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6 hours ago
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NEED TO KNOW
- The Stanley Cup was cracked and dented during the Florida Panthers' celebration on Wednesday
- Damage to The Stanley Cup is nothing new, however
- The Panthers won the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night by defeating the Edmonton Oilers for a second straight year in the finals
The Florida Panthers are known as a rowdy bunch on the ice — and off of it, if you could ask the Stanley Cup itself.
For the second straight year, the famed NHL championship trophy was damaged during the Panthers' citywide Stanley Cup celebration, according to reports.
Players, coaches and other members of the Panthers organization toured Sunrise, Fla., with the Cup in tow, hoisting it above their heads while standing on balconies overlooking crowds and cameras, taking it for a ride on the back of a golf cart from location to location, and even setting it poolside while players took a dip on a nearly 90-degree day.
The Associated Press reported that within the first full 24 hours of being back in possession of the Panthers, the Stanley Cup was cracked and the bottom is now dented. Though the AP notes, the damage to the Stanley Cup is “not for the first time and likely not the last,” as NHL teams typically rough up the celebrated trophy each summer as it travels from player to player around the world during the offseason. In fact, the Panthers appear to have handled the Cup a bit more responsibly than the Colorado Avalanche, who damaged the Cup within minutes of winning it in 2022.
The AP reported that the Hockey Hall of Fame’s “Keepers of the Cup” are aware of the damage caused to the Cup on Wednesday and are ready to fix any issues with the Cup once it returns to their possession.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty
Players often do memorable things with the Cup each year, like eating out of the 131-year-old trophy’s top bowl or chugging a drink from it. Last year, one Cup keeper, Howie Borrow, sat down with PEOPLE and revealed everything he’s seen consumed from the trophy.
“As far as food, you name it, it’s been in there,” Borrow said. “Cereal, ice cream, pierogis, chicken wings, spaghetti, goulash, anything weird. There's been $15,000 worth of caviar put in the bowl.”
The Keeper of the Cup even said he’s seen multiple players christen their newborn babies in the Stanley Cup.
“Everywhere it goes, there are happy faces,” Borrow added.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty
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The Panthers won the Cup for the second consecutive year after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final this week. Florida became just the fourth team in the last 30 years to repeat as champions, and just the 10th overall since the league expanded beyond its “Original Six” teams in 1967.
“It’s incredible, I can’t believe it,” star forward Matthew Tkachuk said after winning the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night. “It’s the most special feeling in the world. All the hard work, all the grind time, everything leads to this moment. It makes it all worth it.”
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