What Is the Stanley Pup? How to Watch the NHL's First Canine Hockey Game Filled with Rescue Dogs

The NHL and Petco Love partnered up to create a canine hockey game in celebration of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Many are familiar with the Stanley Cup, but the Stanley Pup is something a tad furrier.

According to the National Hockey League (NHL), in celebration of the ongoing 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL partnered with Petco Love to create a first-of-its-kind canine competition called the Stanley Pup.

The Stanley Pup, set to air on June 7, is a doggy hockey game in which the athletes are adoptable dogs bounding around a specially-made floor hockey rink. The big game will feature rescue canines representing all 32 NHL teams, including 16 dogs representing the teams that qualified for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those 16 dogs will be the canines in the rink competing for Stanley Pup glory. Most of the dogs included in the hour-long special will be available for adoption when the event airs and Petco Love scouted all of the involved pups from rescues and shelters across the country.

"The Stanley Pup is meant to entertain. How could it not with all these adorable puppies playing hockey? But it's also about the messaging. Our hope is that viewers will realize they can actually adopt puppies from their local shelters and rescue organizations. We want people to see firsthand that dogs in our shelters are not second-hand animals and deserve to be part of any family's starting lineup," Michael Levitt, the Stanley Pup's producer, said in a statement to PEOPLE.

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Levitt is familiar with giving rescue animals the star treatment. He is also the producer behind the American Rescue Dog Show. Other famous animal advocates are also involved in the Stanley Pup, including Kristin Chenoweth and Miranda Lambert.

"I'm so proud to launch this canine sporting spectacular with the NHL and so grateful for their passion in supporting adoption. The show is sure to be the biggest night of the year for dog-loving hockey fans," Levitt added. "The cuteness overload is going to be off the charts!"

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The Stanley Pup will be broadcast in the U.S. on NHL Network and ESPN+ on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET and on Sportsnet in Canada on Saturday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Air dates and times are subject to change based on the schedule for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

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Read the original article on People.