The Lightning "face a new quandary" in how they "safely fulfill all the rights -- and rites -- that come with winning a championship," according to Stephen Smith of the N.Y. TIMES. Since '95, each Cup-winning player, coach and trainer has been "granted a day to host the Stanley Cup in his hometown," but plans for "further Stanley Cup pilgrimages are still in flux." Hockey HOF VP Phil Pritchard, now in his 32nd year of being the "keeper of the Cup," said that the NHL was consulting with the Lightning in the hopes of "arranging some kind of 'celebration tour.'" Pritchard: "Currently we are staying in Tampa." He emphasized that whatever happens, opportunities for touching and drinking from the Cup "will be limited." Pritchard acknowledged the "challenges of reconciling the best health-and-safety practices with the close-quarters ebullience inherent in Cup celebrations." This year, more than ever, he is "also the cleaner of the Cup, wiping it down as many as four times a day with a three-part treatment of warm water followed by a soft detergent solution and medical disinfectant to deal with fingerprints and pathogens" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/8).
