Kevin Lowe didn’t mince words when the subject turned to the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2026 Stanley Cup engraving.
To Lowe, the decision by owner Tom Dundon to put his wife and five children on the Cup crosses a line. None of them work for the team, and most are school-aged. That, Lowe said, is not what the trophy is for.
“What Dundon is doing is completely disrespectful and you can quote a guy who has his name on it six times,” said Oilers Hall of Famer Kevin Lowe, who later would be the Oilers GM when they got to the Cup final in 2006, losing to Carolina.
Lowe’s point lands in a league where the owner-player dynamic is always a delicate one. Owners write the checks, but the players are the ones fans show up to watch. And in hockey, the Cup tradition still gives the captain the first touch, ahead of the owner - a contrast to the NFL, World Series and NBA.
“It’s a tender balance. The owners can’t think it’s all about them, conversely, the players also can’t think it’s all about them,” said Lowe.
He also made clear that Dundon’s style isn’t exactly subtle. Dundon, who owns the NBA Portland Trail Blazers as well, doesn’t carry himself like the usual buttoned-up executive.
“Dundon showed up at the first board of governors’ meeting in a friggin track suit,” said Lowe, who was also the team governor after his playing days ended.
The issue of who belongs on the Cup has come up before in Edmonton. Oilers owner Peter Pocklington once had his insurance-executive father Basil’s name on the first Cup in 1984 before the league noticed and crossed it out. Pocklington said it was an engraver’s mistake and that his father was supposed to receive a miniature replica Cup.
The owner’s name, though, has always had a place on the trophy. Sometimes, there are several. When the Calgary Flames won their only NHL championship in 1989, six owners were listed, including Eskimos’ legend Normie Kwong.
The Oilers’ own engraving history grew over time. Their first Cup in 1984 had a short list, but with each additional championship they added more names from around the organization, including scouts Ace Bailey, Lorne Davis, Ed Chadwick, Matti Vaisanen and Harry Howell, head team doctor Gordon Cameron, David Reid, massage therapists Juergen Merz and Stew Poirier, and head of communications Bill Tuele.
Carolina’s 2006 Cup team also offers a useful comparison. The Hurricanes had two owners then, Peter Karmanos and Thomas Thewes, yet the Cup carried the same 53 names as the 2026 team, with communications people and six field scouts included, though not the head of pro and amateur scouting.
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