The Stanley Cup, recently damaged during the Florida Panthers' 2025 celebration, showcases the long history of wear-and-tear it faces every year. Visible cracks and dents resulted from exuberant celebrations, with past incidents including teams dropping or mishandling the trophy. Phil Pritchard, Keeper of the Cup, noted that this annual damage is part of the trophy's legacy. While the NHL occasionally requires teams to repair the Cup after damage, it's accepted as an integral part of its lore, with fans and players alike embracing its imperfect history.
The 130-year-old trophy sustained some heavy damage as the Florida Panthers celebrated their 2025 Cup Final victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
It happens every year, the bowl gets damaged - basically it gets 'out of round' if you know what I mean. It happens because it is a 125-year-old trophy and not designed for guys to hoist like [they do].
Other famous instances of damage include when the 1905 Ottawa Silver Sevens 'drop kicked' the Cup into Ottawa's Rideau Canal...
The NHL has required some teams that damaged the Cup to pay for the repairs, as seen in prior instances of trophy mishandling.
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