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Stanley Cup engraving controversy has people mad at Carolina's billionaire owner

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Jul 9 2026, 7:50 pm
Stanley Cup engraving controversy has people mad at Carolina's billionaire owner
Lucas Peltier/Imagn Images

You can’t say Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon doesn’t put family first.

Dundon, whose Hurricanes won its second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history last month, chose to have several family members’ names engraved on what many believe is the best trophy in sports.

Dundon, his wife Veruschka, and children Caden, Dax, Drew, Blake, and Tagan’s names are all now engraved on the Stanley Cup. What makes it even odder is that all of their names appear before any of the players or coaching staff.

carolina hurricanes stanley cup

The Carolina Hurricanes have their names on the Stanley Cup. (@Canes/X)

This is similar to a situation that happened with the Edmonton Oilers after winning the Stanley Cup in 1984. Then-owner Peter Pocklington secretly had his father, Basil, engraved on the Cup. The NHL wound up stepping in and replacing Basil’s name with 16 Xs.

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People are upset with Tom Dundon today. (James Guillory/Imagn Images)

“Just an embarrassing move by Tom Dundon,” one user on X wrote. “Your kids did not earn it or deserve it more than members of the organization, let alone some other players.”

Another fan pointed out the fact that an all-time great in Mario Lemieux, who won three Cups as an owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, 2016, and 2017, didn’t put any family members on the prestigious trophy.

That said, this could be turning into a more common theme in the NHL.

Just last season, Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola had four members of his family engraved into the Cup, all of which were also placed at the top. That said, the Panthers’ directory lists the four Violas as alternate governors for the organization.

Whether the NHL chooses to step in as they did with Pocklington or let it slide remains to be seen, but it’s very clear that the vast majority of fans view this as poor taste.

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