Canada blames Gehry *

When hockey officials in Canada asked Frank Gehry to design a new trophy, they apparently expected something, well, else. The unveiling in May at a Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony was met with such stunned silence that the designer quipped, "I can tell you don't like it." No one laughed. Now Santa Monica's most renowned architect has offered to take another crack at it, but his offer has been politely declined. The Toronto Star observes the fuss today:

Describing Gehry's vision became somewhat of a sport itself after the trophy was unveiled in May. Newspapers compared his creation to everything from a blender to a vase. Fans were no more forgiving, saying the trophy resembled a squashed beer keg or two mating jellyfish impaled by a trombone.

Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Der Neue Zollhof project in Dusseldorf, Germany, said he wasn't offended by all the name-calling.

"I'm used to that, sometimes my work looks a bit strange at first."

The trophy will be awarded to the winner of the World Cup tournament now underway. Here's a picture of the nickel, copper and urethane creation. Thanks to Brooks for the heads up.

* Three days: That's how long it took for this entry to show up (uncredited) in Steve Harvey's "Only in L.A." column in the Times.