Stanley Cup

Denver Couple Accidentally Receives Stanley Cup Meant for Avalanche Captain

An ecstatic Denver couple accidentally got the Stanley Cup delivered to their residence on Monday instead of to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.

Stanley Cup
USA Today

It's a well-known tradition that when an NHL team wins the Stanley Cup, each member of the squad gets to spend a day with the iconic trophy. 

This year, a lucky Denver couple received the Stanley Cup first as it was accidentally delivered to their door instead of to Colorado Avalanche's captain Gabriel Landeskog. 

The unexpected prize arrived at the home of neighbors Dmitri Rudenko and his husband Kit Karbler the day after the Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. 

“I was the first one who saw the car being parked in our driveway. I saw the car backing up,” Rudenko told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver.

“The person opens the trunk and I saw the case and I recognized it, because I watched the final [Stanley Cup] games,” he said. “Jokingly said, ‘Is that the Stanley Cup?’ And he says, ‘Yes!’” 

It turned out that the couple and Landeskog share similar addresses that got mixed up due to a large tree blocking the house number.

“They’re only one digit off,” Karbler said. “Because of that one digit, it was fortuitous for us!”

This isn't the first time the Stanley Cup created chaos

For instance, in 1905, the Ottawa Senators celebrated their Stanley Cup victory by drop-kicking the trophy across the Rideau Canal in their hometown. Thankfully, the canal was frozen and the team was able to retrieve the trophy. Additionally, in 1962, the Toronto Maple Leafs took the Cup to an afterparty to celebrate their victory only to damage it badly in a bonfire. 

The tradition of Stanley Cup trouble lives on.

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