25 most insane things people have ever done with the Stanley Cup

2. The Stanley Cup goes to war

In 2007, the Stanley Cup made its way into Kandahar, Afghanistan, to spend some time with the brave troops at war in the country. After Cup-keeper Mike Bolt and the Cup itself landed, all seemed well as many of the troops posed with and took pictures of the Cup.

Mike Bolt took the Cup with him into the barracks for a quick shower. While he was changing, alarms sounded as the base was in danger of a missile attack. Bolt, under the assumption that it might have been a drill, stayed in the barracks with the Cup and waited it out.

It was not a drill. Bolt was the only one who hadn’t taken cover as the base was under attack. Luckily he, nor the Cup were harmed and the story can be laughed about today. But there’s no doubt that things could have gone worse for Bolt and the Cup.

Here’s Mike telling the story from an interview with Maxim Magazine:

"We went to Afghanistan this past March and had a missile attack our first night. We first arrived in Kandahar in flak jackets, the whole thing. Later on, I get back to the barracks and hear an air-raid siren, but I was dying for a shower, so I figured I’d just sit tight. I got into my room and—true story—sat down on the Cup case and read Maxim. I swear. I go into the shower, and when I get out a bunch of the guys are around going, “Mike, where were you during the missile attack?” I told them, “Sitting on the Cup case reading Maxim.” And they said, “Holy crap, you’re dedicated to your job!” [Laughs] Truth be told, if I had known better, I would have ditched the Cup and been like George Costanza pushing women and children out of the way."

Something tells me a missile attack might not be something repairable at the local auto shop. Thankfully, everyone was okay.