston Bruins |
| 1957 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Boston Bruins |
| 1956 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1955 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1954 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1953 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Boston Bruins |
| 1952 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1951 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-1 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1950 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 | New York Rangers |
| 1949 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-0 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1948 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-0 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1947 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-2 | Montreal Canadiens |
| 1946 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-1 | Boston Bruins |
| 1945 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-3 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1944 | Montreal Canadiens | 4-0 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1943 | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 | Boston Bruins |
| 1942 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-3 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1941 | Boston Bruins | 4-0 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1940 | New York Rangers | 4-2 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1939 | Boston Bruins | 4-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1938 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1937 | Detroit Red Wings | 3-2 | New York Rangers |
| 1936 | Detroit Red Wings | 3-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1935 | Montreal Maroons | 3-0 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1934 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3-1 | Detroit Red Wings |
| 1933 | New York Rangers | 3-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 1932 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 3-0 | New York Rangers |
| 1931 | Montreal Canadiens | 3-2 | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 1930 | Montreal Canadiens | 2-0 | Boston Bruins |
| 1929 | Boston Bruins | 2-0 | New York Rangers |
| 1928 | New York Rangers | 3-2 | Montreal Maroons |
| 1927 | Ottawa Senators | 2-0 | Boston Bruins |
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