On This Date in Sports December 5, 1970: The Great Stanley Cup Caper

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com

At the Hockey Hall of Fame, a break-in sees the Stanley Cup was stolen and the Bill Masterton Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy. The cup that was stolen from the Hall of Fame. However, the collar from the original cup was also taken. The Stanley Cup, along with the Masterton and Conn Smythe, was recovered a few weeks later, but the collar remained at large for seven years. 

There is no trophy more recognizable or prestigious than the Stanley Cup. The cup was purchased by Lord Stanley of Preston for the champion of hockey in 1892. The trophy quickly came to symbolize hockey excellence.  Over the years, Stanley Cup has changed; as rings of the names of the champions were added, the cup grew. In 1948, the Stanley Cup was redesigned to its current form. The original Stanley Cup was retired in 1962 with its collar and placed on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

With hockey’s hold grail stolen, police were sent to investigate, the Hall of Fame received ransom demands, with the alleged perpetrators threatening to drop the Stanley Cup into Lake Ontario. However, with the size and notoriety of the trophies selling it or keeping it was nearly impossible. Nearly three weeks after the Stanley Cup vanished from the Hall of Fame, it reappeared in the driveway of a police officer involved in the investigation. The officer named Wally Harkness received calls asking about the monetary value of the trophies.  Through discussions, Harkness said the trophies could be returned, and no further questions will be asked. So on December 23rd, the trophies were dropped off at the officer’s home anonymously.

While the new Stanley Cup and the trophies were recovered, the original collar for the original cup was not immediately recovered. In 1977, police received a tip and found the collar in a cleaning store in Toronto. After returning the collar to the Hall of Fame, thieves again tried to take the Stanley Cup, were stopped by an alert security guard at the Hall of Fame.