The 2026 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes are in the middle of a PR nightmare. The team that ended the Golden Knights’ dreams is upsetting the hockey world with an egregious case of nepotism. Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon added seven family members to the list of engraved names on the Stanley Cup trophy.
In 2023, Cup-raising owner Bill Foley and his son Robert were the only two Foleys to appear on the coveted award. Since the team’s inception, Robert has been an active member of the Golden Knights front office. He held the role of Chief Business Officer the season Vegas won the Cup and still works under that title as VGK enter Season 10.
Not only did Dundon break protocol, but he one-upped his brashness by etching his family names above the actual Cup-winning players. Now, fans across the league are mocking the reigning champions for having a small-market attitude in a major American sports league.
On the flip side, many argue that if they owned an NHL club and they won the Stanley Cup, they would etch whomever they damn well pleased on it. Fair, but VGK’s owner had a different mentality. Out of the 52 allotted engraved names, 27 were Golden Knights players. The remaining 25 names were the two Foleys, the entire coaching staff, front office, multiple trainers, and several individuals in the hockey operations department. Each person who made it onto the 2023 edition of the Stanley Cup was deserving and fundamental to the team’s 16-win success. Here’s the full list of names from the 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights.
To be fair to Dundon, the NHL reviewed and accepted the list of names in the exact order submitted by Carolina’s owner. If the league didn’t see anything wrong with the Hurricanes’ unorthodox style, then the fans should take it up with the league office.
A similar occurrence happened in 2025 after the Florida Panthers won their second Stanley Cup trophy. Panthers owner Vincent Viola included four family members on the list of names on the Cup. However, it was Florida’s second championship in back-to-back seasons, in which Viola left his family off the 2024 trophy.
Maybe when Foley wins his second Stanley Cup championship, he will add his entire brood to the list of honored names. After all, it’s fully accepted by the league but still very much frowned upon by hockey fans in any city.
Jake
I would think that a show of leadership would be the owner deciding to put his/her name on the trophy, last.
I mean, sure, you will live in infamy on the trophy forever but your going to be dead sooner that you realize. Show some thanks and class.
hdbiker7851
Players first, coaches next, support staff, owners. etc last if at all. Seems to me that would be the best arrangement and should be standard for the NHL. Afterall the guys on the ice get you there with the help of everyone else. Actually, surprised that is not the order.
Duckboy
Ken writes obvious column.
Billionaire jackass thinks the world revolves around them.
Then again what do you expect from a guy who started out selling cars then opened a sub prime lending operation to exploit desperate people.
His latest is cheeping out on the blazers and exploiting their new coach with a shitty contract because he knows they guy wants to get a break in the NBA as a head coach.
Ken, you did miss one angle from wikipedia ” In the only other instance of a family member’s name being engraved on the Stanley Cup, where then-owner of the Edmonton Oilers Peter Pocklington had his father’s name engraved, the name was removed by the Hockey Hall of Fame.[15]”
lets hope someone comes to their senses at the hall of fame.
Ken Boehlke
Ken did not write this article.
Emmanuel
LOL
Duckboy
Damn! :)
JB
Ya know, who cares what names are put on the cup! You win it, it’s your choice, period!
TS
How much room is left ON the CUP, an yway?? Seems after all these years, with ALL the EGO- inflating family names, names of their, pets and misc. Irrelevant people, that that CUP would be covered by now!!
Anthony F
For our Stanley Cup winning season, here are two players whose names made it on the cup (Regular Season stats):
Teddy Blueger (18 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, -2)
Brayden Pachal (10 games, 0 goals, 2 assists, +2)
Here is one player whose name did not make it on the Stanley Cup that season (Regular Season stats):
Pavel Dorofeyev (18 games, 7 goals, 2 assists, +5)
Pavel didn’t play in the Playoffs. I get it.
But here are Blueger and Pachal’s Playoff stats on the way to the Cup:
Blueger (6 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, +1)
Pachal (1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, – )
Teddy Blueger being on the Cup is understandable.
The VGK asked for and received a special exemption to have Pachal’s name put on the Cup.
I’ve never really understood why? And why Pavel was left off (I believe there is a limit to the number of players whose names can be put on the Cup).
If someone can enlighten me on this, I’d appreciate it.
Thanks.