Two fans schemed their way into Carolina’s Stanley Cup celebration and nobody noticed
It’s every hockey fan’s dream to party with the Stanley Cup, but rarely does it ever happen.
Yet, that didn’t stop two hockey fans from getting up close and personal with hockey’s holy grail during the Carolina Hurricanes celebration last month. Following Carolina’s 3-0 Game 6 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights to clinch the Stanley Cup, a pair of New York Islanders fans managed to scheme their way into the team celebration.
Andrew Metelitz and his friend, Alex, were able to sneak their way onto the ice to celebrate with the Hurricanes and even managed to find their way into an all-night party at Caesar’s Palace.
So, how did two normal fans manage to get in on the party? New York-based news station News12 Long Island was able to dig into the mystery.
“I think it’s really the way that I compose myself,” Metelitzs told New12’s Kevin Maher. “I can talk to a wall.”
MUST WATCH: The wild, crazy, behind the scenes story of how two sly #Isles fans crashed the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup parties in Las Vegas. @IslesGirl3 @rdel76 @Ametelitz44 @News12LI @RTaub_ @IslesFix pic.twitter.com/mAGKnjquLH
— Kevin Maher (@KMaherNews12) July 10, 2026
It was more than just smooth-talking that got the pair into the thick of things. According to the feature, Metelitz noticed that friends and family of Hurricanes players were being allowed onto the ice with a yellow wristband.
With that in mind, he was able to make a fake wristband from yellow streamers that he got outside of Vegas’ arena during the pre-game party. He fashioned it around their wrists, and that was all it took to get them onto the ice at T-Mobile Arena.
“Tucked it in right underneath my watch. I licked it a little bit so it could stay,” Metelitz said. “At that point, I said, I mean, this is the best moment of my life, it’s not going to get any better, this is it.”
This isn’t the first time the pair had gotten in on a Stanley Cup celebration. Just last season, Metelitz was able to get right outside the Florida Panthers dressing room after a Game 6 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The pair have been following the Stanley Cup for the last four years, trying to get as close as they can.
“Wherever it is, we’re going to be with the Cup, or the Cup is going to find us,” Metelitz said.
Getting onto the ice was just the start of things for the Islanders fans.
After noticing that the Stanley Cup was headed to Caesar’s Palace for an all-night rager, the pair simply tried to blend in with the Hurricanes’ entourage. Surprisingly, it worked, and they booked their ticket to the exclusive party.
Metelitz was even able to drink beer out of the Stanley Cup, an honour usually reserved for players and team staff.
“We’re with them at this point,” Metelitz said. “Fans are like high-fiving me as if I was a player. We acted like we belonged… They look at our ID and, no questions asked, let us right in, and that’s where the party happens.
“It was insane, crazy… I feel like I genuinely have won the Stanley Cup. I am drinking out of the best Cup, the Stanley Cup. It’s going all over my shirt, it’s going down my beard… I’m just a dude.”
For a pair of Islanders fans, whose team hasn’t sniffed the Stanley Cup Final since 1984, it may be the closest they get to hockey’s biggest prize in a while.