- Tom Dundon put his wife and five kids on the Stanley Cup, all ahead of the players and coaches
- None of the six family members hold a role with the Hurricanes
- Read below for the fan backlash and how the NHL once erased a similar engraving
Tom Dundon found room on the Stanley Cup for six people who never played a shift.
The Hurricanes owner had his wife, Veruschka, and their five children, Caden, Dax, Drew, Blake and Tagan, engraved on the Cup after Carolina beat Vegas in June. All six names sit on the first two lines, ahead of the front office, the coaches and the players.
None of them hold a job with the organization. One of the kids is seven.
Philip Pritchard, the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Keeper of the Cup, posted the finished band:
The reaction online was not kind. One fan summed up the mood after seeing the order of names:
“Just an embarrassing move by Tom Dundon. Your kids did not earn it or deserve it more than members of the organization, let alone some other players.”
Others reached for a comparison. Mario Lemieux won three Cups as the Penguins owner and never put a single family member on the trophy.
Dundon is not the first owner to try this. Peter Pocklington quietly slipped his father Basil onto the Cup after the Oilers won in 1984. The NHL caught it and struck the name out with 16 Xs, which are still there today.
It has become more common lately. Vincent Viola added four family members during the Panthers’ back-to-back runs in 2024 and 2025, though Florida lists those relatives as alternate governors. Jeffrey Vinik’s wife made it on for Tampa Bay in 2021.
Carolina’s 52 players and staff were etched on last week, two decades after the franchise won its first title in 2005-06.
The players earned their spot. Whether a seven-year-old belongs above them is the part fans cannot get past.
