The Stanley Cup, known in French as La Coupe Stanley, is a trophy awarded annually to the NHL playoff champion. Commissioned in 1892 by Lord Stanley, it is the oldest sports trophy in North America.
In 1892, Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada, donated the Cup to the winner of the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, which ranked amateur ice hockey clubs. The name Stanley Cup began as a nickname but eventually became the official name of the trophy.
The Cup is the only trophy in professional sports that has the names of the champions engraved on it – a tradition that started in 1907 when the Montreal Wanderers had their names engraved inside the Cup.
The first Stanley Cup was awarded to the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893. In 1906, professional teams were allowed to compete for the Cup, and in 1926, it was officially designated as the championship trophy for the NHL playoffs.
The original trophy consisted only of a cup—the top portion of the trophy as we know it today. Currently, the Stanley Cup stands 35.25 inches (89.5 cm) tall and weighs 34.5 lbs (15.6 kg).
The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for the most Stanley Cup titles, with 24 wins. Five of those wins came consecutively between 1956-1960, which is a record. In second place are the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 13 wins, followed by the Detroit Red Wings, with 11 wins.
The player with the most cup wins is Henri Richard with eleven wins, all with the Montreal Canadiens.
The coach with the most cup wins is Scotty Bowman with nine wins: five with Montreal Canadiens, three with Detroit Red Wings and one with Pittsburgh Penguins.
Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest Cup drought, having not won the trophy since 1967.
A total of 27 teams have won the Cup throughout history.
Every player on the winning team gets to spend a day with the Cup, and most of the time, they take it back to their hometowns to celebrate.
It is also a tradition for the winning team to drink champagne directly from the Cup.
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