The Montreal Victoire’s Walter Cup championship trophy, which went missing during shipment, has been located and returned to the team, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced on Monday. The PWHL expressed gratitude to all involved in the search and to fans for their support but provided limited details on the recovery.
Last week, the trophy was supposed to be in Lethbridge, Alberta, with Victoire forward Dara Greig, but it did not arrive as planned. A different container arrived, without the trophy that was shipped by the PWHL. The league humorously mentioned that even the Walter Cup can have off-season adventures and looks forward to the Victoire’s celebrations with the cup.
The exact location where the trophy was found and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance remain unclear, as the PWHL simply stated that it was lost in transit. The league had been collaborating with the shipping company to locate the missing trophy, which is distinct from the one awarded to teams during the championship game and is permanently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The missing trophy is a replica known as the team’s “keeper” cup, a 16-kilogram Tiffany & Co.-designed silver cup standing 61 centimetres tall. Montreal secured the cup by defeating Ottawa in a best-of-five series in May, becoming the PWHL’s inaugural Canadian champion, following Minnesota’s previous two titles.
Named after PWHL founder Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra, the trophy honors their contributions to the league. Mark Walter, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently made headlines for agreeing to sell his controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers.