TAMPA, Fla. — We all saw the injury sustained to the Stanely Cup after the Tampa Bay Lightning boat parade, and now we know what happened.
Things just get slippery when wet.
"I'll tell you the real story because I want people to know the real story," Lightning left winger Pat Maroon said on 101 ESPN St. Louis, his hometown station.
"It was obviously raining and it was wet. I went to lift it, and I went fat backwards with it. I slipped and Phil helped me up and the Cup went back on its end."
A heavy thunderstorm rolled into the downtown area not long after the parade concluded but just in time to cancel the party at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. A picture circulating on social media showed the Cup's bowl with a little more than a dent.
"People are saying we disrespected the Cup. Such BS because if they had a half a brain, you know it's wet outside and you'd think we'd be throwing the Cup around? No. We didn't disrespect it," Maroon said. "It was a complete accident, and we both got hurt. My back has been hurt all day today. So, that's what happened. Nothing crazy.
"You know when the Cup keeper said it's OK, don't worry about it. I'm sure there's way worse things that have happened to the Cup besides me just falling."
It's true: People have drunk out of the Cup, tossed it in a pool and, as the story goes, a baby went to the bathroom in it.
After the Cup's injury, Joe Smith of The Athletic reported it was heading to Montreal for repairs.
"They said it's an easy fix," Maroon said. "...It's back in Tampa on Thursday, so a quick fix. It wasn't even that bad. The picture looked like it was dented that bad, it wasn't."
But who took the picture?
"Whoever framed me — we were in the family section, too, there's no fans around us, there's nothing. So if someone in the family — I don't know who did it, but we're on to it — we're going to find them," Maroon said.
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