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

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

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was forced to leave Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday after taking a puck to his face on a slap shot midway through the first period.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 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

Ten weeks and 20 wins later, he has the Golden Knights three victories from winning its second Stanley Cup against the Carolina Hurricanes.

From The Wall Street Journal • 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