The Montreal Victoire’s Walter Cup championship trophy, which was lost during shipment, has been located and returned to the team, as announced by the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Monday. The PWHL expressed gratitude to those involved in the search and to the fans for their support, although specific details were not disclosed.
The trophy went missing when it failed to reach Lethbridge, Alta., where it was scheduled to be with Victoire forward Dara Greig. A container arrived, but it did not contain the trophy as expected. The league humorously mentioned that even the Walter Cup can have its own offseason adventure and anticipates the Victoire’s celebrations with the cup.
Although the exact location of the trophy’s recovery and the circumstances of its disappearance remain unclear, the PWHL stated that the cup was lost during shipment. The league had been working with the shipping company to locate the missing trophy, which is distinct from the one presented to championship-winning teams on the ice and is permanently housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The missing trophy is a replica of the original sterling silver Tiffany & Co.-designed Walter Cup, weighing approximately 16 kilograms and standing at 61 centimeters tall. Montreal secured the cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May, becoming the PWHL’s inaugural Canadian champion, following Minnesota’s two previous titles.
Named after PWHL founder and primary benefactor Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra, the trophy is a tribute to their contributions. Walter, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently reached an agreement to sell his controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers.