Stanley Cup Logo PNG
The Stanley Cup logo represents the trophy awarded yearly to the new NHL champions. There are three such trophies: the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (the original bowl), the Presentation Cup, and the Permanent Cup. Each of them has contributed its charm to the logo, filling it with the spirit of pride for professional hockey.
Stanley Cup: Brand overview
The history of the Stanley Cup Finals began in 1893 when Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada’s governor general, purchased an ornamental bowl for ten guineas (approximately $50) and donated it to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. Initially called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, the trophy was soon renamed in his honor.
The first competition for the trophy took place in 1894, with the Montreal AAA becoming the inaugural champions by defeating the Montreal Victorias 3-2. From 1893 to 1914, it served as a challenge prize, allowing champions of Canada’s major hockey leagues to contest its holders in a title defense format.
A significant shift occurred in 1915 when the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) and the National Hockey Association (NHA) established a series format between their respective champions to decide the ultimate winner. In 1917, the NHA was succeeded by the National Hockey League (NHL), marking the beginning of a new era. By 1926, the NHL became the sole league vying for the trophy, laying the foundation for the modern Finals.
A formal agreement in 1947 granted the NHL exclusive control over the competition. The following decades saw dominant performances by legendary teams. The Montreal Canadiens set records in the 1950s and 1960s, securing ten victories in 15 years, including five consecutive titles from 1956 to 1960. The 1970s brought fierce competition, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers challenging the Canadiens’ dominance.
The 1980s highlighted dynasties like the New York Islanders, who won four consecutive titles from 1980 to 1983, and the Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, achieving five championships between 1984 and 1990. In the 1990s, the league’s expansion led to greater competition, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, spearheaded by Mario Lemieux, claiming back-to-back victories early in the decade.
Franchises like the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings found success during the 2000s, while the 2010s showcased the Chicago Blackhawks‘ era, with the team winning three titles in six years (2010, 2013, 2015). This period also included triumphs by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, further underscoring the sport’s competitive spirit.
As of 2023, this iconic trophy remains North America’s oldest professional sports prize and a revered symbol of hockey excellence worldwide. Nearly 2,000 names have been engraved on its surface, representing the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.
To manage its size, new rings are periodically added to accommodate recent champions. In contrast, older rings are retired and displayed in Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame, preserving the game’s legacy.
Meaning and History
What is the Stanley Cup?
This is the prestigious trophy in professional hockey awarded annually to the playoff champion. It is engraved with the names of players, coaches, and team staff who achieve victory. The cup symbolizes the highest accomplishment in hockey, accompanied by unique traditions such as allowing each winner a day with the trophy. It is cherished for its physical beauty, impressive size, and historical significance, embodying the spirit of hockey excellence and the pursuit of greatness across generations.
1989
The earliest Stanley Cup logo prototype was the bowl Lord Stanley selected as a trophy for the victorious hockey team. The original prize is made of silver and measures 18.5 cm in diameter and 29 cm in height. The bowl rests on a base of steel plates engraved with the winning teams’ names. The sports trophy depicted in the logo weighs approximately 16 kg and stands nearly 90 cm tall.
The massive cup is positioned in the center of a circle resembling a roundel. The difference lies in the central element extending beyond the circle’s boundaries, rising prominently above the side inscriptions:
- “WALES CONFERENCE” on the left;
- “CAMPBELL CONFERENCE” on the right;
- “STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP” in the middle;
- “1989” at the bottom.
A flowing red ribbon with split ends crosses the badge, its tips peeking from behind the wide ring. The background features a blue-and-black striped circle with a visible silver cup. The designers emphasized its shine to convey the high prestige of the sports event and highlight the value of the trophy.
The composition appears balanced, maintaining proportions between elements of different shapes. This ensures that the Stanley Cup does not seem overly bulky but looks official and ceremonial, like a long-awaited prize gleaming under the sun’s rays.
1990
This version of the Stanley Cup emblem changed the year of the main hockey championship. As a result, a new date, 1990, appeared beneath the triumphant cup. It is designed in the same style as the previous number, with smooth, even sans-serif glyphs.
While the color palette was preserved, it adopted a lighter shade, creating a hook-shaped, brilliant white highlight on the right side of the cup. This sharply contrasts with the black shadows, enhancing the silver sheen emanating from the metallic surface.
1991
The logo of this period slightly changed its color palette: it has a purple hue and more vivid tones. For example, light blue became dark, scarlet turned crimson, and black became a rich ash color. Additionally, the ends of the ribbons are now pointed, and the phrase “Stanley Cup” is written as a single word, making it unclear where the first-word ends and the second begins due to the uniform font. The circular background featuring the main hockey trophy adopted darker colors, giving it greater depth and expressiveness.
