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Lightning players allow paraders to sample drinks from Stanley Cup at celebration

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 30: Steven Stamkos #91 and Alex Killorn #17 pour beer out of the Stanley Cup for Victor Hedman #77 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2020 Stanley Cup Champion rally on September 30, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

There are more than a few things that we look at differently now in this pandemic world, and the most time-honoured of celebratory acts with the Stanley Cup should probably be considered one of them.

Of course, it is your responsibility as a winner of the greatest trophy in sports to at one time sample champagne, a sudsy beverage, or even a food item from the bowl atop the chalice that has exchanged hands through generations of champions.

While nowadays it would be enough to make even a mild germaphobe’s skill crawl to see the trophy used a vessel for the rapid consumption of alcohol, we can probably excuse the 52 men and women representing the Tampa Bay Lightning inside the NHL’s air-tight bubbles. They were tested repeatedly across 65 days spent in isolation, and the system the league implemented managed to sniff out any trace of the coronavirus, allowing Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Co. to finally achieve hockey glory this summer.

Things, however, became dicey when the Lightning brought the party to the Tampa Riverwalk for a parade like no other, and more and more mouths started to drink from the Stanley Cup.

There really is no need to share any statistics pertaining to Florida’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, because this sort of activity, in the climate we live in now, is obviously dangerous — not only to those participating, but also everyone who they might come in contact with.

In this case, it is the entire Lightning team and virtually everyone in Raymond James Stadium for the final stop at the parade.

But hey, everyone is entitled to make their own decisions, including Lightning forward Alex Killorn, the Harvard graduate holding one side of the Stanley Cup and slapping hands with fans in the videos above.

It didn’t stop there for the highly-educated winger, who continued to make many cringe with a special shoutout to Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

There were some really fun and mostly safe moments from the boat parade as well. Some which may explain how Killorn was eventually led to the questionable decisions that began with inviting some foreign germs to the rim of the Cup.

Here is he delivering on the promise of firing up the sea-doo:

How fit Killorn is to drive the watercraft is likely up for debate, but at least he had a life jacket on .. somewhat.

Yanni Gourde, meanwhile, may have been a responsible passenger on his boat, but the captain, certainly, of shirtless partying.

Finally, it seemed a little more refined on the ship carrying Stamkos and Hedman, or as refined as it can be.

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