The Florida Panthers were known to get rough with their opponents during their run to the Stanley Cup — just ask Leafs fans about Sam Bennett’s clashes in the crease with Anthony Stolarz and Justin Woll.
It turns out that not even the trophy itself was safe from the feisty felines.
After the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night to capture their second straight NHL championship, it appears the team got a bit too rambunctious with Lord Stanley’s Mug, denting it in at least two spots.
The first damaged section was at the top of the massive trophy, where the rim around the top of the actual cup section looks to have been cracked and dented inwards. This happened before the team even left the ice, but it isn’t apparent what actually caused the damage.
The section area of damage was spotted on Wednesday — presumably after the team spent the night partying — at a local watering hole.
In a picture posted on social media, the Stanley Cup appeared to have suffered a rather large dent in the base.
Again, there currently is no evidence as what may have caused the damage, which surely will go down as some local lore.
While the Rat Pack seemed like it was partying hard with the silver chalice, one of the more lighter scenes in celebration was caught on video.
At roughly 1:30 a.m., Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov came back out onto the ice with the Cup to celebrate with some unsung heroes: Staff at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Finn was seen lifting the Cup towards a group of employees, who cheered loudly each time he did.
Of course, this isn’t the first time — and surely won’t be the last — that the Stanley Cup will suffer a little bit of damage.
After winning the Cup in 2022, Colorado’s Nicolas Aube-Kubel slipped with the trophy in hand and dented it while hustling to get into the team photo.