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Gehry hits big leagues -- of hockey
Architect brings his design principles for buildings to the World Cup trophy
By GUY DIXON
Thursday, May 13, 2004 - Page R4
TORONTO -- The latest Frank Gehry creation could find itself filled with
beer, after having been hoisted above hockey players' heads, kissed,
cradled and possibly dropped on the ice.
The acclaimed Toronto-raised architect, a die-hard hockey fan, has
designed the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey competition to be played
in late August-early September.
The trophy is essentially a thin metal cup, made from copper and nickel,
contained within a thicker, outer column of subtly swirling, clear
plastic. It has the effect of a vase chilled inside a column of carved ice.
It isn't as multilayered as the Stanley Cup, but there are immediate
similarities between the two. Although the Gehry designed piece weighs
less -- 23½ pounds, compared with the Stanley Cup's 35 pounds -- the new
design tips its hat to the old school.
"I looked out there at some of the cups that had been made over the
years by others. There's some pretty strange ones. I think this is very
conservative looking," Gehry said a news conference at the Hockey Hall
of Fame in Toronto yesterday.
He was wearing his usual black suit and a black T-shirt, and looked a
breed apart from the sports organizers in business suits standing around
the room.
Gehry had eight months to make the piece, although the design and
building process took four to five months, he said. The organizers were
all smiles yesterday and said they were very happy with the trophy, even
if some stumbled for words to describe any of the design ideas.
The cup at the centre of the piece is removable and will have the
winning team's name engraved on it. That will then be displayed
eventually at the Hall of Fame and a new cup will be substituted inside
the clear plastic.
The swirling outer layer is based in part on the twisting look of the
Gehry Tower in Hanover, Germany, and is a concept he said he's fond of
and likely will continue in his subsequent building designs.
Non-hockey fans should note that this piece conceivably could become an
important icon in the sport. The World Cup of Hockey is essentially the
old Canada Cup tournament. It was first played under the World Cup name
in 1996, but has been dormant since then. Expectations are for an
exciting tournament since, like the Olympics now, the World Cup allows
hockey countries -- Canada, the United States and a handful of European
nations -- the chance to send their top players without conflicting with
the National Hockey League schedule or playoffs.
Non-fans may still not care less. But bear in mind that if the
tournament ever gains prestige, it could give Gehry's design ideas a far
wider appreciation and a whole new forum.