Will Panthers' Stanley Cup ocean dive damage iconic trophy? We asked the 'Keeper of the Cup.'

The Panthers celebrated their first Stanley Cup win in the most South Florida way imaginable. They took the world’s most famous trophy to the beach and dove into the waves.

Northerners may have scoffed at the Floridian celebration, but some did bring up a valid concern: Will the ocean’s salt water damage the iconic Cup?

Although the Stanley Cup, which is made of silver and nickel alloy, is not supposed to go in the ocean, hopefully, the trophy will survive its dip in the water no worse for the wear.

“With all the excitement and celebration … the Cup did end up in the ocean,” said “Keeper of the Cup” Phil Pritchard in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “but was supposed to be a photo of them standing in the ocean with the Cup hoisted overhead. However, as everyone saw, it did end up in the water.

“As Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, there are concerns of salt water and actually chlorine, as well, with the Stanley Cup, as both (can) erode the trophy in the interior part of the Stanley Cup. As always, we are on (site) with them always and managed to clean it as good as possible and dry it off. Hoping the long-term effects are minimal and we can maintain the longevity of the world’s greatest trophy.”

The Stanley Cup has seen more than its share of liquids in and around it. The Cup has been doused in beer and champagne, and Panthers players used it to pour beer onto thrilled fans from the balcony of Fort Lauderdale’s Elbo Room on Tuesday. Panthers forward Sam Bennett said he wanted to eat breakfast cereal out of the Cup with his father. Roberto Luongo, the former Panthers goalie and current special advisor to general manager Bill Zito, posted a video of him eating pasta out of the Cup on Wednesday.

Florida star Matthew Tkachuk said Thursday that it may not have been ideal to take the Cup in the water, but what’s done is done.

“I think somebody said that’s not technically allowed, but I said it was too late,” Tkachuk said Thursday. “It already happened.”

Each player will have an opportunity to spend time with the Cup during the offseason. The trophy has seen a lot in its 132 years. The Cup took a swim in Mario Lemiuex and Patrick Roy’s swimming pools, according to The Athletic. At least two babies have been baptized in the Cup, and according to Bleacher Report, more than one baby has used the Cup as a toilet. Bleacher Report also recalls a time when a dog ate out of the Cup, and the Toronto Maple Leafs allegedly dropped the Cup into a bonfire in 1962.

So all things considered, going for a dip in the Atlantic is not the worst thing the Cup has seen.