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NHL Gives Two Warnings to the Florida Panthers After Damaging the Cup During Celebration

Originally posted on House of Hockey
By Graham Montgomery | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 7:08 PM ET

Florida Panthers captain Alexander Barkov was reportedly warned by the keepers of the Stanley Cup not to break any more rules after the hardware was damaged in celebrations once again, according to NHL reporter James Olive.

The Stanley Cup is arguably the most famous trophy in all of professional sports and it has a very long and complex history.

That history changes every year as it is awarded to a new team as well.

As per tradition, the winning team gets their time with the cup, parading it around with their fans as they celebrate the monumental achievement.

Of course, this does mean that the cup is very often damaged as celebrating players can often get a bit carless.

This year has been no different, as the keepers of the cup have confirmed several minor dents and dings, but according to Panthers captain Alexander Barkov, they have seen worse.

That being said, the team has been warned not to take the cup into the Atlantic ocean like they did last year after their celebration at the Elbo Room on Miami beach.

The NHL is generally fairly lenient on teams as they expect the cup to receive some minor damage every year, but if that goes to far, winning teams could potentially face real consequences such as fines, hence the warning.

If the Panthers want to win their third chance to hoist the Cup with their fans they would do well to bring back as many of the same players as possible that have been there the last two years.

One of those players is Sam Bennett, who is reportedly willing to take a very team friendly deal to stay in South Florida.

Bennett played a huge role in the Panther's win this season as he scored 15 goals throughout the playoffs en route to his first Conn Smythe award win as playoffs MVP.

With 15 goals in 23 games, that would put him on pace for 53 goals in an 82-game season, double his career high.

Regardless of whether or not he re-signs with the Panthers though, Bennett and the rest of his teammates will need to be careful as they continue their celebrations with the Stanley Cup.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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