The PWHL’s Walter Cup trophy is missing, as the reigning champion Montréal Victoire saw its permanent replica of the trophy disappear in transit.
According to reports, the Cup was en route to Alberta, Canada to spend the day with Victoire forward Dara Grieg but never arrived.
Its last public appearance was on August 9th, with the league telling The AP it’s “working closely with the shipping company to locate it.”
The original Walter Cup is on permanent display at Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame, with each year’s winning team receiving a silver replica following a ceremonial presentation on the ice.
Montréal will hit the ice captain-less this November, as 2026 Walter Cup champion Marie-Philip Poulin announced she’ll undergo knee surgery next month — with the injury sidelining her for the start of the 2026/27 PWHL season.
Poulin revealed she tore her ACL and meniscus in Canada’s Olympic silver medal run, going on to lead the Victoire to its first-ever title despite the injury.
“I wanted to be part of this journey that led us to hoist the Walter Cup,” she said. “It has become clear that if I want to continue playing at a high level, surgery is necessary.”
The Canada captain’s availability for November’s World Championships also remains in doubt, potentially ending a 17-year major tournament streak.
“In the short term, it’s a difficult choice,” she continued. “But if I take a step back and think about the years ahead, the decision is obvious.”
The Montréal Victoire sealed the deal last night, lifting its first-ever Walter Cup trophy with Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the Ottawa Charge.
The 3-1 series came down to the wire, as Montréal scored three times in Game 4’s final 10 minutes to put the title out of the Charge’s reach.
“I tried to live through every moment,” said Montréal Head Coach Kori Cheverie.
“There were highs, there were lows, and we were able to kind of get through all of those adversity moments as a team. Whatever team we had on the ice was a team we were able to win with, so it’s been absolutely amazing with this group.”
Montréal’s Marie-Philip “Captain Clutch” Poulin won Playoff MVP. She racked up a record-tying eight postseason points after falling just short of Olympic gold with Canada earlier this year.
“It’s been a tough year, I’m not going to lie, since February,” she said after the win.
“It was ups and downs, coming back to this group, just fighting through. It hasn’t been easy — injuries, sickness, a lot of things — but we stuck together. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy in this building when we showed up today, but we remained patient with our game.”
The Ottawa Charge kept its championship dreams alive on Monday night, defeating Montréal Victoire 2-1 in Game 3 of the PWHL Walter Cup Finals.
Facing elimination, Ottawa rallied with two late third-period goals to stave off a sweep in the best-of-five championship series. Although Montréal still holds a 2-1 series lead, Ottawa’s dramatic comeback now forces a pivotal Game 4.
A playoff-record crowd of 16,894 fans watched the battle unfold. Both teams played scoreless hockey through the first two periods, as goaltenders Gwyneth Philips and Ann-Renée Desbiens protected their nets.
Montréal broke the ice nearly halfway through the third period as Hayley Scamurra capitalized on a rebound off the back boards to give the Victoire a 1-0 lead. That goal put Montréal just minutes away from capturing the 2026 Walter Cup trophy.
But Ottawa refused to fold under pressure.
Late Goals Save Ottawa Charge in 2026 Walter Cup Finals Win
With five and a half minutes remaining in regulation, Charge rookie Peyton Hemp scooped up a loose puck. She subsequently slipped it past a sprawling Desbiens to tie the game with her first-ever playoff goal.
That momentum shift spurred Ottawa native Rebecca Leslie to fire a shot through heavy traffic — with just 56 seconds left on the clock.
The puck found the back of the net, triggering chaos in the arena. Officials reviewed the play for a potential hand pass, but the goal stood.
"We're not done yet," Leslie told press. "We've just had a no quit attitude all year, and this group is really special. I'm speechless. It's just such an honor to play for this city. We have the best fans in the league."
Where to Watch Montréal vs Ottawa in PWHL Finals Game 4
The Victoire still lead the PWHL finals series 2-1, meaning the Charge needs another win to keep its quest for the 2026 Walter Cup on track.
Game 4 kicks off on Wednesday at 7 PM ET, live on ION.
Montréal is one win away from its first PWHL title, holding a towering 2-0 lead over Ottawa after this weekend’s best-of-five Walter Cup finals slate.
