Tampa sports teams are really raking in the hardware these days. Months after watching the Buccaneers upset Kansas City in Super Bowl LV, the Lightning decided they’d get in on the fun by winning their second straight Stanley Cup. One of the most iconic trophies in all of sports, partying with the Stanley Cup has become a rite of passage for NHL champions like Alex Ovechkin, who had the cup at his side for what felt like months after the Capitals ended their title drought in 2018. Lord Stanley’s Cup has a tendency to bring out the reckless side in its owners, prompting this warning from the trophy’s official Twitter account.
Tom Brady, who shared an Instagram story congratulating the Lightning on their clinching, Game 5 victory over Montreal Wednesday night, tempted fate earlier this year by heaving the Lombardi Trophy to teammate Rob Gronkowski at the Bucs’ waterfront Super Bowl parade. Brady’s daring maneuver could easily have gone awry, though thankfully Gronk stuck the landing, preventing scuba divers from having to retrieve it at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
As one of Tampa’s most popular sports figures, Brady will assuredly cross paths with the cup at some point, though throwing it would probably be ill-advised. Aerodynamic is not a word that comes to mind when describing the Stanley Cup, which stands nearly three feet tall while weighing over 34 pounds. Of course, we all know tequila was calling the shots (no pun intended) when Brady got the bright idea to hurl his trophy out of a boat (much to the horror of Lorraine Grohs, daughter of the Lombardi’s original silversmith, Greg Grohs), and who’s to say booze won’t get the better of him again?
Given their questionable history with trophies (Gronk previously dented the Lombardi by using it as a baseball bat), the Bolts would be wise to keep the cup FAR away from Brady and his pet polar bear, or at least supervise them should the two come in contact with hockey’s top prize.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram