Panthers forced to return the Stanley Cup following unorthodox celebrating

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Cooper Godin
July 6, 2024 (10:57)

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The Florida Panthers were asked to return the Stanley Cup to the National Hockey League recently following their celebrations.

It's been nearly two weeks since the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history and for now, the greatest trophy in all of sports was given back to the NHL

Back on Monday, the Stanley Cup was returned to the National Hockey League and flew to Montreal to have the names of the players, coaches and executives engraved as 2023-24 champions.

However, because the Florida Panthers took the trophy into the Atlantic Ocean and dipped it into the salt water, which has chlorine too, the Stanley Cup needed to be dissembled and repaired for any damages, as well as to polish the silver and nickel alloy.

Phil Pritchard, curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame and Keeper of the Cup, said that by taking the Stanley Cup into the Atlantic Ocean and dipping it into the water could cause erosion to the interior part of the trophy. But he added that as soon as the Panthers brought it back out, the Cup was cleaned thoroughly and dried off to decrease the chances of any damage.

"With all the excitement and celebration the Cup did end up in the ocean," Pritchard said. "but was supposed to be a photo of them standing in the ocean with the Cup hoisted overhead. However, as everyone saw, it did end up in the water."

He added, "As Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, there are concerns of salt water and actually chlorine, as well, with the Stanley Cup, as both (can) erode the trophy in the interior part of the Stanley Cup. As always, we are on (site) with them always and managed to clean it as good as possible and dry it off. Hoping the long-term effects are minimal and we can maintain the longevity of the world's greatest trophy."

The Florida Panthers will get the Stanley Cup back at some point later this summer, as each member of the roster and coaching staff will get their day with the trophy to celebrate with friends and family.

Source: Florida Hockey Now
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