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.
History of the Anaheim Ducks
The 2007 Stanley Cup Final pitted the Ducks against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa was making their first appearance in the Finals. The Ducks fell behind 2–1 in Game 1 at home, but in the third period, Ryan Getzlaf tied the game and with few minutes remaining, Rob Niedermayer fed Travis Moen in the slot for the game winner. Game 2 was a low-scoring but exciting game. The only goal came off the stick of Samuel Pahlsson to give the Ducks a two-game series lead. Game 3 saw the Ducks lose 5–3 on a controversial goal by Daniel Alfredsson; it appeared on replays Alfredsson kicked the puck into the net, but the officials ruled it a goal. However, once again Chris Pronger was suspended one game, this time for an elbow to the head of Dean McAmmond. Game 4 was tied at the end of the second period when more controversy arose—Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson appeared to shoot the puck intentionally at Scott Niedermayer, which set off a brawl at the end of the period. In the third period, Dustin Penner scored a goal from a Selanne pass to score the eventual game-winner in a 3–2 victory. On June 6, the Ducks defeated the Senators 6–2 at Honda Center to claim their first-ever Stanley Cup in franchise history. Scott Niedermayer was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, the second Duck to win the award after Giguere did so in 2003. After their championship victory, the Ducks became the first Californian team, and the first West Coast team since the 1925 Victoria Cougars, to win the Stanley Cup.