Games 1 and 2 both went to overtime, with the Victoire taking Thursday’s opener 3-2 off an Abby Roque game-winner, before securing Saturday’s 2-1 victory courtesy of Maggie Flaherty.
“We’ve been a team all year that has defended by committee and as a collective, they did the job in both ends of the rink today,” said head coach Kori Cheverie.
The Walter Cup final series now shifts to Ottawa for Game 3.
“It’s exciting. I think it's going to be great to get back home and get in front of our fans,” said Charge captain Brianne Jenner. “It was amazing last series and we're just looking forward to their energy helping us.”
Report: PWHL to Add San Jose to 2026/27 Expansion Team List
The PWHL also made headlines off the ice, as San Jose will reportedly join Detroit, Hamilton, and Las Vegas in the rapidly expanding league.
With an official announcement expected Tuesday, the California expansion squad will tip the PWHL’s scales firmly south, with seven US-based and five Canadian teams.
Where to Watch Montréal vs Ottawa in the PWHL Walter Cup Finals
Montréal shoots for the sweep tonight at 6 PM ET, live on ION.
The 2026 Walter Cup is headed North, after Canadian titans Montréal and Ottawa won their PWHL semifinals in dramatic fashion.
The Victoire knocked off two-time reigning champions Minnesota on Tuesday to reach its first-ever finals, with captain Marie-Philip Poulin’s game-winner sealing the deal.
“It’s our biggest win in organization history,” said Montréal head coach Kori Cheverie. “We had to fight tooth and nail against a team like Minnesota. It wasn’t easy.”
“We're not done yet,” Poulin added. “We want to get to work here, and we're excited to get going on the 14th.”
The Victoire faces a Charge team with ample Walter Cup experience, after Ottawa fell just short of the Frost to finish as 2024/25 runner-up.
The Charge ousted Boston in Sunday’s double-overtime thriller, with final goal-scorer Michela Cava sending the Fleet packing.
“That was a big one,” said midseason Ottawa addition Cava. “I have been so close so many times and it feels really good just to get this one for the girls.”
Where to Watch the 2026 PWHL Walter Cup Finals
The 2026 Walter Cup Finals kick off Thursday at 7 PM ET, live on ION.
Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise called the 2026 PWHL playoffs scheduling "inappropriate" this week, as her team prepares for back-to-back games against Montréal Victoire in this year's semifinal series.
The two-time defending Walter Cup champions face an unprecedented challenge Friday night, when they play Game 4 less than 24 hours after Thursday's Game 3. The slate marks the first back-to-back games in PWHL playoffs history, as Minnesota and Montréal gear up to play three games in four days while traveling more than 2,000 kilometers between cities.
"That simply wasn't what the league wanted," Heise said after Game 3, criticizing the compressed schedule.
The scheduling creates a stark disparity between the two semifinal series matchups. Boston and Ottawa receive a six-day break between their Game 2 and Game 3, while the Frost and Victoire are forced to squeeze their series into a tighter window.
Both venues face scheduling conflicts with other playoff commitments. The NHL's Minnesota Wild are using Grand Casino Arena for their Stanley Cup playoffs match on Saturday. And up north, Montréal's Laval Rocket need Place Bell.
However, the sizeable gap between series conditions raises competitive fairness concerns.
Montréal captain Marie-Philip Poulin appears far from full health heading into Game 4, after playing through the grueling schedule. Poulin scored in triple overtime to win Game 2, but the physical toll is beginning to take hold as fatigue sets in.
Taylor Heise leads all PWHL playoffs scorers with 17 career points, as Minnesota chases its third consecutive Walter Cup title.
The Victoire is off to a 2-1 semifinal lead, sitting one win away from punching a first-ever PWHL finals ticket. Conversely, the Frost are facing PWHL playoffs elimination for the first time since 2024.
Where to Watch Montréal vs. Minnesota in the PWHL Playoffs
The Victoire visits the Frost for Friday's Game 4 showdown at 8:30 PM ET, live on YouTube.
