10 Players Who Had Their Name Spelled Wrong On The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is hockey’s ultimate prize, and most players would trade away all of the other awards and accolades they’ve earned for the chance to have their name engraved on it. Thousands of them have earned that honor, but some of them ended up facing an awkward situation after discovering their name had been misspelled.

These players had their names incorrectly engraved after winning the Stanley Cup

There are a number of factors that make the Stanley Cup one of the most iconic trophies in all of sports, and the fact that the names of the players, coaches, and executives who contributed to the championship victory are engraved on the side by hand is one of the most unique aspects.

That tradition began when the Montreal Wanderers added 20 names to the cup after winning it in 1907, and it’s been the standard practice since the Canadiens went the same route in 1924. However, the ceremony is prone to human error, and there have been more than a few mistakes on the spelling front over the decades.

I’m limiting the scope of this article to players who had their names botched in some fashion, but there have also been some other errors.

According to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Toronto Maple Leafs,  Boston Bruins, and New York Islanders were listed as the “TORONTO MAPLE LEAES,” “BQSQTON BRUINS,” and “NEW YORK ILANDERS” following their respective victories in 1963, 1972, and 1981. There was also Red Wings coach Tommy Ivan, who was listed as “TOMMY NIVAN” in 1951.

With that out of the way, here’s a look at all of the players who’ve fallen victim, starting with the most recent and working our way back.

Kris Versteeg

Kris Versteeg played for seven different NHL teams over the course of an 11-year career (he was drafted by the Bruins but only skated with their AHL affiliate), and he found himself in the right place at the right time when the Blackhawks were a force to be reckoned with.

The winger was playing for the Panthers when Chicago won in 2013, but he was a member of the team that raised the Stanley Cup in 2010 and 2015. That first one ended up with his name being spelled “KRIS VERTSEEG” before it was fixed, but he thankfully didn’t run into any issues the second time.

Tomas Holmstrom

Tomas Holmstrom spent the entirety of his 15-year career with the Red Wings, and he won four Stanley Cups by the time he hung up his skates.

There were no issues with the spelling of his name in 1997, 1998, or 2002, but the engraver literally took an L after he got the win in 2008 by going with “TOMAS HOMSTROM” prior to it being corrected.

Eric Staal

Eric Staal spent 18 seasons in the NHL, but his lone Stanley Cup victory came during his third one as a member of the Hurricanes in 2006.

His name already included an extra “A,” but the engraver got even more overzealous by going with “ERIC STAAAL” before it was fixed.

Manny Legace

Holmstrom wasn’t the first Red Wings player to fall victim to an oversight in the 2000s. Manny Legace joined the club after serving as the backup to Dominik Hasek during their Stanley Cup run in 2002, as he was “MANNY LAGASE” before the record was set straight.

Adam Deadmarsh

Prior to 1995, players who had their names misspelled on the Stanley Cup simply had to deal with that being the case for posterity.

However, Adam Deadmarsh made history after he ended up as “ADAM DEADMARCH” when he won with the Avalanche in 1996, as the adjustment that restored it to the former marked the first time an error on the Stanley Cup was retroactively fixed.

Bob Gainey

Stanley Cup engravers had managed to have a pretty good run before the Deadmarsh mistake, which snapped a 19-year clean sheet that stretched back to the day Canadiens winger Bob Gainey was dubbed “BOB GAINY” in 1977.

Alex Delvecchio

What’s that? Another Red Wings player. You betcha!

Alex Delvecchio also spent the entirety of his career in Detroit, and he won the Stanley Cup three times during his 22 seasons. That first victory came in 1952, where he was listed as “ALEX BELVECCHIO,” and I liked to think he stood over the shoulder of the engraver in 1954 and 1955 in a quest to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Ted Kennedy

It’s hard to imagine this mistake would have been made if Ted Kennedy had been a member of a Maple Leafs team that won the Stanley Cup in the 1960s due to the president who shared his surname (as well as his brother, the senator with an identical name)

However, JFK was still a low-ranking member of the House of Representatives when Toronto won in 1951, where the center of no relation ended up as “TED KENNEDYY.”

Gaye Stewart

We’ve got back-to-back Maple Leafs here, as Gaye Stewart was engraved as “GAVE STEWART” in 1947.

Pete Palangio

Last, but not least, we have Pete Palangio, who played so long ago that I couldn’t find a picture I could use.

He was listed twice on the Stanley Cup after the Blackhawks won in 1938, and while one of those was error-free, his last name was spelled “PALAGIO” on the other.