Which Montreal club first received the Stanley Cup in 1893?

The Montreal Hockey Club was the Montreal club that first received the Stanley Cup in 1893.

The trophy was then called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. Montreal Hockey Club finished first in the 1893 season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada, posting a 7–1–0 record, and was recognized as the inaugural Cup champion. At that time, there was no modern playoff tournament: league standings determined the champion.

The club was affiliated with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, which is why some historical accounts describe the first recipient as the MAAA. The Cup was formally presented to the association’s president on May 15, 1893, rather than directly to the hockey club.

A dispute followed. Montreal Hockey Club wanted the trophy delivered to the club itself and did not immediately accept the association’s control. The club finally received the Cup in March 1894. That complicated handover explains why “Montreal Hockey Club” is the sporting answer, while the MAAA appears in accounts of the physical presentation.