Colorado Avalanche Damage Stanley Cup While Celebrating Championship Win

06/27/2022 03:10 pm EDT

The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to win their first championship since 2001. And the team was celebrating a little too hard as they damaged the Stanley Cup Trophy while on the ice. As the team was getting together for a group photo, Avalanche player Nicolas Aube-Kubel skated toward the team while he holding the trophy. He then hit a snag on the ice, leading him to fall and taking the Stanley Cup with him. It led to a noticeable dent on the bottom of the trophy. 

It's not a big deal since the trophy has been through its share of battles over the years. Additionally, this is Colorado's first title in 21 years and third overall, so it's no surprise that that team was very excited about the win. It was a memorable season for the Avalanche as they finished first in the Central Division and first in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Avalanche defeated the Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers to reach the Stanley Cup Final.  

"Honestly, it was heartbreaking not winning it in Denver," Avalanche player Nathan MacKinnon said, per NHL.com. "It just felt like a lot of pressure that day. We were supposed to kill them, and it was tough after that game, but we rebounded. We had some good meetings. That's what's so great about our team, a lot of great leadership and we found a way to bounce back tonight. So it feels great."  

"Management has believed in us, committed to us and we've grown together, and even when we had three straight exits in a row in the second round, we stuck together and we didn't blow it up," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "We didn't try to change things. We stuck with it. We brought in some really, really, really high-character pieces that just wanted to win. They just wanted to do whatever they could to win, and they were the difference for us." Mikko Rantanen led the Avalanche all season with 92 points and 36 goals. Cale Makar won the Norris Trophy which is given to the NHL's top defensive player. 

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