TORONTO -- Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s decision to include his family on the Stanley Cup has become a lightning rod for controversy online. Dundon, his wife Veruschka, and children Caden, Dax, Drew, Blake and Tagan are the first names engraved on the historic trophy’s side to immortalize Carolina’s 2025-26 team after the Hurricanes won the NHL championship in June. The Dundon names appear before any players or staff, including team captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal, general manager Eric Tulsky and head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Joel Nystrom, who played in 38 regular-season games for the Hurricanes this past season, did not have his name engraved into the Cup. The NHL’s threshold for appearing on the Cup is 41 regular-season games or one Stanley Cup final game with the winning team, but teams can petition the league for an exemption. Brett Jefferson, Marc Grandisson and Bobby Farnham were announced as new investors in the organization on March 12, becoming part of the ownership group. Their names were also left off the trophy. Carolina beat the Vegas Golden Knights in six games for the Hurricanes’ second title. An NHL spokesman said championship clubs submit a list of names to be engraved on the trophy. The league reviews the list to ensure all players, coaches and hockey operations staff meet the established criteria for inclusion. The names of other non-playing personnel to be engraved are determined by club ownership. The Hurricanes offered no comment when contacted by The Canadian Press. “I will always remember the top 2 lines of Dundons and how they tilted the ice,” said Dan Katz, a Chicago-based commentator for Bastool Sports in a post to social media website X. “Putting your wife and kids names on the cup is embarrassing and that’s coming from a guy that is doing podcasts in my moms basement,” tweeted Rob Gucci. Another social media user with the handle “Duddy Buddy” joked that there were “more Dundons than an episode of Law and Order,” referring to the long-running TV series’ dramatic music between scenes. When reached for comment the Hockey Hall of Fame said that it is not directly involved with the engraving of the Cup, just its care. It’s not the first time the name of an owners’ relative was engraved on the Cup. In 1984, then-Oilers owner Peter Pocklington had his father’s name engraved on the trophy. It was later chiselled over with X’s as Basil Pocklington had nothing to do with the win. Peter Pocklington later attributed it to a clerical mixup. It appears the practice of adding family members is no longer a problem, however. Owner Vincent Viola included four relatives when the Florida Panthers were engraved on the Cup in 2025. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2026.
