The Walter Cup is missing — or at least the version of the trophy that belongs to the Professional Women’s Hockey League champion Montreal Victoire, the league told The Associated Press on Friday.
Without going into detail, the PWHL issued a statement saying the trophy “did not arrive as expected at its latest stop,” and added “we are working closely with the shipping company to locate it.”
The trophy was supposed to be shipped to Lethbridge, Alberta, to spend the day with Victoire forward Dara Greig, a person with knowledge of the plans told the AP on the condition of anonymity because those details were not revealed by the league.
A container did arrive, but not the one the PWHL shipped with the trophy inside, a second person with knowledge of the details told the AP. The second person spoke on the condition of anonymity because those details have not been revealed by the league.
As a result, Greig wound up postponing her day with the trophy on Thursday, which included a public event at the city’s VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
It’s unclear where the Walter Cup was last seen. And unlike the NHL and the Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not have a person dedicated to travel with its trophy when it goes on the road to be with players.
The missing Walter Cup in question is not the one presented to teams on the ice upon winning the championship. That one is permanently housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The missing version is instead a version issued to championship-winning teams to keep.
The team’s version, like the original trophy, is made of sterling silver and designed by Tiffany & Co. It weighs about 35 pounds (16 kilograms) and measures about 24 inches (61 centimeters) in height and 13 inches (33 centimeters) wide.
The cup rests on two rods, resembling hockey sticks. On the cup are engraved six W’s representing the league’s six original franchises. The base of the cup represents a puck on which the championship teams are etched.
Montreal clinched the cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May to become the PWHL’s first Canadian team to win title. Minnesota won the PWHL’s first two championships.
The trophy is named after PWHL founder and primary financier Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra.
