You may think that new coffee mug you got your dad for Father's Day is really special, but Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ian Cole has you beat. He beat everyone this year, really.
Yes, he got his father Doug the clichéd coffee mug just like you probably did one year or another. Only his coffee mug weighs about 35 pounds and is simultaneously the most impractical and coolest coffee mug in the history of coffee mugs. We're of course talking about the Stanley Cup.
Cole and his dad celebrated the Penguins victory Sunday by drinking a little Joe out of Lord Stanley's silver chalice.
Coffee tastes best out of this Cup! ☕️ pic.twitter.com/KTWZ671LS6
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 19, 2016
Not only did they share a morning beverage, they were able to recreate a picture that the pair had taken years ago when they took a trip the Hockey Hall of Fame. Like most hockey players, Cole's dreams of winning the Stanley Cup started as a kid. The Ann Arbor, Mich., native got up close and personal with the Cup as a young boy.
The day after actually winning the famed trophy, Cole tweeted the picture of his first encounter with Lord Stanley. He's on one side, his dad on the other and you'll notice the little guy kept his hands a good distance from the Cup. I don't know if he was superstitious back then, but if he is, that's some serious planning ahead.
What a league, what a season, what a team, what a trophy. pic.twitter.com/3BRHq2KHCw
— Ian Cole (@ICole28) June 13, 2016
Well, now that he's able to touch the Cup and hold it up, he and Doug got to recreate the picture from all those years ago. This one might be a little bit more special, though. They actually get to touch it this time.
The best Father's Day gift is a little time with the Stanley Cup! @ICole28pic.twitter.com/cuAHDVTKXM
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 19, 2016
It's fitting that Cole was able to share this with his father.
It was Doug who got Ian into hockey at a young age.
Transferring that passion put Ian on a path to become a first-round NHL draft pick, to earn a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame and now to be a Stanley Cup champion.
On a day where we all would like to say thanks to our dads, Cole got to say thank you in one of the best ways possible to the person who turned him on to the game that would become his career. Happy Father's Day indeed.