If necessary, the teams will return to Montréal on Monday for Game 5.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored her first career PWHL playoffs goal in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, securing Montréal's 1-0 triple-overtime win over Minnesota to take Game 2 of the Frost vs. Victoire semifinal series.
After three scoreless regulation periods and two additional overtime periods, Poulin finally broke through a little more than four minutes into the game's third overtime.
"Captain Clutch" drifted to one knee and hammered home the game-winner off a cross-ice feed from Abby Roque, following a setup pass from Poulin's fellow Canadian international — and wife — Laura Stacey.
"It was truly a team effort," Poulin said after the Game 2 win. "We had that intensity, that drive to win. It was shift after shift, and we stayed confident. We're rolling up our sleeves and getting to work."
The game lasted 104:02, making it the fourth-longest match in PWHL history.
It proved to be a defensive showdown, as goaltenders on both sides registered exceptional performances.
Montréal's Ann-Renee Desbiens made 38 saves in the shutout — the third most in her post season career. Minnesota's Maddie Rooney stopped 51 shots, surpassing her previous 37-save career high.
"It was a tight game," said Frost head coach Ken Klee. "Both goalies played well, and both teams played very hard. Certainly proud of our group and how hard they battled. They had to play almost two games — six periods of hockey is a lot."
Poulin's goal evened the best-of-five series at 1-1 after defending champion Minnesota took Game 1 5-4 in overtime.
Now, the series shifts to Minnesota for the next two games, with little turnaround time after Tuesday's marathon matchup.
Where to Watch Frost vs. Victoire PWHL Playoffs Game 3
The Frost vs. Victoire series returns for Thursday's Game 3 at 7 PM ET, live on PWHL YouTube.
Game 4 will follow on Friday night.
The PWHL is going national, with the third-year league announcing Thursday that it will air its first-ever nationally broadcast game on US linear television later this month.
The New York Sirens and Montréal Victoire's upcoming Takeover Tour matchup at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit will air live on ION on Saturday, March 28th, reaching more than 126 million households in an effort to expand "the visibility and viability of women's sports across the country."
While PWHL games air live across Canada on TSN, the league has yet to secure a full-time broadcast partner in the US, relying instead on local media deals and YouTube streaming.
Game sponsor Ally — a longtime investor in women's sports — will pull double-duty as the presenting sponsor of the historic broadcast as well, with the Detroit-based financial services company partnering with ION parent company Scripps Sports to give the Tour stop a national platform.
The PWHL is looking to build on Team USA's Olympic momentum after February's gold medal win over Canada averaged a record 5.3 million viewers — marking a watershed moment for women's hockey in North America.
"Fan interest in women's hockey is at an all-time high," said Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor in a statement, calling the company "thrilled...to bring the excitement of this league to a national audience for the first time."
How to watch the 1st-ever nationally televised PWHL game
The New York Sirens will take on the Montréal Victoire in Detroit at 1 PM ET on Saturday, March 28th, airing live on ION.
PWHL players made their voices heard this week, as The Athletic published the results of the third-year league's first-ever anonymous player poll on Wednesday, surveying athletes on everything from the best trash-talkers to which nation's team will win Olympic gold at next month's 2026 Winter Games.
Leading the poll's individual accolades is 34-year-old Team Canada and Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin, dubbed the PWHL's best player by 80% of respondents.
Poulin's Team USA counterpart, Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight, snagged second as each standout prepares for a fifth career Olympic run.
As for who will win gold in Italy, all but one player predicted a Canada vs. USA Olympic Final, with a 50/50 split on the eventual victor.
Athletes also answered overarching questions about the growing league in the player poll, with Detroit earning the most nods as a PWHL expansion city — though Denver and Chicago also scored double-digit votes.
As for the future face of the league, current New York Sirens forward and 2024 PWHL No. 1 draftee Sarah Fillier narrowly edged out current University of Wisconsin senior and Team USA Olympic defender Caroline Harvey in the players' poll.
Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Maltais beat out Montréal's Abby Roque by one vote for the title of top PWHL trash-talker, though most players tapped her for quantity over quality — an assessment Maltais herself agrees with.
"I'm not trash-talking," clarified the 26-year-old Canadian. "I'm just yapping."