After the Lightning celebrated a second consecutive championship with another signature “Champa Bay” boat parade on Monday, hockey’s holy grail needed to be sent north of the border for repairs after slipping and hitting the ground during the storm. The bowl of the 128-year-old silver chalice was dented to the point that it looked like Flat Stanley Cup.
It has been damaged and fixed before, including when the 2018 champion Washington Capitals did “Cup stands” (think kegstands) after winning the first NHL title in franchise history. The Cup is still scheduled to be ready for the start of the Lightning’s summer of Stanley that players didn’t get to enjoy after winning last fall.