STANLEY CUP

trophy awarded to the winner of the world's professional ice hockey championship, an annual play-off that culminates the season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup was first awarded in the 189394 season and is the oldest trophy that can be won by professional athletes in North America. The cup's donor was a governor-general of Canada, Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston, for whom it is named. It was originally intended to go to the outstanding Canadian team, as determined by a play-off, and the first winner was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. Amateurs competed for the cup in the early years, but, as the number of professional teams grew, amateurs dropped out of the competition. The cup became the sole property of the National Hockey League in 1926.