It's the most sought after trophy in the world. Teams injure themselves and other players to win it. Some players would give an arm or a leg just to hoist it above their heads.

The Stanley Cup was donated to the National Hockey League by Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley or Preston, and the son of Earl of Derby. It was first presented in 1893 by Lord Stanley of Preston as a perpetual trophy. The fight for the Stanley Cup used to consist of "challenge matches" where in a team thought they were strong enough to defeat the current Cup holders, a game would be played to determine the champion. Non-NHL teams often competed in these "challenge matches".

In the beginning there were 6 teams in the NHL; the Detroit Red Wings, the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Black Hawks. Then it was separated into two 5 teams divisions so the second and third place teams could play a 7 game series for the right to be the regular season champions. The first 2 teams playing for the Stanley Cup in this new system were the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins. Games 1 and 3 were drawn ties because of bad ice conditions. Games 2 and 4 were won by the Senators. Ottawa was ruled that champion because the Bruins had no chance of catching up. The team to win the most Stanley Cups in NHL history were the Montreal Canadiens. However, the Detroit Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cups out of the American teams.

There were great players competing for the Stanley Cup such as Bobby Orr, who redefined the defense position and paved the way for many of today's great players like Paul Coffey of the Carolina Hurricanes, Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues and Ray Bourque of the Colorado Avalanche. Soon the Stanley Cup playoffs went back to the best of 7 series for the first time since the establishment of the NHL's 6 team format in 1943. Now both semifinalists and finalists played a best of 7 series. The NHL grew to 12 teams in the 1967-68 season. The Minnesota North Stars, the St. Louis Blues, the Philadelphia Flyers, the California Golden Seals, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Pittsburgh Penguins were all added to the existing 10 teams.

The Stanley Cup has had many great teams, players and coaches. The playoffs for it have left many people practically glued to the couch. The road to the Stanley Cup is one of the most difficult and pressuring competitions in the world, and only the strong survive.