Sports are riddled with superstition. Athletes will wear the same outfits, eat the same pre-game meals, or not touch certain lines on the field during a game if they can help it. For the NHL, there is one superstition that always pops up right before the Stanley Cup Final.
Winning your conference title doesn’t just mean you’re headed to the Stanley Cup Final — it means you earn the conference championship trophy. For the Eastern Conference champ, it’s the Prince of Wales Trophy, while the trophy for the Western Conference champ is called the Clarence Campbell Bowl.
Traditionally, players do not want to touch the conference championship trophy when it is presented to them. It has been seen as disrespectful to the Stanley Cup, which is the biggest prize in the sport. This has led to some awkward trophy presentations where a commissioner or president presents the trophy and the player representative just stands there with his hands behind his back.
On Thursday, the Oilers punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals, knocking off Dallas 6-3 and winning the series 4-1. Did they touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl? Here’s what you need to know.
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Did the Oilers touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl?
Almost instantly, star forward Connor McDavid was at the trophy presentation, and he immediately grabbed the Clarence Campbell Bowl.
Connor McDavid immediately grabbed the Clarence Campbell Bowl 👀 pic.twitter.com/nSpa6vmwke
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 30, 2025
You can’t blame McDavid. He is arguably the best hockey player in the league, and he has led the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton went with superstition last year and didn’t touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl. The Oilers went on to lose in the finals, so this year, they wanted to try to switch it up.
“Don’t touch it last year, we don’t win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win.”
Connor McDavid doing everything he can to try to get the Oilers a Cup 😅 pic.twitter.com/LbJFusU2dz
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 30, 2025
McDavid is confident in his team, and he should be. The Oilers scored six goals in the Game 5 win and 25 overall throughout the series, including McDavid’s second period goal on Thursday to put Edmonton up 4-2.
“We’re a good team. We’re a special team. And we feel good about our game.”
Connor McDavid after securing another trip to the Stanley Cup Final pic.twitter.com/uedeIvfhwf
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 30, 2025
Why is it called the Clarence Campbell Bowl?
Clarence S. Campbell was the president of the NHL from the 1946-1947 season through the 1976-1977 season. The NHL decided to name trophies given to the teams that represented each conference in the Stanley Cup Final. The Prince of Wales Trophy is presented to the team representing the Eastern Conference, and the Clarence Campbell Bowl is the name of the trophy awarded to the team representing the Western Conference.
The Campbell Bowl was awarded to the West Division regular season champions (1967-1974), the Campbell Conference regular season champions (1974-1981), the Campbell Conference playoff champions (1981-1993), and the Western Conference playoff champions (1993-present, except for the 2021 COVID-19 season). Each iteration of what the trophy has been awarded for has always been for the champion of the West heading to the Stanley Cup Final.
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