Stanley Cup

American  

noun

Ice Hockey.

1. a trophy emblematic since 1926 of the championship of the National Hockey League, composed of Canadian and U.S. professional teams.

2. the best-of-seven-games series in which the champion of the Prince of Wales Conference and that from the Clarence S. Campbell Conference oppose each other for this trophy.

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Stanley Cup British  

noun

1. (in North America) the trophy presented annually to the champions of the National Hockey League

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Etymology

Origin of Stanley Cup

Named after Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston (1841–1908), governor general of Canada, who donated the trophy for the best amateur team of the 1893–94 season

Example Sentences

It’s a riveting, physical, historically high-scoring Stanley Cup Final, currently tied at two games apiece in a Best-of-7 between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

I had to turn off automatic Pittsburgh Penguins updates during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, because the Sports app was repeatedly sharing developments before I saw them on my streaming package.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2026

Claude Lemieux, the four-time Stanley Cup champion known for his ferocious, hard-hitting style and clutch play in big games, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

This is his third Stanley Cup Finals with the Golden Knights, who won the championship in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Seattle sports had once risen briefly to international prominence, in 1917, when the city’s professional hockey team, the Metropolitans, became the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown