This week, a Denver couple had the pleasure of a Stanley Cup victory without ever donning skates.
On Monday, Dmitri Rudenko and Kit Karbler were at home in Denver’s affluent Hilltop neighborhood when they received an unexpected present that turned out to be the most illustrious sporting honor.
In Game 6 of the Finals, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Cup and secure the 2021–22 season.
The Cup was then scheduled to make its yearly voyage from one member of the winning team’s home to another, thus the Avs took a flight from Tampa to Denver.
The team captain, Gabe Landeskog, who also happens to reside in Hilltop and has a similar address to Rudenko and Karbler, was supposed to get the Cup on Monday.
They’re only out by one digit, Karbler told the NBC affiliate in Denver. It was fortunate for us due to that one digit.
The Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy still in use in professional sports in North America and named for Lord Stanley of Preston, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893, wasn’t sent by UPS or the US Postal Service.
Its handlers transported it to Rudenko and Karbler’s house and contained it in the trunk of their vehicle.
Rudenko claimed, “I was the first to notice the automobile parked in our driveway. “I saw the automobile back up,” you say.
Because he had watched the Stanley Cup final games, he was able to identify the case when the trunk was opened.
Idly remarked, “Is that the Stanley Cup?” And he responds, “Yes!”
The couple said the handlers were incredibly kind and let them hold hockey’s most renowned trophy even though they didn’t have time for a selfie.
Kabler acknowledged being swept up in the present.
Regarding the Cup handlers, Karbler remarked, “They were gentlemen throughout.
“They were excited to tell others about their Cup experiences. I never anticipated that I would find it to be so fascinating.
He continued, “I was just so pleased to have the Stanley Cup on our driveway.”
The Cup’s owners then revealed that they were trying to find Landeskog’s residence, which Rudenko and Karbler had assisted them in finding.
Rudenko chuckled, “We made sure everything came safely.
Karbler added, “And we showed them where they were meant to go.
“It brightened our day, and we will remember it and laugh about it for a very long time.
When the trophy finally arrived at Landeskog’s house, the 29-year-old Swedish winger recorded video of his two-year-old daughter hugging and drinking from the Cup.
Since then, Erik Johnson of the Avalanche has imagined himself waking up next to the Cup, which is a rather common scenario for the trophy.
The cup has previously been used to wash babies or drink beer by other players.