The Vegas Golden Knights are off to the Stanley Cup Final to battle the Florida Panthers. And without fail, the end of the conference finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs brings one of hockey's weirdest superstitions to light.
Each year, the conference champions are presented with a trophy for their efforts. And each year, the conference champions decide whether to actually touch the trophy. This year, Vegas decided against touching the Clarence Campbell Bowl, awarded to the Western Conference champion.
As captain, Golden Knights forward Mark Stone is traditionally the first player who would touch the trophy. However, he spoke about the reason why his team refrained on Monday night.
“It’s a great accomplishment, right? We were the best team in the Western Conference, but we want to be the best team in the league,” Stone explained. “This is a great achievement but this isn’t our goal. We want to win the Stanley Cup.”
The idea behind the superstition is that touching either the Clarence Campbell Bowl or the Prince of Wales Trophy brings bad luck in the Stanley Cup Finals. For example, the Golden Knights touched the Clarence Campbell Bowl in 2018 before losing in the finals to the Washington Capitals.
Of course, there's plenty of evidence to show that touching the trophy doesn't truly matter. In fact, the Capitals touched the Prince of Wales trophy in 2018 before winning the Stanley Cup in five games.
In any event, the superstition clashes in the Stanley Cup Final once again. The Golden Knights and their aversion to their trophy will go against the Panthers. Florida proudly celebrated with the Prince of Wales Trophy after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both teams are happy to be among the best the NHL has to offer this year. However, none of this compares to the scenes we will see when one team wins the Stanley Cup.
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