History

The Stanley Cup, notably the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America, was donated in 1892 by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the Earl of Derby.

The first winner of the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) hockey club, champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada for 1893. Lord Stanley’s quest for his trophy has become one of the world’s most prestigious sporting competitions.

There have been numerous alterations to the Cup structure. In its infancy, tiered rings were added periodically to the bottom of the bowl. This was followed by long narrow bands in 1927 which were later replaced by uneven bands in 1947. Because the Cup is the only professional sports trophy where the name of every member of the winning team is inscribed, bands are often retired to make room for new champions. Retired bands, along with the original Stanley Cup bowl, are proudly displayed in Lord Stanley’s Vault in the Verizon Great Hall. Currently the Cup consists of a bowl, three tiered bands, a collar, and five barrel or uniform bands. The trophy stands at 35 ¼ inches and weighs 34 ½ pounds.

The Spanish Flu, which claimed more than 21 million lives from 1918 to 1919, resulted in cancellation of the Stanley Cup finals although the season had already been played. Early in 2005, the NHL canceled its entire 2004-2005 season due to its most bitter labour dispute ever between the National Hockey League Player’s Association and the NHL team owners over a proposed players’ salary cap. Cancellation of the entire season rendered the Stanley Cup finals impossible that year.

Stanley Cup Betting

Two teams compete head to head in a series of six games to determine the winner of the NHL championship. Each year, thousands of bettors flock to top online sportsbooks to bet on the Stanley Cup, choosing straight up bets on the outcomes of each series game, or, alternatively, choosing to wager on Stanley Cup props, Stanley Cup exotic wagers, or Stanley Cup futures.

Some of the most popular Stanley Cup betting options are Prop bets and future bets. Bettors can bet on how many games it will take for their team to win the series, or, place wagers on the number of saves made by a certain goal tender.