NHL enthusiasts are expressing outrage as Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has taken the unusual step of inscribing his family’s names on the revered Stanley Cup. This move has stirred additional controversy because he not only included them but placed their names at the very top of the list.
The NHL Cup allows for a maximum of 55 names to be engraved, a privilege usually reserved for those closely tied to a team’s success after a championship. Tom Dundon, however, chose to include six names from his immediate family, listing his wife Veruschka and their five children: Caden, Dax, Drew, Blake, and Tagan.
By doing so, Dundon and his family occupy seven spots on the Cup, which some argue could have been used to honor other deserving individuals within the organization who contributed significantly to the team’s accomplishments.
The primary grievance for many is that several family members do not officially hold any roles within the organization. This decision has sparked a debate about the propriety and tradition associated with inscribing names on the Stanley Cup.
Interestingly, there is a precedent for family names on the Cup. The Detroit Red Wings memorialized nine members of the Ilitch family for the 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008 championships. However, according to The Athletic, each of these family members had official capacities as part owners or team vice presidents, which lent legitimacy to their inclusion.
The Florida Panthers reportedly did the same last season when the Viola family had five total family members engraved on the Cup –– although they all held titles, including alternate governors.
The Hurricanes do not meet such criteria with the family inclusion.
Still, the names are engraved and fans are not thrilled about it.
“We won’t be commenting as an organization,” a spokesperson for the Hurricanes told The Athletic.
The processes detailed on the official NHL website describe eligibility requirements for engravings, and it appears there were inconsistencies.
“A player is required to have appeared in at least 41 regular-season games with a team, or one Stanley Cup Final game, to be eligible to have his name engraved on the trophy. In 1994, a stipulation was added to allow a team to petition the Commissioner for permission to have players’ names put on the Stanley Cup if extenuating circumstances prevented them from being available to play. The management staff engraved on the trophy is determined by the team. However, it must be approved by the Hockey Hall of Fame and NHL.”
The Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) responded to an email from The Athletic on the situation.
“Hockey Operations at the league (NHL) office in Toronto signs off on the names that go on the Stanley Cup. HHOF is not involved in this process.”
It’s a bizarre response considering what the league’s official rules state, and fans are still livid.
The Hurricanes defeated the Golden Knights in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.
“Dumb Tom Dundon wasted so much space on the Stanley Cup by adding his useless children to it,” one particularly harsh critic on X wrote.
“Children who contributed nothing to the success of that team. What a self serving prick. Shameful.”