History of the Stanley Cup in Ottawa
Original Cup with tiers
(circa 1920s)
Lord Stanley
Click for high res
Fastened to a building
on Regent Street in
London this plaque
commemorates the
purchase of the
Stanley Cup in 1892.
Senators want to bring home Stanley
by Todd Anderson
Some Sens Army members might be surprised to learn that the Ottawa Senators are trying to bring home Ottawa's 12th Stanley Cup to Hockey Country.
The most coveted prize in the NHL, the Cup found a home in the nation's capital on 11 previous occasions from 1903 to 1927. In fact, the idea for the Stanley Cup came to life in Ottawa in 1892 when Canada's Governor General, Lord Stanley of Preston, offered to donate a challenge cup that hockey teams in the Dominion of Canada would play for year after year. Lord Kilcoursie delivered the following message on behalf of Lord Stanley during an Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association dinner on March 18, 1892:
"I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were (sic) a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion (of Canada).
"There does not appear to be any such outward sign of a championship at present, and considering the general interest which matches now elicit, and the importance of having the game played fairly and under rules generally recognized, I am willing to give a cup which shall be held from year to year by the winning team."
The original Cup - a gold-lined silver bowl standing on an ebony base and measuring 19 centimetres by 29 centimetres - cost 10 guineas, or just under $50. Lord Stanley called upon one of his aides, Captain Coville, who was stationed in England, to visit the best silversmith in London to have the trophy made.
Montreal A.A.A. won the first Stanley Cup in 1893 but it didn't take long for Ottawa to get its name on the mug.
NHL.com Links
Quest for the Cup
Click here for a list of all the NHL trophies.
Check out Stanley's NHL Connect Page.
See Stanley's 2006-2007 photo gallery.
Featured Links
See the list of Ottawa's Stanley Cup winners.
Read about Ottawa's 1919-1920 to 1926-27 dynasty in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Cup is passed from player to player the summer after their team wins it. Read the Stanley Cup Journal here.
