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The Stanley Cup is a trophy given to the champion of the National Hockey League (NHL) every year.
It was bought by Lord Stanley, the Governor General of Canada, in 1892, for $50. The first team to win it was the Montreal A.A.A. in 1893. Other teams could challenge for it. By 1915, it was awarded on a yearly basis.
The names of players and others such as coaches are put on the cup every year. As a result, the NHL had to make the cup bigger, by adding layers to the bottom. When the first cup was full of names, they made a copy of it, which is now what is awarded.
Today, there are 32 teams in the NHL who each play 82 regular season ice hockey games per year. 16 teams make the playoffs every year; these teams are made up of the top 3 teams from each division by regular season points as well as 2 wildcard teams from each conference . There are 4 best of 7 ice hockey playoff rounds that a team must win to win the Stanley Cup.
The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times, the most of any team. They also won the most in a row: five between 1955-56 and 1959-60.
Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens appears the most on the Stanley Cup, 11 times.
The Stanley Cup was not awarded in 2005: there was no NHL season because of a labour disagreement. It was not awarded in 1919, either, because of the influenza epidemic.