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.
1942 Stanley Cup Finals
It was the first time a crowd of over 16,000 attended a hockey game in Canada. 16,218 fans squeezed into Maple Leaf Gardens and remained for an hour after the game waiting for the Leafs to reappear from the dressing room after the game. Coach Day, who had played for the Leafs in their last win in 1932, deadpanned "We won it the hard way." He was asked if he had any doubts during the series, and replied "I had my doubts right up until that final bell rang." Rookie Gaye Stewart, who had joined the club for the fifth game of the final, became the youngest player to win the Stanley Cup as he was still 18 years of age. John McCreedy completed his triple championship with the win. He was a member of the Winnipeg Monarchs' 1937 Memorial Cup win and won an Allan Cup with the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils.