BRANDON — Andrej Sustr knew the superstition and he wasn’t about to take any chances.
It was the summer of 2009 and the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman was 18 and watched fellow Plzen, Czech Republic native Petr Sykora win the Stanley Cup as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. As part of the annual tradition, the trophy made its way to Sustr’s hometown with Sykora dropping by a local hockey camp.
“I didn’t touch it,” Sustr said. “Even though I was a little kid I remember that I knew the rumor that you shouldn’t touch it if you want to win it, so I made sure I didn’t touch it.