Hockey 365 by Mike Commito

Author:Mike Commito
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2018-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

JULY 10

THE CLARKSON CUP, 2006

When the lockout wiped out the 2004–05 NHL season, Canada’s Governor General Adrienne Clarkson made the bold suggestion that, with the Stanley Cup sitting idle, women’s teams should compete for hockey’s Holy Grail. Although that idea never got off the ground, it opened the door for a discussion about creating a trophy exclusively for women’s hockey. The proposal was certainly in keeping with the traditions of the Governor General’s office. After all, Clarkson’s predecessors, Lord Stanley and Lord Grey, had both donated trophies to hockey and football, respectively, forever linking their names to the ice and gridiron. In September 2005, Clarkson announced that a trophy would be commissioned for women’s hockey. Renowned Canadian silversmith Beth Biggs, who was teaching at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, was tasked with bringing the trophy to life. Working with three Inuit artists, Okpik Pitseolak, Therese Ukaliannuk, and Pootoogook Qiatsuk, Biggs designed and created hockey’s newest piece of silverware.

On July 10, 2006, the former Governor General presented the Canadian national women’s hockey team, who had just won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Torino, with the Clarkson Cup. When team captain Cassie Campbell received the trophy, she was overcome with emotion. “This, to me, completely legitimizes women’s hockey. This is our Stanley Cup — there’s no turning back now,” she said. While Campbell was right about the significance of the trophy to the women’s game, it would be years before a team would hoist the Clarkson Cup again. Because of a legal battle between the trophy’s artists and Hockey Canada over licensing rights, it was not awarded until 2009, when the dispute was finally settled. On March 21, 2009, the Montreal Stars (now Les Canadiennes de Montreal) of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League were awarded the Clarkson Cup. They’ve since won it three more times as the top women’s hockey club in the country.

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