The Cultural Significance of the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (Stanley Cup); The cultural significance of the Stanley Cup over the past century is evident but there is also great cultural and social significance of the cup in its early days when it was known as the Dominion Challenge Cup.
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| Lord Stanley |
When Lord Stanley was appointed
Canada’s Governor General in 1888,
Canada was a young, sprawling country. It had only been 21 years since confederation.
Its geography and diversity of people and regions made unification and development difficult.
At that time
Canada had domestic strife that was on the verge of pulling it apart and the
United States had aggressive policies that threatened war with
Canada. Lord Stanley was gravely concerned by the lack of a military. The very existence of the Dominion of
Canada was in question. Canada lacked a cultural identity as a Nation.
Lord Stanley’s family immediately became very involved in the young sport of hockey upon their arrival in
Canada. Through his boys involvement in a new hockey association,
Arthur and his brother Algie talked
Stanley into donating the trophy that the teams would strive for in the new association. At an Ottawa Athletic Association dinner on March 18th 1892, a letter from Lord Stanley was read- it said:
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| The Dominion Cup Today |
“I have for some time been thinking that it would be a good thing if there were a challenge cup which should be held from year to year by the champion hockey team in the Dominion "
However, Lord Stanley's interest and motivation in awarding this trophy went well beyond being a good, "hockey dad" and would have far reaching benefits to the cultural identity of the nation:
1) Canada needed a sport! As leisure time increased many Canadians sought out organised sport for their children. It was widely recognized that national sports were important in many social and cultural ways to the development of a country. The fledgling sport of hockey was ideal for Canada. Both the sport and Canada were in their infancy. Lord Stanley's recognition of the hockey through the office of the Governor General gave instant legitimization to the sport and all of Canada quickly embraced it! With the Governor Generals endorsement, social agents in Canada quickly used hockey to foster imperial and national allegiance.
2) Symbol of Cultural Identity: Canada needed cultural symbols of their own, apart from Britain. This was achieved as the Dominion Challenge Cup (Stanley Cup) was awarded to the best team in the Dominion; the winner between the champion from the eastern professional National Hockey Association (formed in 1910), and the western professional Pacific Coast Hockey Association (formed in 1912).
3) A True Cultural Symbol: How could a symbol encompass a culture as vast as Canada's? This was already evident by 1905 when a team from Yukon challenged Ottawa for the Cup. The Dawson City Nuggets challenge was accepted and two games were played on January 13 and 16, 1905 in Ottawa. The Nuggets were beaten badly by the Ottawa team, however their tenacious spirit and long journey from the Klondike made this team worthy Hall of Famer's. The Nuggets travelled an epic 23 day journey by dog sled, approximately 600 km from Dawson to Whitehorse, narrow gauge rail from Whitehorse to Skagway, ship from Skagway to Vancouver, and train from Vancouver to Ottawa in time for the games. For more read blogger Joe Pelltier's
Stanley Cup Challenge from the Yukon. The spirit of this
team demonstrated the compelling appeal of the symbol of the cup in the entire Dominion of Canada.
4) Canada's "Crisis of Masculinity": In the book, Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup, authors Shea and Wilson contend that one motivation behind the Governor Generals involvement in promoting hockey was that sport, particularly violent and aggressive sport, was needed to build the character of the men in the nation as the building blocks for the Canadian Military. They suggest that Canada was seen as lacking masculinity, "It was no secret that a large portion of Britain's dominant classes used organized sport in the late 19th Century as a regimen that brought physical fitness to the individual, toughening him against the debilities of of city life and maintaining a readiness for armed service." p. 91.
"Social theorists, church leaders, politicians, the astrocracy and even the Queen perceived a strong link between sport and war."p.91 Lord Stanley was very concerned about Canada's almost non-existent military ability in the face of an aggressive United States who were threatening war. His endorsement and promotion of hockey would be seen as a "social agent" to develop Canadian masculinity and a building block for the defence of the country.
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The Stanley Cup Today in
the Hockey Hall of Fame |
5) And what a Canadian symbol it would become! In 1917 the National Hockey League was formed and in 1926 a tradition was born with the NHL playoffs deciding the winner of the Stanley Cup! Today young hockey players all over the world dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup!
Lord Stanley was called back to England and never saw a Stanley Cup game or presented the Cup; the original cup was a decorative silver punch bowl purchased for $48.67. He had the words "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" engraved on one side of the outside rim, and "From Stanley of Preston" on the other side.
Reference: Shea, Kevin and Wilson, John Jason (2006),
Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup, Hockey Hall of Fame; Fenn Publishing Company, Bolten Ontario
