Nicolas Aube-Kubel leans into the joke, so he assumed it would be part of his welcome home.
The Washington forward was a savvy waiver acquisition during the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run last season, compiling 22 points in 62 games, but he might be remembered most for dropping the Stanley Cup as he celebrated on the ice after Game 6.
When he got a tattoo of the trophy during the offseason at a local Denver parlor, Aube-Kubel made sure the new ink included the dent left by his spill. So as he and fellow champion Darcy Kuemper returned to Ball Arena for the first time as opponents Tuesday (7 p.