Stanley Cup beer-can 'replica' shows Lightning fans' thirst for trophy

TAMPA -- Brothers Brian, William and Patrick Watters say it took them a few months to collect the raw material required for their homemade Stanley Cup.
Given that these are three thirsty young men who have thirsty friends, that might be a highly inflated figure.

The brothers were at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Riverfest viewing party at Curtis Hixon Park on Friday, their heroes
defeating the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime
to return home with a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round. The Lightning can eliminate the Bruins in Game 5 at Amalie Arena on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS).
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With the Watters brothers was their lovingly crafted Stanley Cup "replica." It was surely not the first one made of empty beer cans, but theirs is impressive in its structure, consistency and durability, with about 200 silver Coors Light cans forming the barrel and the narrowing collar at the top, crowned with a stainless-steel mixing bowl.
It stands about 40 inches tall, about six inches taller than the genuine article because of the size of beer cans. They used every effort to keep their Cup as close to the scale of the real one as they could.
"We used maybe 200 cans," said Patrick, 23. "And maybe 600 sticks of glue to hold it all together."
Patrick said the bowl on top, which likely won't be confused with the original sterling chalice commissioned in 1892 by Canada governor general Lord Stanley of Preston, was bought at Walmart for maybe $10.
"About a buck a can, so this cost us whatever number of cans we used, the glue and the bowl," he said as Lightning fans milled around to take photos.
By night's end, the brothers, all Tampa residents, said that hundreds of fans had taken pictures of their trophy or posed for selfies with it. And It was clear that the three don't view this as an expense, but rather as a labor of love.
"We used Coors Light cans not just because they're silver, but because we're faithful to the Lightning," said Brian, 27. "There are Coors ads plastered on the boards at Amalie Arena. We're Bolts fans and have been our entire lives. We've been fans since before 2004, when they won the Cup."

The brothers all life-long residents of Tampa; Brian is a data analyst, William is an auditor and Patrick will next month join the U.S. Coast Guard.
None could pinpoint where the inspiration came from to build a Stanley Cup out of aluminum empties, though one suggested that the idea grew from the fact that six-packs have been washed out anytime they've had friends over. This alone shot holes in their claim that it probably took several months to gather what they needed for their trophy. They were proud to say, however, that no beer was wasted as they turned full cans into empties.
No matter the timeline, William, 24, said the brothers' Stanley Cup was finished two hours before thousands of fans attended the huge viewing party that included the Lightning Girls cheerleaders entertaining on a stage between periods.

It was most fitting Friday that Tampa's famous Rivergate Tower, also known as the "Beer Can Building," overlooked the viewing party, with a Lightning logo projected on its side.
William's confidence was overflowing as he spoke just before the second period, long before Tampa Bay won.
"We're taking our Cup to Amalie Arena on Sunday, we'll beat the Bruins again to eliminate them, then we'll knock off the Pittsburgh Penguins and then we'll win the Stanley Cup Final," he said, vowing that their trophy would join the genuine article in any victory parade.
The brothers take fierce pride in their Stanley Cup, the most recent achievement in their hockey careers. They all played the game years ago.
"But then," Brian said with a sigh, "we had to go to college and get degrees."