Färjestad broke the SM Cup last spring.
Now it’s repaired and as good as new – again.
Guaranteed new gold tips.
– It has reinforced the cup and if they break this, they can run over it, says Lev Ike Anderson, drafting expert.
Le Mat Hockey Gold Cup will soon be 100 years old and has a mystery and history worthy of its own book.
It was manufactured in 1923 by the Hallbergs and got its current look in 1926 when it was completed with caps and clubs on top and received a sponsor in the Metro Goldwyn Mayer film company. 1926 was also the first year in which the trophy was awarded and the first winners were Djurgården IF.
– The original cup is actually an ordinary cup found in a Stockholm shop in the 1920s, but it’s the lid and other embellishments that make it a living legend, says Kenneth Grahn, a jeweler.
“We’re a bunch of geeks…”
Grahn is part of an ironclad who looks after Le Mat, the replica that was made two years ago.
– We are a group of nerds and fellows in southern Sweden who provide material and money and have funded, among other things, the copycat, says Grahn.
And last spring, when Färjestad was partying wildly in Karlstad Square, many of Le Mat’s gang got short of breath. Marcus Nilsson was about to lift the bump skyward, then he lost his grip and flew backwards and crashed behind him on stage.
She cries when the cup is pulled out in the bathroom.
– If this was the original that was treated like this, I don’t know what I would have done. But even a replica should be treated with respect. Grahn says I cry when the cup is dragged into the bathroom or when you get the gold.
The union has now issued restrictions on how both Le Mat and the replica can be used by SMGold winners. Le Mat can only be placed on the ice and the replica must be treated with passion and reverence.
Now both Le Mat and the replica have been examined by Grahn and his friend Leif-Åke Andersson.
– I have taken apart Le Mat and modified it so that it is in top condition. I must mention the hand engraver Joachim Jansson who a few years ago renewed the worn engraving and made it uniform. Exquisite craft. You should know that it is not insured because no insurance company would want to insure such a unique treasure. If it goes away and it melts, Grahn says, it can never be recovered.
The replica is now party safe
Anderson put his teeth into the replica and made it party-worthy. Or Färjestad-safe if you prefer to use that expression. Both believe that the ceremonies at Junior Gold have changed the way awards are handled and describe the ceremonies are now more inclusive.
– I spent about 25 hours repairing the damage caused by Färjestad. There were several scratches, the batons were gone and the base cracked. But it is not a record. When Frölunda won in 2019, and then the original was destroyed, it took even longer to fix it. A cup was pressed against one of them sChopsticks, separated by a centimeter, on both sides of the cup. Anderson says:
– But now the replica has strengthened. And if they break this, they must run it over, says the master jeweler.
The Iron Gang does most of the work unofficially, however, Anderson wants to remind Färjestad of an unsettled debt.
– I’ll get four seat tickets from them. But I haven’t seen them yet, Anderson finished.
