What appears to be a Stanley Cup championship ring from the 1930s was among stolen items recovered after Nanaimo RCMP arrested three men who are allegedly behind a string of thefts from vehicles.
If the ring is genuine, it could be a rare piece of hockey history. There’s also a chance it could be a convincing fake available in cases of beer.
Players for the Montreal Hockey Club were given the first championship ring in 1893, one of which is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, said Philip Pritchard, the hall of fame’s vice-president and curator.
Championship rings were given to the Ottawa Senators in 1927, Pritchard said, and it wasn’t until the 1940s that rings made a return, albeit a sporadic one. Over the next several decades, Stanley Cup winners were given plaques, cups, silverware and, in 1971, televisions were doled out to the Montreal Canadiens.
A few years ago, the beer brand Molson Canadian tried to fill in the gaps by creating 20 commemorative rings for the heritage era, the expansion era and the modern era.
One of the rings from the heritage era was a 1935 Montreal Maroons ring. There was also a Chicago Blackhawks ring for that decade.
Police are not releasing the name of the team engraved on the ring because the rightful owner has to give that information in order to claim it.
Pritchard said these replica rings look convincing.
Hockey historian Eric Zweig doubts a genuine ring from the 1930s exists.
“It was the Great Depression; even if there was a ring, it would be made out of tin,” he said.
Lenard Kotylo, past-president of the Society for International Hockey Research, also doubts the ring’s authenticity. “It’s highly unlikely there would have been a ring from the 1930s,” Kotylo said.
RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien said he’s not surprised that the ring has garnered considerable interest. “Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada, everybody loves hockey history, including myself,” said O’Brien, who is a Canadiens fan. “Everyone would love to one day put a Stanley Cup ring on their finger.”
The ring is believed to be among items stolen from about a dozen cars that were broken into along Summerhill Place on Friday about 3:45 a.m. The thieves forced open car doors, accessed some that were open, and cut open the soft top of a Jeep.
Witnesses called police, and Mounties quickly located and arrested three men. One of the men was holding an armful of stolen items while another man had items scattered at his feet. The third was found crouched down and hiding between parked vehicles, O’Brien said.
Police seized the stolen goods, which include cellphones, keys, perfume, eye glasses, knives and flashlights, and are trying to return them to their owners.
Three men, aged 23 to 29, were released on a promise to appear in court on Dec. 12.
Anyone who believes items have been stolen should call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 citing file number 2017-32361.
