Moments after receiving the Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche made a serious impact on the trophy. As the team was gathering for a photo, Nicolas Aube-Kubel took a spill and gave the Cup a nice dent.
The Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, in Game 6 to clinch the series and win the most coveted prize in hockey. Understandably, the Avs were excited to skate around Amalie Arena with the Stanley Cup over their heads, but Aube-Kubel came in too hot for the team picture
Aube-Kubel hit a snag in the ice as he was joining his teammates, and he went down hard, taking the Stanley Cup with him. That created a dent in the bottom of the trophy, but none of the Avs seemed to mind at all. Luckily for Aube-Kubel, the Stanley Cup has seen a lot, and it has survived worse throughout its history.
It’s hard to blame the Avalanche for their rambunctious celebration. Just five years ago, the team was in the NHL‘s basement, and the franchise underwent many changes and hardships to get to this point.
The Avalanche managed to build a juggernaut in just a handful of seasons, thanks to the efforts general manager and Avalanche legend Joe Sakic. Colorado capped off a 119-point regular season with a Stanley Cup run that featured a pair of sweeps and an overall record of 16-4.
This was the Avalanche’s third Stanley Cup in team history, with the first one coming in 1996 and the second in 2001. Sakic has been involved in all three, two as a player and one as the franchise’s general manager.
