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So
whatever happened
to the old Canada Cup trophy? There are actually
four of those stylized Maple Leaf trophies in
existence.
The
original resides permanently at the Governor
General’s residence in Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Made
of solid nickel, it weighs 125 pounds and was nearly
too heavy for the victorious Canadian team to hoist
above their head in 1976. The original trophy cost
about $50,000 and was purchased at nickel giant
Inco’s expense. Former Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley
Cup champion John McCreedy was a vice-president at
Inco and played a large role in the financing of the
trophy.
A
lighter replica trophy was created for the 1981
tournament. The victorious Russians tried to smuggle
the trophy back to Moscow and mysteriously damaged
the trophy during victory celebrations. That replica
is on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame
in Toronto.
Another
replica was created for the 1984 tournament, and
survived the tournament’s history through 1991.
That trophy resides in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s
resource center.
A
third replica is believed to be somewhere in Russia,
though it’s exact location is not fully known.
When the Soviets were not allowed to take the Canada
Cup home with them in 1981, a Winnipeg trucker named
George Smith funded the purchase of a replica and
later traveled to Moscow to present it.
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