2nd Period -- Professional Hockey in Canada -- Hockey's Holy Grail

The trophy as it originally looked.
© Doug MacLellan/Hockey Hall of Fame

Bill Barilko scores his famous Stanley Cup winning goal in Maple Leaf Gardens.
© Imperial Oil-Turofsky/Hockey Hall of Fame

Frank McGee.
© Hockey Hall of Fame

Hockey's Holy Grail

The Stanley Cup

In 1892, Canada's former Governor-General, Lord Stanley of Preston purchased a simple silver bowl for a small sum and donated it "to be awarded from year to year to the champion hockey club in the Dominion (of Canada)." Though Lord Stanley never saw any of the on-ice battles his trophy inspired, he would be proud of what that small silver cup symbolizes. Originally an Amateur trophy, it soon became the symbol of excellence for professional hockey in North America and, with the formation of the National Hockey League in 1917, the Stanley Cup began taking on its current shape. Over one hundred years have passed since the trophy was first awarded and in that time it has grown substantially, now standing nearly three feet tall. But not just the size of the trophy has changed; it also now bears the names of the teams and the hundreds of the players that have claimed it over the years.

The following Amateur and professional leagues provided some of the early champions who contested for the Stanley Cup:

Alberta Hockey League
Amateur Hockey Association of Canada
Canadian Amateur Hockey League
Central Canada Association
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Eastern Canada Hockey Association
Federal Amateur Hockey League
Manitoba Hockey League
Manitoba and Northwestern Hockey League
Maritime Hockey League
Ontario Professional Hockey League

"One Eyed" Frank McGee holds a Stanley Cup record that will never be broken. In 1905, McGee scored 14 goals in a single game during a match that pitted his Ottawa Silver Seven against challengers from Dawson City, Yukon.

1919 is the only year in the history of the Stanley Cup when no team won the trophy. The final series had to be cancelled due to a flu epidemic that was rampant in North America and Europe and had affected many of the players. The Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Millionaires were knotted at two games apiece when play was suspended.

In 1992-1993, the NHL celebrated the Stanley Cup's centennial. To mark this occasion, the painter Michel Lapensée depicted the 23 cups won by the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club.
© Painting by Michel Lapensée