Oilers follow suit, don't touch Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
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The Edmonton Oilers elected not to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after advancing to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006 with a 2-1 Game 6 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
The decision came one day after the Florida Panthers did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, having celebrated with it last year before losing in the final to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We didn’t really talk about it at all until the end of the game there,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said, per NHL.com. “I know [the Panthers] didn’t touch [the Prince of Wales Trophy]. We didn’t touch it. Someone’s going to win [the Stanley Cup].”
Touching the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl has become a rare occurrence, with just two teams doing so since the Oilers last appearance in 2006, when Edmonton captain Jason Smith did not touch it. The 2022 Colorado Avalanche did touch the trophy and won the Stanley Cup, while the 2018 Vegas Golden Knights lost after celebrating with it.
“There wasn’t a whole of discussion,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added. “It just came about it. Obviously, we’ve never been in this situation.
"We didn’t talk about it before and that was the decision.”
The Panthers are set to open a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance Saturday, this time with home-ice advantage. Captain Aleksander Barkov said Saturday he ignored the advice of head coach Paul Maurice last year in celebrating the with the Prince of Wales Trophy before listening this year.
“He also told me last year [not to touch it],” Barkov said. "Last year we had a different situation, but we’re not going to talk about last year. This year, I think we all agreed we were not going to touch it."