We sure know what will be on the Florida Panthers' locker room bulletin board tonight: CUP IN SIX.
That's because the Vegas Golden Knights, up 3-1 on the Panthers heading into Tuesday's Game 5 in Vegas, have filed four trademark filings for "Cup in Six" to be used on clothing, sunglasses, trading cards and other merchandise.
The phrase goes back to February 2016 when managing partner Bill Foley, ahead of their first season, predicted "Playoffs in three; Cup in six."
Foley was wildly incorrect at the start — the Knights not only made the playoffs in their first season, they almost won the Cup, losing to the Washington Capitals in the Final.
"The owner was very vocal about this prediction and stories were recently written about it, so it makes sense to protect it," said trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who discovered the filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office early Tuesday morning. "But it also means it's out there because filing a trademark is very public."
The Knights wouldn't be the first to try and jump the gun.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley did that when he trademarked "Three-Peat" at the beginning of the 1988-89 NBA season. The Lakers had won two in a row, but got stopped by the Detroit Pistons in the 1989 Finals. Riley still wound up cashing in when other teams three-peated.
Those teams included the Bulls (1991-1993, 1996-1998), the Yankees (1998-2000), and the Lakers (2000-2002).
But filing the trademark might actually mean bad luck.
In 2014, Riley filed for the trademark to "Three-Peat" to be used on rings. This time, his Heat had won the titles in 2012 and 2013. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.
The most famous trademark jinx was the New England Patriots, who filed for 19-0 and undefeated season in 2008 ahead of Super Bowl XLII. They then lost as heavy, 12-point favorites to the New York Giants. The Patriots ownership, The Kraft Group, still went through with the trademark filings and received the trademark registrations to the two marks in 2017.
