On March 18, 1892, the governor-general of Canada, a certain man named Fredrick Arthur, donated a silver cup trophy to the most outstanding Canadian hockey team. Arthur’s official title was the Lord Stanley of Preston and he presented it to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association after their win in a playoff tournament.
Soon thereafter it became known as Lord Stanley’s Cup and was at first given to the amateur champions of Canadian hockey. In 1917 an American team was granted the trophy as the Seattle Metropolitans claimed the honor to hoist the cup. As professional teams started to arise around the early 20th-Century they started dominating play and the amateur teams stopped participating in tournament play.
In 1926 the Cup became the sole possession of the National Hockey League to crown their League Title winners each season. The Stanley Cup is still passed to the honor of the NHL champions to this day and is the oldest trophy that can be won by pro athletes in North America.
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