June 27 (UPI) -- The Colorado Avalanche dented the Stanley Cup almost immediately after they claimed the NHL's storied championship trophy with a Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The trophy sustained the damage amid the Avalanche's on-ice celebration Sunday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
"I don't even know if they had it five minutes and there's a dent at the bottom already. Right in the middle of the team photo," Hockey Hall of Fame Keeper of the Cup Philip Pritchard said in a video posted to the NHL's Twitter account.
"I guess it's a new record today. Five minutes into the presentation it's happened. It's the first time it's ever happened on the ice."
Right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel was skating with the trophy as his teammates gathered for a photo. Aube-Kubel skated into the area, but lost his balance and smashed the bottom of the trophy on the ice.
Several of his teammates provided shocked reactions when they realized the circular base of the trophy was dented.
Forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen scored in the 2-1 victory. The Avalanche won the best-of-seven series 4-2 to claim the Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson spent Sunday night with the Cup. Each year, players and staff members from the winning team get to spend two days with the Cup and bring it to their preferred destination.
The Cup, which weighs 37 pounds and is 35.2 inches high, is engraved with the names of its thousands of past winners. Three versions of the famous trophy exist: the original Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, the Presentation Cup and a stand-in trophy.
The Presentation Cup is used in victory parades and travels with players. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, commissioned in 1892, is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The NHL announced earlier this month that the Cup will not travel to Russia or Belarus due to the war in Ukraine. The Avalanche will hold a rally and a parade Thursday in Denver to celebrate the title.