![Canadian hockey amateurs file suit to have Stanley Cup put in play](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] A group of amateur hockey players in Canada called the "Wednesday Nighters" has filed a claim in Ontario Superior Court [official website] to determine whether who can play for the Stanley Cup [Wikipedia profile], the trophy traditionally awarded to the winner of the National Hockey League (NHL) [official website] playoffs. The amateurs are asking the court to clarify the terms under which nineteenth-century Canadian Governor-General Lord Stanley [historical profile] donated the Cup in 1892. The NHL season was cancelled in February due to a labor dispute [JURIST report]. The group's lawyer claims Lord Stanley's intention when he donated the cup was to have teams compete for and win the trophy every year. The group hopes to force Stanley Cup trustees Brian O'Neill and Ian Morrison to find teams to play for the Cup. O'Neill has already indicated that the Cup cannot be awarded for another competition due to an agreement with the NHL. The claim is scheduled to be heard on July 18, a month after the Stanley Cup is usually awarded; however, the group hopes to have the hearing moved up to May. AP has more.