What was the first American team to win the Stanley Cup?
The Montreal Hockey Club received the Stanley Cup for the first time in 1893 as Canada’s top amateur league. American teams didn’t begin contending for the championship until a few years later.
Who won the first Stanley cup? The Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Club were the first group to take home the Stanley Trophy in 1917. Thus, the New York Rangers were the first NHL team from the United States to take home the Stanley Cup in 1928.
If you want to know about the extraordinary performance of the Montreal hockey club and how they won the Stanley cup, then come up with me. Below I am going to describe all about it.
The first Stanley Cup championship played
The first Stanley Cup was awarded by the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893. This was a year in which only professional clubs were permitted to compete. According to the match’s regulations, each participant had to be a “real member of the club.”
Also, this rule disqualified any pro skaters who might have been included on a lineup but weren’t participating in any matches. Thus, no playoff could be held between two pro teams.
So, the Montrealers beat the Chicago White Stockings 4-3 in that one match. To compete with the expanding number of pro sports organizations at the period, the NHL modified volunteer standards in 1924.
There are multiple opinions on how the Montreal Hockey Club earned the first Stanley Cup. Some claim they had assistance from rival clubs to win matches. On the other hand, some state it was because they had superior players. Besides all this, they got a lot of attention from supporters all across the country.
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How was the Stanley Cup first awarded?
Although the Stanley Cup’s origin was confusing, there are generally three phases that can help you understand this.
1. Challenge Cup era (1893-1914)
The Governor General of Canada was Lord Stanley of Preston. He contributed to the Championship trophy, which was established in 1892.
The Montreal Hockey Club received the cup for the first time in 1893. This was given to the top-performing professional ice hockey team. The Stanley Cup was given out as the result of “obstacles” between clubs and groups.
2. NHL vs NHA/PCHA (1915-1926)
The Stanley Cup became the championship trophy for the several pro teams in North America. This turned out to be the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL)Team’s victory over the National Hockey League (NHL). The best squad in Canada received the Stanley Cup.
Thus, the directors declared that the Stanley Cup would now go to the greatest squad in the entire globe. They declared this after the New Westminster Royal changed their name to the Oregon Rosebuds in 1914.
Due to this, the Seattle Metropolitans of the PCHL were the first American squad to win the Stanley Cup in 1917. The Portland Rosebuds was the first American team to compete for the Stanley Cup in 1916.
3. NHL (1927 – present)
The NHL was the only top sport left when the WHL/PCHA folded in 1926/1924. It was the only club that was playing for the Trophy. Since then, the Trophy was only given to an Nhl player.
The Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa, and Toronto were the initial four clubs that made up the NHL when it first started in 1917. The Boston Bruins was the first American group to play at the highest level and they did so in 1924.
The four American clubs that entered the NHL between 1924 and 1926 were Boston, Detroit, New York Rangers, and Chicago. They are incorrectly referred to as part of the Original Six clubs.
You can also read this article: How Many Stanley Cups Did Lemieux Win?
First American Stanley Cup Winners: Seattle Metropolitans 1917
Below are the two groups that were the winners of the first American Stanley Cup:
1. League: Pacific Coastal Hockey Association (PCHL)
The National Hockey Association champion Montreal Bruins played with the PCHA champion Washington Metropolitans. The championships’ main part is that the clubs adopted different regulations.
The key distinction was that the PCHA had seven players on the ice whereas the NHA only had six. The best-of-five style was used for the tournament, with Games 1 and 3 including seven men. And matches 2 and 4 included six men.
2. The Metropolitans would defeat the Canadians 3-to-1
Bernie Morris and Hap Holmes were the Metropolitans’ two main players. Morris scored 14 of Seattle’s 23 points in the game. He was the squad’s top scorer. Also, the group’s goalkeeper was Hall of Honor Hap Holmes, who had a 2.90 GAA.
In 1919, the Metropolitans would compete for the Stanley Cup, but the tournament was postponed. It was delayed because of the epidemic of the Spanish Flu.
First American NHL Stanley Cup Winners: New York Rangers 1928
The Rangers introduced themselves for the 1926–27 NHL year. The league had ten members at that time and they were separated between the Canadian Division and the American Division.
The Stanley Champions League was played only between NHL teams. The Boston Bruins was the first NHL American team to compete for the Stanley Cup. But they were defeated by Ottawa in the championship game. The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in just two seasons.
Conclusion: What was the first American team to win the Stanley Cup?
Who won the first Stanley cup was the question of many hockey fans. So, the Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917. They were members of the Pacific Coast Hockey Club. On the other hand, the American team who first gained the Stanley cup was the New York Rangers.
