Hockey - The Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup is highly prized and all hockey teams in the NHL have the dream of winning it at the end of hockey playing season. But how did Stanley Cup come in to being?

The history of Stanley Cups dates back to 1892 when the then Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley, announced that a challenge cup should be held by the champion team on a yearly basis. That time, there was no cup.
To go ahead and make sure that it happens, Lord Stanley purchased a silver cup which was 71/2 inches tall and 111/2 wide. The price of the cup was approximately $50. Lord Stanley appointed two trustees for the cup and set forth conditions to manage the yearly competition. The two trustees were Philip D Ross and Sheriff John Sweetland.
The champion team had to return the cup to the trustees for it to be handed over the another team winning the following year’s championship. Each champion team’s name and the winning year was to be engraved on a silver ring fitted on the cup. The cup could never become the property of any team.
If the existing trustees resigned from their post, new trustees would be named to over their place.
These were the conditions laid down by Lord Stanley who unfortunately never saw a hockey playoff or present the cup to the winning team. Instead, Lord Stanley returned to England.
This cup is the most coveted cup in NHL and teams are constantly in pursuit to win it making Stanley Cup a competitive and world renowned sporting competition.