The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) reported to The Associated Press on Friday that the Walter Cup, belonging to the Montreal Victoire, the league’s champion, is currently missing. The league issued a statement indicating that the trophy did not arrive at its intended destination as scheduled and is collaborating with the shipping company to locate it.
A source revealed on the condition of anonymity that the trophy was meant to be transported to Lethbridge, Alberta, for a celebration with Victoire forward Dara Greig. However, the container arrived without the Walter Cup inside, causing Greig to postpone her planned day with the trophy, including a public event at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
The whereabouts of the missing Walter Cup remain unknown. Unlike the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not assign a dedicated individual to accompany the trophy during its travels to be with players.
It’s important to note that the missing Walter Cup is not the ceremonial trophy awarded to teams on the ice upon winning the championship. That trophy is permanently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The missing version is a replica given to championship-winning teams to keep.
Both the original trophy and the team version are crafted from sterling silver by Tiffany & Co., weighing approximately 35 pounds and standing at about 24 inches in height and 13 inches wide. The cup is supported by two rods resembling hockey sticks, with six W’s engraved on it representing the league’s six original franchises. The base of the cup features a puck on which the championship teams’ names are inscribed.
Montreal secured the cup by triumphing over Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May, becoming the first Canadian team to clinch the PWHL title. The cup is named after PWHL founder and primary financier, Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife, Kimbra.