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Ex-NHL Head Coach Kevin Lowe Slams Dundon Family Over 2026 Stanley Cup Engraving Controversy
Winning the Stanley Cup usually brings nothing but celebration, but one post-title decision has moved the conversation in a very different direction this year. The Carolina Hurricanes are now facing questions about who earned a place on hockey’s most iconic trophy after several notable omissions came to light.
As debate continues across the league, one of the game’s most decorated champions has stepped in with a blunt assessment.
Kevin Lowe Slams Tom Dundon Over Stanley Cup Engraving
Hockey Hall of Famer, former Edmonton Oilers head coach, and longtime executive Kevin Lowe offered a pointed critique of Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon after learning how the franchise filled its allotted Stanley Cup engraving spots.
Speaking with Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Lowe argued that including Dundon’s wife, Veruschka, and the couple’s five children’s names came at too great a cost because the NHL’s 55-name limit left deserving hockey personnel off the trophy.
Among those reportedly excluded were veteran equipment manager Bobby Gorman, who has served the organization since its Hartford Whalers days, and defenseman Joel Nystrom, who appeared in 38 regular-season games during the Hurricanes’ championship season. Their absence quickly became one of the biggest talking points surrounding Carolina’s celebration.
Lowe, whose perspective carries considerable weight after winning six Stanley Cups as a player, didn’t soften his opinion.
“What Dundon is doing is completely disrespectful and you can quote a guy who has his name on it six times.”
Lowe captured five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers dynasty before winning another with the New York Rangers in 1994. Following his playing career, he remained deeply involved in the sport as Edmonton’s head coach, general manager, and president of hockey operations, helping guide the franchise to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.
Even so, Lowe made it clear that the issue isn’t about excluding ownership from recognition. Instead, he believes the Stanley Cup should reflect everyone who directly contributed to winning it, especially when space is limited.
“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.”
The controversy also makes us revisit one of the NHL’s most famous Stanley Cup stories. In 1984, former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington secretly added his father Basil’s name to the Cup, only for the NHL to later cover it with a row of Xs after discovering the unauthorized engraving.
More recently, Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola included family members on the Cup in consecutive championship seasons, but those individuals held official executive roles within the organization.
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Lowe’s criticism ultimately centers on preserving the significance of the Stanley Cup itself. For many around hockey, every engraving represents years of work behind the scenes, making each available spot valuable.
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