LOS ANGELES -- For the victors in the Stanley Cup Final, that first moment when they receive the big silver trophy and thrust it as high into the air as they can, is pure, unfiltered bliss.
What follows is only slightly more organized than chaos. Family, friends and media turn the playing surface into a crowded bus station, if that floor was covered by ice.
Everyone is searching for someone or something, trying to get to a place in the opposite direction of the person coming toward them. The people with media credentials are following the Los Angeles Kings, waiting for them to exhale and try to formulate coherent thoughts when delirium and exhaustion are in play.
The players are congratulated by people they love and people they don't know, and eventually their focus zeroes in on that big silver thing again.
Every player gets a chance in the aftermath of the original celebration to spend a couple more minutes with the Cup on the ice, and this is the chance for photos with family and particular sets of teammates.