1992
Another year, 1992, was added to the emblem, placed at the very bottom of the award cup with its massive base. In this case, the words “Stanley” and “Cup” are separated by a small space. The blue lines in the background design became wider and lighter. The other colors were also lightened, turning crimson into pale scarlet. The cup darkened, adding many black shadows and enhancing its metallic sheen. The serifs on the letters were preserved throughout.
1993
The ribbon in the Stanley Cup logo became smooth: the curls around the frame were retained, but the split ends on the left and right were lengthened and straightened. This was done to accommodate the year of the hockey championship’s founding and the date: 1893 and 1993. The designers reduced the height of the cup, causing the bowl to nearly align with the red border. They moved the word “CHAMPIONSHIP” downward and replaced it with the “CENTENNIAL” inscription, coloring it black.
1994
After the anniversary design, the Stanley Cup emblem returned to its familiar look:
- A tall cup extending beyond the frame
- A light color palette
- Bright highlights
- A ribbon with curved ends
The word “CENTENNIAL” was removed from the logo, and the next championship year, 1994, was added.
1995
As a result of the radical change in the visual identity of the main hockey championship, a black logo was introduced. The arrangement of elements and their appearance are completely different. For example, the cup is rendered in a fine dot pattern, giving it a light gray shade due to the combination of white and black. The background features an orange sun with thin rays. The ribbon became wider but shorter, changing its color to blue. The central inscription remained the same, while the circular text was almost entirely stretched and updated to read “WESTERN CONFERENCE” and “EASTERN CONFERENCE.” The league organizing the championship is indicated on the trophy.
1996
The cup’s black-and-white graininess makes the logo unique, while the year’s side placement (19 on the left, 96 on the right) draws more attention to it. The sun turns beige, and the ribbon becomes cobalt blue with a thin border. The overall background remains black, ensuring all elements appear bold and distinct.
1997
The elements previously colored beige were changed to red. The sun, the outline stripes on the letters, the details on the frame, and the plaque on the cup all became brighter. Now, they contrast well with the black background. The word “CHAMPIONSHIP” was removed from the ribbon, allowing the competition’s name to take its place, positioned much higher. This improved the clarity and readability of the bottom line. The year of the hockey games changed on the right and left sides of the cup, and the spacing between the words in the circular inscription was slightly increased.
1998
In the Stanley Cup logo of this period, the designers emphasized color, transforming all dark red elements into beige-red ones. This reduced the contrast with black but highlighted the blue ribbon featuring the championship name. The words in the bottom line are written in uppercase letters using outlined fonts with large serifs.
1999
In addition to changing the year to 1999, displayed on either side of the trophy cup with a bowl on top, the logo’s color also changed. The designers reverted to a pure red color, abandoning the orange hue. Now, on the silver surface of the main hockey trophy, the plaque with the inscription “NHL” appears more distinct.
2000
The Stanley Cup emblem was updated at the turn of the new millennium. Everything was redesigned, with only the logo’s shape remaining the same. The font of the circular inscription underwent significant changes: it is now rounded and streamlined, resembling Hindi script. Between the group names “WESTERN CONFERENCE” and “EASTERN CONFERENCE,” the particle “VS” was added to signify the championship rivalry. The cup became blue with a metallic sheen, giving it a smooth and shiny appearance. The NHL logo was redrawn and moved to the bottom. The sun was colored white, and the background was changed to orange.
2001
In this case, the bright orange background turned orange with a yellow tint. The championship year also changed to 2001. The digits remain grouped in pairs and are placed on the right and left of the central element. The dark blue color became light blue, giving the emblem a more welcoming appearance.
2002
In the Stanley Cup logo of this period, the color palette was revised again, resulting in the orange losing its previous intensity and becoming slightly paler. However, the central line on the ribbon still appears prominent, characterized by its expressiveness and clarity, as the large white letters are outlined, emphasizing their shape.
2003
The orange background became even paler, taking on a pastel shade. Meanwhile, the orange color on the shield with the “NHL” abbreviation became brighter. This was achieved by increasing the thickness of the lines forming the outline, frame, and text. This approach enhanced the contrast with the black color and gave the logo more expressiveness. The letters in the circular inscription were reduced in size, becoming more compact and gaining thin orange outlines, which prevented their edges from blending as they did before.
2004
This year, the logo’s color palette underwent significant changes again: it became even paler as the designers replaced orange with yellow. The inscription was also updated to 2004. Additionally, the circular text was modified. It is now positioned precisely in the center of the blue stripe, whereas previously, it almost touched the white line around the sun (on the left side) and the red border at the top (on the right side of the text).
2006
The logo’s elements were reorganized, and a pentagonal shield replaced the circle. The trophy cup was raised higher, with the bowl extending far beyond the frame. The ribbon now features different text, while the competition name wraps around the shield, crossing it horizontally. The right side of the emblem is blue, including the ribbon and the shield’s border, while the left side is red. These colors highlight the intense rivalry between “WESTERN” and “EASTERN.”
2007
The year of the hockey championship changed, as did the NHL logo: it became larger and black, with the text slanted diagonally to the left instead of to the right, as before 2006. The designers also intensified the shade of blue, making the phrase “Stanley Cup” appear sharp and impressive. It is written in uppercase letters with small serifs. The bold letters are outlined in white, which enhances their expressiveness. At the bottom of the shield’s tip is the inscription “2007,” set in black sans-serif glyphs.
2008
This Stanley Cup logo is one of a kind. It conveys the grandeur of the championship and a love for hockey. The design is based on a pentagonal shield with only one corner—the bottom—sharpened. A double black line gives it a three-dimensional appearance. A thin black stripe runs along the entire perimeter of the emblem, giving it a formal look.
A vertical fold in the shield’s center further enhances the three-dimensional effect. This fold is achieved by adding shading to the left while illuminating the right. The boundary between these areas aligns precisely with one of the strokes of the letter “N” in the word “FINAL,” written in an uppercase sans-serif font.
Above this word begins the base of the cup, which extends upward, partially rising beyond the shield’s edges. The trophy is rendered in shades of gray to capture its glossy, silvery, and reflective surface. The cup is outlined with fine black lines, and at its base is the NHL logo in black and white.
The championship name is most prominent, crossing the shield horizontally and extending far beyond its borders. The text is split into two lines and uses a bold font with small, sharp serifs. The glyphs are white with a thin blue outline. Additionally, the text has an outer black border that follows the entire perimeter of the inscription.
2009 – 2021
By regrouping the elements, the designers achieved a new look for the Stanley Cup logo while preserving its structure. The central part still features the main trophy. It appears very massive and ceremonial, effectively conveying the shiny surface of a silver object.
The championship title is now written in a smaller font, making it less prominent. The word on the second line is much larger: “FINAL.” The designers made it highly dynamic, with a rightward tilt, a horizontal stripe in the middle, and sharp serifs pointing to the left. This text is rendered gray and white, standing out clearly against the black background.
Below is an arc from the championship year 2009. The glyphs are thin and precise, with large internal spaces and wide spacing between the letters. On each side, small stars (three on each side) are drawn on hockey sticks. The “NHL” logo has been moved downward and placed at the center. The abbreviation is positioned diagonally, and the signature shield is outlined with a double frame.
The most intriguing aspect of this emblem is the absence of vivid color. In reality, color is present, but after previous vibrant tones, the light gray, white, and black combination is perceived as monochrome. The restrained palette made the logo more serious and formal. It remained this way for a long time, with only the championship year changing over time.
2022 – 2024
The latest update to the Stanley Cup logo modernized it and presented it in a realistic style. As a result, the trophy in the design appears visually massive, resembling its actual weight of 16 kilograms and height of about 90 cm. It conveys a sense of heaviness and a rounded shape.
The designers achieved this effect by choosing the right angle and harmoniously distributing light reflections. The silver trophy is depicted upright and shown “head-on.” Its surface appears silver, smooth, and shiny, accentuated by shaded areas on the left side.
In addition, the trophy’s plates, which are gradually added to the bowl, are visible. The bowl itself also looks realistic, as it is smaller in size compared to the base. The gleaming trophy is placed against a black background, enhancing its brilliance as a coveted and hard-to-reach prize.
The shield is also positioned straight, emphasizing grandeur and triumph. A medium-thickness dark gray border runs along its edge. The year of the hockey championship is displayed to the right and left of the trophy. The championship name has been moved to the bottom and divided into two parts by color: the first line features the gray text “STANLEY CUP,” while the second line contains the word “FINAL” in black.
The text elements share a unifying feature—the uppercase font. It is bold, uniform, and sharply angled. The upper line stands out with its small serifs, which appear as elegant extensions on the ends of the glyphs. The lower line is characterized by oversized letters twice as large as those in the neighboring text.
