Almost everything went right for the Avalanche on the ice Sunday when they defeated the Lightning 2-1 in Game 6 to win the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
The keyword here is "almost," as Colorado committed one major blunder during the postgame celebration.
Shortly after the team became champions, they came together to pose for the customary team photo with the iconic Stanley Cup. There was just one problem; Nicolas Aube-Kubel lost his balance while skating over with the Cup and fell, inadvertently driving the Stanley Cup into the ice.
Blooper version 😆 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/QsMGB8isPK
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) June 27, 2022
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As a result of Aube-Kubel's slip, the ring around the bottom of the trophy was dented. You can see the damage below, courtesy of the NHL's Twitter account.
When you see it... 🙈🙊 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/93EigCbAWC
— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2022
As shocking as the dent may look at first, it is far from the first time that the Stanley Cup has suffered damage. In fact, Phil Pritchard, one of the keepers of the Cup, once told Capitals blog RussianMachineNeverBreaks.com that things like this happen to the trophy annually.
"It happens every year, the bowl gets damaged — basically it gets ‘out of round’ if you know what I mean," Pritchard said in 2018. "It happens because it is a 125-year-old trophy and not designed for guys to hoist like [they do]. It is nobody’s fault, it just happens every year. It has become part of the lore of sports’ greatest trophy."
Indeed, the trophy has taken plenty of damage in recent years. Before Aube-Kubel's blunder, Lightning forward Pat Maroon had an incident with the Cup during Tampa Bay's boat parade after winning the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. That left the bowl in rough shape, as you can see below.
That’ll buff out. https://t.co/lpTMYYMBzq pic.twitter.com/25A11bdY2t
— Bolts Jolts (@BoltsJolts) July 12, 2021
Something similar happened to the Stanley Cup when Michael Ryder had it after the Bruins won it in 2011. He brought the Cup to an outdoor gathering in Newfoundland where it was displayed on a table. However, the table collapsed, and the bowl was, once again, left dented.
And famously, the Red Wings dented the trophy in 2008 during a celebration at Chris Chelios' restaurant, Cheli’s Chili Bar.
"The Cup has seen worse," NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur said of the damage in 2008, per ESPN.
So, while it certainly was impressive just how quickly Aube-Kubel and the Avalanche managed to dent the trophy this year, the blemish is nothing out of the ordinary. The trophy will get some repairs on what the Stanley Cup's Twitter account called a "beauty mark" before players get to spend their "Day with the Cup" in 2022.
Another beauty mark. https://t.co/IaSmgAVhzf
— The Stanley Cup (@StanleyCup) June 27, 2022