The trophy belonging to the Montreal Victoire, the champions of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, known as the Walter Cup, is currently missing. The league revealed that the trophy did not arrive at its intended location as planned and is collaborating with the shipping company to locate it.
The Walter Cup was meant to be delivered to Lethbridge, Alberta, for a scheduled event with Victoire forward Dara Greig. However, upon the container’s arrival, the trophy was missing, leading to the postponement of Greig’s public appearance with the cup at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
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. The missing Walter Cup is not the ceremonial trophy presented on the ice but rather the version awarded to championship-winning teams to keep. This version, similar to the original trophy, is crafted from sterling silver by Tiffany & Co., weighing approximately 35 pounds and standing at 24 inches in height and 13 inches wide.
The cup features six engraved W’s representing the league’s original franchises and rests on two rods resembling hockey sticks, with the base showcasing the names of past championship teams. Montreal secured the cup by triumphing over Ottawa in a best-of-five series in May, becoming the first Canadian team to claim the PWHL title, following Minnesota’s consecutive victories in the league’s initial seasons.
Named after PWHL founder and primary sponsor Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife Kimbra, the Walter Cup holds great significance within the league’s history.