When the Stanley Cup is presented at the end of a National Hockey League season, Commissioner Gary Bettman hosts the brief ceremony and hands over the cherished trophy donated in 1892 by the governor general of Canada. The champion team’s captain then hoists the silver icon over his head in exultation, inadvertently exposing the Hockey Hall Of Fame logo on the bottom of the Cup — which suggests that while the Stanley Cup’s governance is the domain of the NHL, the trophy itself belongs to hockey at large.

When the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy was presented recently, after Canada’s 3-2 overtime victory over the U.S. in the title game, Bettman had company on the carpet: Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association. The bottom plate of the trophy bore a subtle but unmistakable message: Etched into the bronze creation, side by side, were the logos of the NHL and NHLPA, the two organizations that collaborated in the ideation and execution of the wildly successful event —........

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