Kenora Thistles
Donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada, the Stanley Cup was originally awarded to the top amateur team in Canada, who would then accept challenges from the winners of other leagues. From its inception until 1912, the Cup was nearly always won by teams from Montreal, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. In 1903 Ottawa won the Cup, after finishing the season tied for first in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League with the Montreal Victorias. They played a two-game, total-goal series for the league championship. The Montreal Hockey Club, who had held the Cup, finished third in the league and therefore lost the right to keep it.
Lord Stanley's Gift Monument
The Cup was first given to the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893, which won the 1893 AHAC season, held under the new round-robin rules. The trophy in following years would be contested by amateur teams from all over Canada. Starting in 1908, professionals were allowed to compete on teams for the Stanley Cup, and the new Allan Cup was donated to be given to the amateur champion, while the Stanley Cup would be contested by teams without restriction. Beginning in 1910, the Cup was contested by the teams of the National Hockey Association (NHA) (becoming the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) until the mid-1920s. After the folding of the PCHA, the Stanley Cup has since been contested only by the teams of the NHL.