- The Walter Cup never showed up for Shiann Darkangelo’s Saturday event in Brighton, Michigan
- It is the second time in just over two weeks the trophy has missed a scheduled stop
- Read below for what the PWHL knew this time and why the shipping company did not change
The Walter Cup is missing again.
Shiann Darkangelo was supposed to spend Saturday morning with the PWHL championship trophy at an Athleta store in Brighton, Michigan, the town she grew up in. It never arrived. She wrote a note to fans on Instagram once it became clear the Cup would not make it.
“The Walter Cup did not arrive as expected yesterday, and unfortunately, it will not be at the Athleta event in Brighton today. I know many of you were excited to see the cup, and I’m genuinely disappointed that it won’t be there.”
Hockey writer Ian Kennedy shared the note:
She showed up anyway. Darkangelo told fans she would still be at the store from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. so anyone who made the trip could take a photo and say hello.
This is the second stop the trophy has blown in about two weeks. Back on Aug. 20, Victoire forward Dara Greig had to postpone her celebration in Lethbridge, Alberta, when the Cup vanished somewhere in transit and the league had no idea where it was.
Montreal had some fun with it when the trophy turned up on Aug. 24:
Nobody is hunting for it this round. A source close to the situation told The Associated Press the league knew exactly where the Cup was on Saturday afternoon. It just had not been delivered. That same source confirmed the PWHL used the same shipping company it used in August.
What keeps getting lost is not the real thing. Each champion receives a keeper replica to tour around the continent, and that is the one bouncing between airports. The original sterling silver Walter Cup, roughly 24 inches tall and 35 pounds, lives at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The Victoire earned their keeper cup in May by beating the Ottawa Charge in Game 4 of the final. Darkangelo scored once in nine playoff games that spring and led the Victoire in faceoff wins during the regular season with a career-high 213.
Detroit is her team now. The PWHL’s new expansion club signed the Brighton native to a two-year deal in June, which is exactly why a Montreal trophy was headed to a Michigan strip mall in the first place.
Darkangelo gets to open an expansion season in her home state this winter. One more afternoon with the trophy she won will have to wait on a delivery truck.
