The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced on Friday that the Walter Cup, belonging to the Montreal Victoire, is currently missing. According to a statement from the league, the trophy did not reach its intended destination, and efforts are underway in collaboration with the shipping company to locate it.
The trophy was scheduled to be transported to Lethbridge, Alberta, for a special event with Victoire forward Dara Greig. However, the container arrived in Lethbridge without the Walter Cup, leading to the postponement of the planned celebration. Unlike the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the PWHL does not assign a dedicated individual to accompany the trophy during its travels.
It is unknown where the missing Walter Cup was last observed. The trophy in question is not the ceremonial cup presented to teams upon winning the championship, which is permanently displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Instead, this missing version is the replica given to championship-winning teams for their possession.
Both the original trophy and the team’s version are crafted from sterling silver by Tiffany & Co., weighing approximately 35 pounds and standing at 24 inches in height and 13 inches in width. Adorned with six W’s symbolizing the league’s founding franchises, the cup sits on hockey stick-shaped rods, with the championship teams’ names etched on the puck-like base.
Montreal secured the Walter Cup by defeating Ottawa in Game 4 of the series, becoming the first Canadian team to claim the PWHL title. Named after PWHL founder Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra, the trophy holds significance in the league’s history, with Minnesota having won the first two championships.
