The Stanley Cup has been subjected to plenty of wild summer celebrations over the past handful of decades and beyond. The stories attached to the Cup and what winning teams do with it are a big part of its lore and why many consider it to be the greatest trophy in all of sports. 

The Capitals had a long, frustrating road to Stanley Cup glory, so it's only fitting that they went nuts after winning their first championship in franchise history. In fact, they had such a legendary offseason partying with the Cup that they started a new tradition -- one that may begin and end with them.

What is a Stanley Cup keg stand, you might ask? Let Alexander Ovechkin demonstrate.

Or allow Jimmy Fallon to demonstrate.

Or this submerged gentleman. 

You get it by now. 

Well, enjoy those images because the act may soon be outlawed by the NHL and its Keepers of the Cup.

According to the Washington Post, as the Keepers have witnessed the Cup keg stands gain popularity as they've traveled around the world with the Caps this summer, they've begun discouraging players (and other Cup hosts) from doing them. Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard said it's because of concerns of damage-- to the Cup and/or the person performing the act.

Pritchard repeatedly praised how the Capitals have reverently handled the Cup, but he said he has been "advising" them to quit the Cup stands for fear of damage.

"We ask them politely not to do it," Pritchard said. "We're trying to preserve the history of the Stanley Cup. We don't want any unnecessary damage to it or a person, in case they drop the person or he presses too hard or something."

...

"We'll see what happens as we move forward with the Cup," Pritchard said. "At the end of September, the Cup is going in to get engraved and updated and cleaned and everything, so we'll see how it is because we have to take it apart then and everything. We'll know probably more then, in early October, once it's back for the home opener. Our biggest thing is respect for it."

The warnings don't seem to be completely working, as there have been documented cases of the stands still happening over the past few weeks. At some point, though, there may be a complete ban on the act. 

It seems pretty funny that after all the ridiculous things the Cup has been through -- from being thrown off a roof into a swimming pool, to being left on the side of a road in a snowbank, to getting defecated in by a small human -- that this is where the line might get drawn. But the goal is to protect the Stanley Cup at all costs, and that seems like a noble cause. 

In any case, good luck trying to enforce that when you're dealing a a bunch of boozy Stanley Cup champions. That's not exactly the easiest group to keep down. If we've learned anything over the years, it's that players will continue to find absolutely ridiculous ways to commit their offseason debauchery, and we'll continue to love every second of it.