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Sorry, but the Stanley Cup is having a better summer vacation than you are

No disrespect to Oilers fans, but if we had to choose between a boozy beach vacation and a jaunt through the West Edmonton Mall, well... let's just say the Stanley Cup looks to be having a pretty decent time in Florida.

In Florida, the cup is on 'a bender like it just turned 21'

A man lifts  a trophy  on the beach
Florida Panthers player Sam Bennett heads to the Atlantic Ocean with the Stanley Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 25. The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Now, the cup is enjoying a sunny vacation. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/The Associated Press)

No disrespect to Oilers fans, but if we had to choose between a boozy beach vacation and a jaunt through the West Edmonton Mall, well.... let's just say the Stanley Cup looks to be having a pretty decent time in Florida.

Florida won its first Stanley Cup late Monday night, besting Edmonton 2-1 in Game 7 after blowing a 3-0 lead in the final series. For Edmonton, It was a heartbreaking loss after such a strong comeback. And now, the Panthers will spend the summer sipping from hockey's holy grail.

A  crowd of happy men  surround a trophy
Panthers players, from left, Anthony Stolarz, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk sing We Are the Champions as they celebrate at the Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 25. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/The Associated Press)

Which they seem to be doing in fine Florida fashion, treating the Stanley Cup to a better summer vacation than most of us could hope for.

A  man  holds a trophy in the ocean
Tkachuk takes the Stanley Cup for a dip in Fort Lauderdale. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/The Associated Press)

The cup has been clubbing, enjoyed some fresh pasta, popped some bottles and even gone for a dip in the ocean.

In a video posted to X by Roberto Luongo, the cup even gets sprinkled with fresh parmesan as the former long-time Canucks goalie, who now works for the Panthers, digs into a steaming heap of linguine.

In another video posted to X, Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov appeared to take the cup clubbing in Miami.

"For months, they got a dude in white gloves treating the Cup like a newborn baby. The finals end and the Cup goes on a bender like it just turned 21," WIVB Sports director Josh Reed wrote on X.

The cup also took a ride in a golf cart. Because, Florida.

Several posts pointed out that the players took the cup to the Elbo Room, a famous beach bar.

And of course, no trip to Florida is complete without a stroll down the beach.

"The Stanley Cup woke up at Elbo Room, took quick rinse in the Atlantic Ocean, went for a stroll on Las Olas, and is now feasting at Greek Islands Taverna," sports lawyer Darren Heitner wrote on X.

"Next it will buy property in Fort Lauderdale and wonder why it ever lived in the north."

Next season will mark 32 years since the cup called Canada home.

Stanley, we swear, Canada can show you a good time, too. We're sure you'd love the Stampede. Montreal has a bopping club scene. Vancouver has lovely beaches.

And Toronto has ... um... enjoy your vacation, Stanley.

A man hoists a trophy in the air in the ocean
The Stanley Cup frolics at the beach in Fort Lauderdale. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/The Associated Press)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Stechyson

Senior Writer & Editor

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.

With files from the Canadian Press