The Stanley cup is not just the most identifiable trophy in North America but it is also the best know cultural artifact in Canadian society. Both the rich have coveted the cup and famous as well it has been admired by the likes of the garbage man next door. The cup transcends normal cultural ideologies of either high or low culture by blending them together while significantly shaping popular and mass cultures alike. National Advertisers, big business, governments, working class people and sports enthusiasts in Canada all revel in the brilliance of this modest trophy, and the way it encompasses Canadian dreams and societies struggles by just being there. Canadians hold fewer things closer to their heart than the magical Stanley Cup.
The significance of the Stanley cup in Canadian culture is paramount when looking at cultural icons that transcend through all aspects of Canadian society. The trophy signifies much of what the Canadian collective consciousness believes, fair play, competition, loyalty, and healthy existence. The origins of the Stanley cup only add to the lore of the most recognizable trophy in the world. The story of the Stanley Cup is a rocky and often clouded in conteversy one because originally it was intended to celebrate the championship for amateur hockey in Canada as a challenge cup. It eventually becomes the sole property of one of the most successful companies in the world the NHL. Using a high low classification on culture the Stanley cup becomes a very complicated yet fascinating piece of Canadian history. This silver bowl now represents an industry grossing billions of dollars a year. The exploitation of player's fans and the cities in which the game of hockey is played is now the norm. Teams who at best are just a key cog in a privately owned business whose products are accessible to a very large number of people.
Amatuer clubs all over Canada played for the Cup by the turn of the century.