The Montreal Victoire’s Walter Cup championship trophy, which went missing during shipping, has been located and returned to the team, as announced by the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Monday. The league expressed gratitude to all involved in the search and acknowledged the support from fans.
Last week, the trophy disappeared en route to Lethbridge, Alberta, where it was meant to be with Victoire forward Dara Greig. Although a container arrived, it did not contain the expected trophy shipment.
The PWHL humorously remarked that even the Walter Cup can have its off-season adventures and looks forward to the Victoire team’s celebratory moments with the cup. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance and discovery of the trophy remain unclear, with the league citing it as being “lost in shipment” and collaborating with the shipping company to locate it.
Notably, the missing trophy was not the official championship trophy presented on the ice during victory ceremonies, as that is permanently housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The trophy in question was a replica known as the team’s “keeper” cup, a 16-kilogram, 61-centimeter tall representation of the original sterling silver Tiffany & Co.-designed Walter Cup.
Montreal clinched the cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of a best-of-five series in May, marking them as the PWHL’s inaugural Canadian champions, following Minnesota’s back-to-back title wins. The trophy is named in honor of PWHL founder and major benefactor Mark Walter and his spouse, Kimbra. Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently reached an agreement to divest his controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers.
