Matthew Tkachuk’s lively celebration during last year’s Stanley Cup run turned into quite the story—both legendary and a bit worrisome—when he brought the Cup into the Atlantic Ocean at Fort Lauderdale’s Elbo Room Beach Bar. Videos went viral showing him walking into the waves while holding the trophy, which raised concerns about the saltwater potentially damaging the delicate metal and sparked a lot of chatter online.

Tkachuk once shared this story about the incident that nearly caused some trouble between him and Phil Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup. He said, “I guess, but I guess after, you know, after we won, zero hours of sleep, about 40 beers later, I took it into the ocean, and yeah, I guess it doesn’t deal well with salt water, which makes sense, but I didn’t know the rules. I mean, just, just won. We just won the thing 12 hours earlier. Like, not think about rules? Uh, yeah, but they weren’t too thrilled with me, but, uh, yeah, it’s all good. We’re good now.”

It really showed off Tkachuk’s carefree style, even if it made NHL purists uncomfortable at the risk involved. It seems like this year is pretty much the same when it comes to the Cup’s condition. On X, B/R Open Ice shared, “Matthew Tkachuk, passing the Stanley Cup to his dad Keith, on the Elbo Room deck. Absolute scenes.”

Tkachuk kept his celebration going strong by bringing the Stanley Cup—snagged from the locker room chaos—out to the Elbo Room deck in Fort Lauderdale, where he handed it over to his dad, Keith. People quickly noticed the damage, with a dent clearly visible on the Cup.

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Matthew Tkachuk’s action gathered concern from the NHL community

After the Florida Panthers clinched the Stanley Cup in 2025, there were some reports about the trophy getting a bit banged up during the celebrations. One fan even mentioned, “The Panthers dented the bottom of the Cup.” Another response points out that the trophy seems to be going through more than just regular wear and tear, saying, “The Cup is taking a beating.” This fan pointed out just how damaged the trophy looked, saying, “The Cup is going to need some medical attention.”

Did you know that Matthew Tkachuk played through some health issues during the entire playoffs? So, on X, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported, “Matthew Tkachuk says he tore the adductor off the bone and was dealing with a hernia on the same side of his body, wasn’t sure if he would be able to play to start these playoffs. Tkachuk says grinding through all that makes this Stanley Cup more rewarding.” That’s some serious motivation right there! Even with all the challenges he faced, he kept going after that Cup, and in the end, he got it.

But this comment really highlights how the trophy has fallen prey to Florida’s nonstop post-victory vibe, saying, “Happens every year.” One fan really can’t believe how fast the iconic trophy has lost its perfect appearance, saying, “The cup is absolutely mangled already.” Fans are really buzzing about how the Panthers’ celebrations are matching—or even surpassing—their legendary party reputation, and the Stanley Cup is right in the middle of it all once again.