The Washington Capitals bent the Stanley Cup!

A Washington Capitals fan, Charlie McManus, noticed that the Stanley Cup was bent at a fan event on Monday. Charlie asked the Keeper of the Cup whether the damage occurred over the years. The Keeper said the damage occurred in the past couple weeks in the presence of the Washington Capitals.

OK...it’s crooked. I asked the handler if it’s from years of abuse. He said weeks!!! Yeah, buddy!#WePlayHockeyLikeWeParty#StanleyCup #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/jAqnKaVHMJ

— Charlie #ALLCAPS (@CharlieMcManus9) June 26, 2018

This isn't the first time the Cup has been abused.

During the 1940–41 NHL season, the mortgage on Madison Square Garden was paid. The management publicly celebrated by burning the mortgage in the Cup. Some fans claimed this act "desecrated" the Cup, leading to the Curse of 1940, which allegedly caused the Rangers to wait 54 years for another win.

In 1962, the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup. During a party after the win, the trophy was dropped in a bonfire and badly damaged. It was repaired at the expense of the team.

In 1964, Red Kelly of the Toronto Maple Leafs posed for a photo with his infant son sitting in the Cup, only to find the child had urinated in it. Kelly was quoted years later as saying it has always since made him laugh to see players drinking out of the Cup.

In 1987, the Edmonton Oilers' Mark Messier took it to his favourite club in his hometown of St. Albert, Alberta, and let fans drink out of it. It wound up slightly bent in various places for unknown reasons. It was repaired at a local automotive shop, and shipped back to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On June 6, 2008, after the Red Wings' Stanley Cup Parade, the Stanley Cup was pushed off a table at Chris Chelios' Chili Bar in Detroit, Michigan and received a dent, which was later smoothed out. After the 2008 NHL Awards, it was revealed that the damage was more extensive than originally realized.

A week after the same Detroit team won the Cup, Kris Draper's newborn daughter defecated in the Cup as she sat in it. The Cup was thoroughly cleaned and Draper reportedly drank from it that same day.

Source: Wikipedia