Florida Panthers crack and dent Stanley Cup as title celebrations roll on
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — It’s fair to say that the Florida Panthers are enjoying their Stanley Cup victory celebrations – but they have come at the expense of the trophy itself.
As the Panthers’ celebrations kicked into gear, photographs from the festivities showed that the bowl of the trophy has sustained a crack while the bottom is dented.
Reuters reported that the incidents happened in the hours after Florida’s Game 6 romp over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday to secure its second straight Stanley Cup.
Images and videos on social media showed the Panthers players celebrating their title victory at Elbo Bar in Fort Lauderdale with fans, including clips of players pouring beer from the Stanley Cup onto fans.
A spokesperson for the Hockey Hall of Fame told the Associated Press that the Keepers of the Cup plan to have it repaired by the celebration parade on Sunday.
A trophy suffering “injuries” in title-winning celebrations isn’t unheard of.
In 2011, following international soccer giant Real Madrid’s winning of Spain’s premier cup competition – the Copa del Rey – defender Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the top of a double-decker bus amid the festivities, only for the team bus to run over it and leave the silverware with a huge dent in it.
For the famed Stanley Cup, this year’s predicament isn’t even the wildest situation it has found itself in over its storied lifespan.
In almost cartoon-like fashion, the Montreal Canadiens left the trophy on the side of the road after winning it in 1924. The story goes that a car carrying some of the team had stalled going up a hill, meaning players had to get out to push. It wasn’t until they reached the top that they realized they had left one of the most famous trophies in the world behind.
In 1994, a photo was taken of Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin eating out of the trophy while at New York’s Belmont Park after the New York Rangers had won the “People’s Trophy.”
Following the Detroit Red Wings’ success in 2008, Kris Draper celebrated by putting his baby daughter in the Cup for a photo. Only she left behind a little surprise … by using the legendary trophy as a toilet.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Josh Archibald got creative with his celebrations, using his time with the Cup to baptize his son. Three-week-old Brecken was photographed receiving his blessing while sitting in the bowl at the top of the trophy.
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CNN’s Ben Church, Agne Jurkenaite, Marco Chacon and Alicia Johnson contributed to this report.
