Why Hurricanes owner is facing criticism for having entire family engraved on Stanley Cup

One of the Stanley Cup's unique attributes is having championship players get their names engraved on the trophy after winning it all. However, for the Hurricanes, that process led to much controversy for Carolina owner Tom Dundon.

When the Hurricanes revealed the engraved section on the Stanley Cup, many reporters noticed that Dundon prioritized his family in the engraving instead of the team. As a result, those reporters attacked Dundon's decision to include those names in the engraving, leaving off other worthy members of the team.

Dundon is no stranger to controversy this season, with his new ownership of the Portland Trail Blazers being met with ire. While the Hurricanes' first championship since 2006 was a celebration for the entire fanbase, Dundon was not one whom the fans celebrated as much.

Here's a breakdown of the Stanley Cup controversy.

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Tom Dundon Stanley Cup controversy

Tom Dundon won his first Stanley Cup as Hurricanes owner this year, and he took the liberty to secure his family's name on the Stanley Cup. Dundon had the names of him and six other members of his family engraved on the Stanley Cup before any other member of the organization, which caused a bit of an uproar.

There is only so much room for names from every champion on the Cup, so some people are left off. Dundon's choice to take up seven name spots on the cup meant seven others had to be dropped from consideration.

Forever etched in history pic.twitter.com/KpJaNsb5Fz

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) July 9, 2026

When the news became public, many reporters online criticized Dundon for using that many spots on family members instead of longtime members of the organization.

Thoughts on Tom Dunden, Carolina Hurricanes owner, having his entire family engraved on the cup while leaving off important PR people and a long time equipment trainer? Should NHL step in? He isn’t the first owner to do this. pic.twitter.com/UrUDBI6QPi

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 9, 2026

What a pathetic thing to do. My God. Indefensible. https://t.co/cOHYVDBEXQ

— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) July 9, 2026

We all remember that incredible playoff run where the 7 Dundons scored in pivotal moments. Glad they’re memorialized here at the very top for all their contributions. https://t.co/EQjYmWhkfi

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) July 9, 2026

Compromise - if the Carolina Hurricanes owner wants to do this how about just engraving ‘The Dundon Family’ instead of each name? pic.twitter.com/hgZLJYe49y

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) July 9, 2026

I will always remember the dominant top 2 lines of Dundons and how they tilted the ice https://t.co/eIw6PXCIz4

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) July 9, 2026

Tom Dundon family

Here are the names of the seven members of the Dundon family who had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup:

Tom Dundon

Dundon bought the Hurricanes in 2018 and has been the majority owner throughout Carolina's recent string of success.  He is a billionaire who made his money in real estate and financial services and recently also bought the Portland Trail Blazers.

Veruschka Dundon

Dundon's wife is Veruschka Dundon, who largely stays out of the spotlight. The couple has five children together, most of them under the age of 18.

Caden Dundon

The first of the Dundon children engraved on the Stanley cup is Caden, who takes up the final spot on the first row next to Tom and Veruschka.

Dax Dundon

Dax Dundon's name is the first name on the second row of the Cup, a row made up entirely of Dundon's children.

Drew Dundon

Next to Dax's name is Drew, whose name on the Cup is directly above general manager Eric Tulsky's name.

Blake Dundon

The fourth Dundon child on the Cup is Blake, who has a spot above head coach Rod Brind'Amour.

Tagan Dundon

Finally, Tagan Dundon rounds out the Dundon family's run of names on the Stanley Cup.

MORE: Tom Dundon institutes cost-cutting measures for Trail Blazers

Do NHL owners always put family on Stanley Cup?

A few NHL owners in the past have put their family's names on the Stanley Cup, but typically those family members had more roles in the organization.

Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola included his wife and three sons on the cup, but all four were named "alternate governors for the team. Former Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Illitch did something similar with his family in 2008, but once again, they were part of the team's ownership group.

Surely everyone had the same energy before, right? Are there names not on there I think should be this year? Sure. But let’s not pretend this isn’t without precedent. pic.twitter.com/Yw1MsOYFJt

— MushroomZulu (@mushroomzulu01) July 9, 2026

One of the more famous examples of this came in 1984, when Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington initially had his late father, Basil Pocklington, engraved on the Cup. Peter claimed it was a clerical error and Basil's name ended up being chiseled over.

— Reason (@the_real_reason) July 9, 2026

How did Tom Dundon make his money?

Dundon co-founded Drive Financial Services in 1990, a subprime lender company that he eventually sold and left for hundreds of millions of dollars. Dundon then started Dundon Capital Partners, an investment firm that has invested in a variety of businesses and industries including real estate in Dallas, Texas.

Why is Tom Dundon so controversial?

Dundon has become a controversial name in sports as both the owner of the Hurricanes and Trail Blazers. Recently, he took over Portland from Paul Allen's estate and instituted several cost-cutting policies that brought about criticism.

Among the controversies that Dundon centered on was not having two-way players travel to playoff games, and cutting its support staff during the postseason. Additionally, after hiring new head coach Micah Nori, Dundon's Blazers gave Nori a rare contract that includes just one guaranteed year.

Stanley Cup name errors

Over the years, there have been a handful of notable misspellings on the Stanley Cup. A few were spelled incorrectly, but it wasn't until 1996 that the Cup had those names corrected. Even some team names were misspelled, and once there was even a duplicate. Here are the most notable misspellings:

• Blackhawks, 1938: Pete Palangio is spelled Pete Palagio
• Maple Leafs, 1942: Turk Broda is engraved twice, including once as Walter Broda
• Maple Leafs, 1947: Gaye Stewart is spelled Gave Stewart
• Maple Leafs, 1951: Ted Kennedy is spelled Ted Kennedyy
• Red Wings, 1952: Tommy Ivan is spelled Tommy Nivan and Alex Delvecchio is spelled Alex Belvecchio
• Canadiens, 1956-60: Jacques Plante is misspelled differently five years in a row
• Maple Leafs, 1963: Maple Leafs is spelled Maple Leaes
• Bruins, 1972: Boston is spelled Bqstqn
• Canadiens, 1977: Bob Gainey is spelled Bob Gainy
• Islanders, 1981: Islanders is spelled Ilanders
• Avalanche, 1996: Adam Deadmarsh is spelled Adam Deadmarch (corrected)
• Red Wings, 2002: Manny Legace is spelled Manny Legase (corrected)
• Hurricanes, 2006: Eric Staal is spelled Eric Staaal (corrected)
• Red Wings, 2008: Tomas Holmstrom is spelled Tomas Homstram (corrected)
• Blackhawks, 2010: Kris Versteeg is spelled Kris Vertseeg (corrected)