The Panthers are growing used to earning the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Each year, the hardware is given to the NHL’s Eastern Conference champion before it advances to the Stanley Cup Final, and thanks to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes on Wednesday, the Panthers are on their way to their third consecutive championship series.
However, don’t expect Florida’s players to be spotted with the Prince of Wales Trophy as they pursue their real goal. After advancing to the title matchup on Wednesday, the team intentionally avoided touching the trophy out of superstition.
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Here’s why the Panthers avoided touching the Prince of Wales Trophy.
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Why didn’t the Panthers touch the Prince of Wales Trophy?
The Panthers are about to embark on their third straight Stanley Cup Final, but they seemed to have learned a thing or two from the previous two series.
In 2023, Florida earned the Prince of Wales Trophy and didn’t show any hesitance about touching their new hardware. Shortly after, they lost the title matchup to Las Vegas.
In 2024, the Panthers emerged as the Eastern Conference victor once again, set for a Stanley Cup series against the Oilers. That time around, captain Aleksander Barkov signaled to the rest of the team to not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy as they had the previous season before losing.
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov signals to the team — don’t touch the Prince of Wales Trophy (they did last year) pic.twitter.com/ch78IUTfIb
— Alex Baumgartner (@ABaumgartner91) June 2, 2024
Perhaps that superstition worked. Florida took down Edmonton last year to win a title; now, the Panthers are back in the same scenario.
With the Prince of Wales Trophy sitting on the ice on Wednesday night, the team once again made a clear effort to not touch it, hoping it would be helpful in their quest for consecutive championships.
Once again, the Panthers do not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy pic.twitter.com/OlgnJu4blW
— Alex Baumgartner (@ABaumgartner91) May 29, 2025
A lot goes into winning a Stanley Cup, but the Panthers are hoping their decisions on whether or not to touch the Eastern Conference trophy will continue reflecting upon their championship fate.
2023: Panthers touched the Prince of Wales trophy, lost SCF to Vegas
2024: Panthers do NOT touch Prince of Wales trophy, win Stanley Cup
2025: Panthers do NOT touch the Prince of Wales Trophy… 👀 pic.twitter.com/DiSPMTts70
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 29, 2025
Why is it called the Prince of Wales Trophy?
The Prince of Wales Trophy, given to the NHL’s Eastern Conference victor, earned its name because it was originally donated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII, in 1924. At the time, the trophy was given to the NHL’s champion, who would then go on to face the WHL champion for the Stanley Cup.
The trophy’s meaning has changed over the years, however. Since the 1993-94 season, it has been presented to the Eastern Conference Champion, although superstition has prevented plenty of teams from hoisting it in hopes of instead winning a Stanley Cup title.
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