The Professional Women’s Hockey League disclosed to The Associated Press on Friday that the Walter Cup, belonging to the Montreal Victoire, is currently missing. The league issued a statement indicating that the trophy did not reach its intended destination and is working with the shipping company to locate it.
The trophy was scheduled to be sent to Lethbridge, Alberta, for a day with Victoire forward Dara Greig. However, the container arrived at its destination without the Walter Cup, prompting Greig to postpone her scheduled public event on Thursday at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
Unlike the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not assign a dedicated individual to accompany the trophy on its travels to players. The missing Walter Cup is not the one presented to teams upon winning the championship; that one is permanently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Instead, the missing version is a replica issued to championship-winning teams for their possession.
The trophy, like the original, is crafted from sterling silver and designed by Tiffany & Co., weighing approximately 35 pounds and measuring 24 inches in height and 13 inches wide. It features six engraved W’s representing the league’s original franchises and a base displaying the championship teams.
Montreal secured the cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May, marking the first Canadian team to win the title in the PWHL. The trophy is named after PWHL founder and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra.