The Stanley Cup weighs 34.5 pounds, or 15.56 kilograms. The Hockey Hall of Fame lists both figures. The trophy stands 35.25 inches tall, or 89.54 centimeters. A bowl sits on top of a tall barrel covered in champions’ names.
This fact file shows the main Stanley Cup facts from the Hall and the NHL.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Weight | 34.5 pounds (15.56 kg) |
| Height | 35.25 inches (89.54 cm) |
| Material | Silver and nickel alloy |
| Parts | Bowl, 3 tiered bands, collar, 5 barrel bands |
| Bowl on today’s Cup | 7.5 inches tall, 11.25 inches across |
| Donated by | Lord Stanley of Preston, in 1892 |
| Price paid | 10 guineas |
| First awarded | 1893, to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association |
| Versions | 3: original bowl, presentation Cup, replica |
| Replica made | 1993 |
| People on the current Cup | 2,603 |
| People, counting retired bands | 3,489 |
| Name limit per team | 52 |
| Most names in one year | 55, by the 1998 Detroit Red Wings |
| Current trustees | Lanny McDonald and Gary Meagher |
How much does the Stanley Cup weigh, and why?
The Cup started as a small silver bowl and grew as champions needed room. That first bowl stood 7.28 inches tall and 11.42 inches across. The NHL says the first name bands arrived in 1924, to hold each season’s champions. The Hall says long, narrow bands followed in 1927. Today’s design dates to 1958, according to the NHL. Over those years, the trophy grew to 35.25 inches tall.
The Stanley Cup is made of a silver and nickel alloy, the Hall says. Its parts are a bowl, three tiered bands, a collar and five barrel bands. The five barrel bands carry almost all of the names.
NHL stories do not all agree on how heavy the Stanley Cup is. One NHL.com team story from 2020 puts it at 37 pounds. The Hall of Fame and the main NHL.com history story both say 34.5 pounds.
How tall is the Stanley Cup, part by part?
This table shows the size of each part, as the Hall lists it.
| Part | Size |
|---|---|
| Bowl | 7.5 inches tall (19.05 cm), 11.25 inches across (28.57 cm) |
| Collar | 6.25 inches tall (15.87 cm) |
| Shoulder | 3.25 inches tall (8.25 cm) |
| Barrel | 18.25 inches tall (46.35 cm) |
| Base | 17.25 inches across (43.81 cm) |
The four heights stack up to the full Stanley Cup height.
- The bowl is 7.5 inches tall.
- The collar adds 6.25 inches. The total is now 13.75 inches.
- The shoulder adds 3.25 inches. The total is now 17 inches.
- The barrel adds 18.25 inches. The total is now 35.25 inches.
That last number matches the Hall’s height for the whole trophy.
How many Stanley Cups are there?
There are three Stanley Cups: the original bowl, the presentation Cup and a replica.
The original bowl
Lord Stanley of Preston donated the first Cup in 1892. The bowl came from Sheffield, England. Lord Stanley’s aide, Captain Colville, bought it in London for 10 guineas. The Hall lists that price as $50 on one page and $48.67 on another. The Montreal Amateur Athletic Association won it first, in 1893.
Today the bowl sits in Lord Stanley’s Vault at the Hall of Fame in Toronto. The retired name bands sit beside it.
The presentation Cup
The presentation Cup is the one the NHL hands to the winning team. The NHL says its design dates to 1958. NHL president Clarence Campbell asked for a small redesign in 1963. He felt the old Cup had become too brittle to hand out each spring. This is the Cup that goes on the road with the winners.
The replica
The NHL dates the replica to 1993. The replica stays at the Hall of Fame. Visitors see it when the presentation Cup is on the road. The Hall keeps a Stanley Cup on show in its Esso Great Hall. Fans can pose for photos with it there.
Who gets their name on the Stanley Cup?
The Hall says no other pro sports trophy lists the whole winning team. The winning team sends its list of names to the NHL. The league checks each player’s games in the regular season and in the Final. Teams can ask the league to add someone who falls short. Ed Olczyk still made the 1994 champions’ list. He played only 37 regular season games and none in the Final.
The NHL caps each list at 52 names. The 1998 Detroit Red Wings hold the record, with 55 names. Coaches and team staff go on the Cup too. The first woman officially engraved was Marguerite Norris, president of the Detroit Red Wings. The 1970 Boston Bruins even added Ted Green. He was hurt in the preseason and did not play that year. Our guide to how many players are on a hockey team covers rosters.
How the engraving works
Only four official engravers have ever worked on the Cup. The current engraver is Louise St. Jacques, who works from a studio in Montreal. She takes the Cup apart from the top down. She clamps each band onto a round, homemade jig. Then she strikes each letter into the silver with hammers and letter punches. The NHL says each name takes about 30 minutes. The engraver keeps the Cup for about 10 days each offseason.
The engravers have made a few famous mistakes over the years.
- The 1972 Boston Bruins appear as BQSTQN BRUINS.
- The 1981 New York Islanders appear as NEW YORK ILANDERS.
- Adam Deadmarsh first went on as DEADMARCH in 1996. The engraver later fixed it, a Stanley Cup first.
- Oilers owner Peter Pocklington added his father Basil’s name in 1984. Basil had no role with the team, and 16 X’s now cover his name.
How many names fit on the Cup?
The Hall counts 2,603 people on the current Cup. Counting the retired bands too, the total reaches 3,489. The Hall’s band list runs through the 2025 champions. The five barrel bands hold these names, from top to bottom.
- Band 1: 400 names, champions from 1966 to 1978 (400 so far)
- Band 2: 473 names, champions from 1979 to 1991 (873 so far)
- Band 3: 631 names, champions from 1992 to 2004 (1,504 so far)
- Band 4: 619 names, champions from 2006 to 2017 (2,123 so far)
- Band 5: 417 names, champions from 2018 to 2025 (2,540 in all)
Those five bands hold 2,540 names in all. The Hall lists more names inside the bowl and on the upper rings.
What happens when the bands fill up?
Each barrel band holds 13 champions, the NHL says. When the bottom band fills, the top band comes off. The other bands move up one spot, and a blank band goes on the bottom. The retired band goes to the Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The last swap happened in the fall of 2018. The band that came off started with the 1954 Detroit Red Wings. It ended with the 1965 Montreal Canadiens. That band holds only 12 teams. The 1965 Canadiens took up twice the normal space. The new bottom band began with the 2018 Washington Capitals.
Band 5 shows how much room is left.
- Band 5 holds up to 13 champions.
- The Hall’s list shows 8 champions on it so far, from 2018 to 2025.
- Taking 8 from 13 leaves room for 5 more champions.
- The NHL says the next band comes off in 2031. That band holds the 1966 to 1978 champions.
The day with the Cup and the Keepers
Every player and staff member on the winning team gets 24 hours with the Cup. The NHL says this tradition started in 1993. In 2003, Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils shared it with his neighbors. He hosted a party in his backyard in Montclair, New Jersey.
A Keeper from the Hockey Hall of Fame travels with the Cup wherever it goes. The NHL calls Phil Pritchard the Keeper of the Stanley Cup. He is also a vice president and curator at the Hall. In 2003, he said he traveled with it more than 100 days a year. He also told the Hall he goes through a lot of white gloves each year.
Other Hall staff take turns as Keepers too. In 2003, the Hall named Walt Neubrand and Mike Bolt as Keepers next to Pritchard. Neubrand called Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, his favorite trip. Some fans there drove 250 miles by snowmobile to see the Cup. Hall records also show trips to Russia, Japan, Switzerland and igloos in Nunavut.
Two trustees oversee the Cup today, Lanny McDonald and Gary Meagher. Both took the role in August 2023. Since 1947, the NHL has controlled the Cup under a deal with its trustees. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has handed the Cup to the winning captain since 1993.
Famous Stanley Cup moments
The Hall of Fame tells these Stanley Cup stories.
- After the 1905 series, Ottawa Silver Seven star Harvey Pulford drop kicked the Cup off a bridge. It landed on the frozen Rideau Canal. Coach Alf Smith went back the next morning and got it.
- In 1924, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Tigers. Their car later got a flat tire, and the players left the Cup on a street corner. Hours later, they came back and found it right where they left it.
- From 1956 to 1960, Jacques Plante won five straight Cups with Montreal. The engravers spelled his name a different way each time.
- In 1979, Guy Lafleur set the Cup on the front lawn of his parents’ home in Thurso, Quebec. Anyone could come by and see it.
- In 1996, Uwe Krupp scored in the third overtime to beat Florida 1 to 0. That goal finished a Colorado sweep. Our guide to NHL overtime rules covers how playoff overtime works.
- After that 1996 win, Colorado’s Sylvain Lefebvre had his first child baptized in the Cup.
Stanley Cup questions
Is the Stanley Cup at the Hall of Fame the real one?
The Hall shows the 1993 replica whenever the presentation Cup is on the road. Lord Stanley’s original bowl stays on permanent display in the Hall’s vault.
Does the winning team keep the Stanley Cup?
No, the winning team does not keep the Cup for good. Each player and staff member gets 24 hours with it, with a Keeper close by. Lord Stanley’s own letter said the winning club would hold it from year to year.
How old is the Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup turns 134 years old in 2026, counting from 1892. Lord Stanley announced the Cup on March 18, 1892. From 1892 to 2026 is 134 years. The first champion received it in 1893.
Who has won the Stanley Cup the most?
Henri Richard has the most Cup wins as a player, with 11. He won all of them with the Montreal Canadiens. Scotty Bowman leads all coaches with 9.
Which teams can win the Stanley Cup?
Only NHL teams can win the Stanley Cup today. The Hall says only NHL teams have played for it since 1926. From 1917 to 1926, the NHL faced the Pacific Coast Hockey League for it. See how many NHL teams there are for every team chasing it this season.
