The Capitals have reportedly damaged the Stanley Cup

The Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup celebrations this offseason are well documented. From the moment that captain Alex Ovechkin finally got his hands on the Cup, it’s been a nonstop party for the Caps and their fanbase. 

Of course, we all remember the drunken adventure that Ovi and teammates set out on in the first 72 hours after their championship. 

First up there was drunkenly serenading the DC faithful with a rendition of Queen’s “We are the Champions,” at a Washington Nationals game:

This, of course, was preceded by a Stanley Cup keg stand:

Then there was the iconic fountain embrace between Ovi and teammate T.J. Oshie:

And on, and on, and on, and on… but unfortunately, all good things do come to an end and with the NHL in China for the NHL China Games with the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames this week, the Cup is currently in China to help grow the game in Asia’s largest nation. 

Oh… and about those Stanley Cup keg stands, it seems that they’ve actually DAMAGED the Stanley Cup, perhaps beyond repair. Check out this photo of the Cup taken by Reddit user mamisazaki earlier today. Check out those stress fractures at the top of the Cup:

Note: Original image edited to point out the damage.

That’s… that’s not good. No word yet who exactly is responsible for the damage, but again there’s some scuttle out there that the NHL is cracking down on anyone doing keg stands on the Cup. It’s not hard to imagine that the full weight of 200+ pound athletes could do some serious damage.

Of course, this isn't the first time that the Cup has been damaged before and chances are it won't be the last. After the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup championship in 2011, forward Michael Ryder dropped the Cup off a table during a media event in his hometown of Boavista, Newfoundland. The 2008 Detroit Red Wings reportedly dented the Cup during a team party at Chris Chelio's Chili Bar in Detroit. After the Dallas Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup championship, Stars forward Guy Carbonneau attempted to throw the Cup intro a pool, but missed the mark producing a large dent in the side of it that had to be buffed out.