Quick Take
- Dogs aren't the only animals on the ice, and the reason other creatures crash the event says everything about the event's real goal. See how other animals joined →
- Every competing rescue dog has a name that makes hockey fans groan, and somehow that wordplay is central to why the event works. Discover the hockey pun names →
- The celebrity guest list mixes SNL stars, rock legends, and NHL icons in a combination nobody saw coming. Meet the celebrity lineup →
- One sporting event has achieved something no shelter adoption campaign has ever managed before. Its track record is genuinely hard to believe. See the adoption impact →
The Stanley Cup is the biggest event in professional hockey. It routinely gets millions of viewers a year, and the numbers continue to grow. In 2024 alone, the Stanley Cup Final averaged 8.8 million viewers. It was the most-watched Stanley Cup Final across North America since 2013.
Meanwhile, and perhaps seemingly unrelated, every year, at least 6 million dogs, cats, and other pets are abandoned or lost and enter shelters in the United States.
In a brilliant move of marketing and exposure, several organizations joined forces to bring these two facets — professional hockey and homeless pets — together to create a happily ever after.
The Stanley Pup is a light-hearted athletic competition featuring several dozen shelter dogs in desperate need of homes. Broadcast on several television networks, the Stanley Pup brings together legendary broadcasters, celebrities, and professional hockey players to celebrate man’s best friend. So far, it’s been a resounding success, with 100% of the featured pups adopted after each year’s event. Let’s learn more about the Stanley Pup and its origins and see how it’s developed into one of the most exciting, adorable, and successful public dog adoption events in the country.
The Origins of the Event
The inaugural Stanley Pup was held in June 2024. A play on the wildly popular Puppy Bowl that is televised with the Super Bowl, the Stanley Pup runs in tandem with the Stanley Cup and is supported by the NHL. Spearheaded by Michael Levitt Productions and sponsored by several organizations, the broadcast featured 32 rescue dogs, each representing one of the 32 National Hockey League teams. They let the dogs run wild on a small, canine-safe rink. They showcased their (tongue-in-cheek) puck-handling skills to help find them forever homes. All 32 rescue puppies were adopted due to the broadcast.
The first Stanley Pup was held in June 2024, resulting in every one of the 32 featured dogs being adopted.
©Courtesy of Delia Brengel/NHL – Original
Thanks to the resounding success of the first Stanley Pup, the NHL and collaborators expanded their efforts. The 2025 event included the broadcast on several cable networks and major streaming platforms. It also gave the featured puppies pun-like, hockey-inspired names based on those of real professional hockey players. Furthermore, the event included cats as ice crew members and even a pig to sing the national anthem. The event focuses on dogs. However, the inclusion of other furry friends is meant to show that all pets deserve love and care.
This Year’s Stanley Pup
In tandem with this year’s Stanley Cup series between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, the Stanley Pup will simulcast on TruTV and HBO Max, highlighting a heap of furry friends at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. It will also air in Canada on Sportsnet at 8 p.m. EDT, as well as re-air on the NHL YouTube channel the following morning. The previous Stanley Pups were highly exciting, and their resounding success has helped make the 2026 event one for the ages.
Adopting is like a hat trick for you and the selected pet – scoring a goal for the pet, the family, and the next animal in need. When you adopt, everyone wins!
Adam Lamb, CEO of Brandywine Valley SPCA
As the show’s producer and animal advocate Michael Levitt explained in an article on the NHL website, the event is bigger and better than ever. Levitt said, “For our third year of Stanley Pup, we’ve taken the show next level — and the puppies absolutely delivered. This special is pure joy for the whole family, and we hope it inspires people to open their hearts and homes to a rescue dog. Because when these pups hit the ice, it’s not just a game…it’s a power play for adoption.”
Keeping with the event’s popular tradition, the 32 featured dogs will have pun-happy names honoring players from each NHL team. These include Matthew Schaefurry for New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Shaefer, Jack Eichowl for Golden Knights center Jack Eichel, and Jack and Quinn Chews standing in for brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes, players on the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild, respectively.
A Star-Studded Event
Plenty of celebrities, professional hockey players, and legendary broadcasters will be in attendance.
©Courtesy of Delia Brengel/NHL – Original
It’s hard to deny the absolute cuteness of the Stanley Pup, and celebrities are no exception. This year features a veritable who’s who of stars from media, music, film, and more. It is remarkable just how many famous figures will be at the event, helping the 32 featured puppies find forever homes. Arts and entertainment-wise, they include Kenan Thompson (SNL, D2: The Mighty Ducks), Brooke Shields (The Blue Lagoon), Jean Smart (Hacks), Joel McHale (Community, Animal Control), Flavor Flav, Bryan Adams, and more. Broadcasting legends like Doc Emrick, Liam McHugh, Anson Carter, and Paul Bissonnette will also be in attendance.
The Stanley Pup would not be complete without players from the NHL. As such, several famous hockey players will be in attendance. They include Logan Thompson from the Washington Capitals, Will Smith from the San Jose Sharks, Alexander Ovechkin from the Washington Capitals, and Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin. Also in attendance will be Elias Weiss Friedman, popularly known as The Dogist. He will provide several adoption follow-up segments, including on-location features and interviews with three families who adopted dogs featured in previous events.
Brandywine Boost
The last two years of Stanley Pup events have been runaway successes, and this year will be no different. The 2026 event is made possible by several organizations, most notably the Brandywine Valley SPCA. As the official adoption partner for the event, Brandywine Valley SPCA will spotlight different pups from its various locations. As Adam Lamb, CEO of Brandywine Valley SPCA, told the NHL, “Adopting is like a hat trick for you and the selected pet – scoring a goal for the pet, the family, and the next animal in need. When you adopt, everyone wins!”
