Part of the reason why the Stanley Cup is widely considered one of – if not the – greatest trophies in sports is the honor of having your name memorialized forever on the prize. Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon took this many steps too far.
The Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to win the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.
With this trophy comes the honor of choosing who gets included in the engraving of the cup – something that has happened every year since the prize was first given out in 1893.
In addition to the players, owners and general managers are typically given the honor of an engraving as well. Beyond this, it’s up to the discretion of team owners who else will be memorialized on the cup – with a maximum number of 55 names allowed.
Typically, such honors are given to members of the staff who helped the team throughout the season – such as executives, assistant general managers, equipment managers, assistant coaches, team medical staff and more. Additionally, the team may choose to include the names of players who made contributions to the playoffs but didn’t meet the requirements (playing 41 regular-season games or 1 Stanley Cup Final game) for engraving on their own.
But Dundon made the selfish – and, some may claim, disgraceful – decision to include his entire family on the cup.
Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is under fire for including his family on the Stanley Cup
The team owner has included the name of his wife and five children to be engraved on the cup
Dundon, with wife Veruschka and three of his children (L-R) Tagan, Blake and Drew in 2018
Dundon’s name is first on the cup, as is tradition. But he is then immediately followed by his wife, Veruschka, then his five children: Caden, Dax, Drew, Blake and Tagan.
It’s not uncommon to include the names of family members on the cup – with late Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch putting several names of his family on the 2007-08 entry. But, it should be noted, those individuals all had roles within the organization.
As for Dundon’s family, the age range of his children extends from their early 20s all the way down to elementary school. There is no evidence to suggest that Veruschka or the five children are involved in the day-to-day operations of the team and none of them have listings on the staff page of the Hurricanes’ website.
Hockey fans were irate over this decision and blasted Dundon on social media.
‘Dundon weasling his wife and all 5 of his kids on the cup is so lame….’ wrote one user on X.
Another said, ‘Tom Dundon putting his whole family on the Cup instead of players & staff who actually did things to win the Stanley Cup is one the most selfish & gross things I’ve ever seen. It’s so disrespectful and shameful.’
‘No [development coach Jesper] Fast, [defenseman Charles-Alexis] Legault, [defenseman Joel] Nystrom, [longtime PR executive] Mike [Sundheim], or [broadcaster] Tripp [Tracy] but thank god we got dundon’s entire bloodline,’ another comment read.
‘Dundon isn’t the first to start sneaking family onto the list – it’s been happening more and more the last few years and the NHL seemingly stopped pushing back – but two full lines including a straight up kindergartner is wild,’ posted hockey writer Jeff Veillette.
No evidence suggests any of Dundon’s family have any involvement in the team’s operation
Names included on the cup need to go through an approval process through the league and the Hockey Hall of Fame, who are the keepers and the protectors of the trophy
One fan took issue with his family being listed before the players, adding, ‘The @NHL needs to fix this. The Stanley Cup should honor those who contributed to winning it, not for those who “supported” the team.’
‘What a pathetic thing to do. My God. Indefensible,’ posted Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe.
One angry fan posted, ‘Ok Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon putting the names of his wife and kids on the Stanley Cup is a f***ing disgrace.’
All names engraved on the cup need to be approved by the Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL.
This approval process traces back to 1984 when Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington had his father Basil’s name etched on the cup.
However, Basil was not involved with the team in any way and the Hockey Hall of Fame covered his engraving up with stamped X’s.
The Daily Mail has contacted both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL for comment on this matter.
