The Stanley Cup had been in the possession of the Avalanche for just a few minutes before disaster nearly struck inside Amalie Arena.
After defeating the two-time reigning champion Lightning in Sunday’s Game 6 to win the series 4–2, the Avalanche celebrated fervently in front of the away crowd. However, as the Colorado players began to position themselves for a team photo on the ice, forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel tripped and fell while skating with the Cup to get into the picture.
The team let out a collective gasp as the Cup collided with the ice, resulting in a clear dent on the bottom of coveted trophy.