The Edmonton Oilers advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final appearance of the salary cap era, when they were the first team to represent the Western Conference in the new era back in 2006. After a 2-1 victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars on Sunday night, captain Connor McDavid and the Oilers celebrated their Clarence Campbell Bowl win by gathering for a group photo and not touching the trophy.
McDavid followed in the footsteps of former Edmonton captain Jason Smith, who did not touch the Bowl in 2006 when they defeated the Anaheim Ducks in five games. However, the trend of avoiding the Clarence Campbell Bowl is fascinating to track over the past 18 seasons.
Ten of the past 18 Stanley Cup champions have come from the Western Conference, and not one has won back-to-back championships. Since 2006, only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning have won consecutive titles, and both are from the Eastern Conference.
However, the Chicago Blackhawks won three out of five in 2010, 2013, and 2015, and the Los Angeles Kings won two out of three in 2012 and 2014. Interestingly, the only team to represent the Western Conference in consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances since 2006 is the Detroit Red Wings, who split their series with a win (2008) and loss (2009) against the Penguins. Since 2013, Detroit has been in the Eastern Conference.
After throwing out all these dates and teams, there’s one thing they all have in common: none of them touched the Clarance Campbell Bowl when they won.
| Year | Team | Touch / No Touch | Final Result |
| 2024 | Edmonton Oilers | No Touch | TBD |
| 2023 | Vegas Golden Knights | No Touch | Win |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Touch | Win |
| 2021 | Montreal Canadiens* | No Touch | Loss |
| 2020 | Dallas Stars | No Touch | Loss |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues | No Touch | Won |
| 2018 | Vegas Golden Knights | Touch | Loss |
| 2017 | Nashville Predators | No Touch | Loss |
| 2016 | San Jose Sharks | No Touch | Loss |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | No Touch | Won |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings | No Touch | Won |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | No Touch | Won |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Kings | No Touch | Won |
| 2011 | Vancouver Canucks | Touch | Loss |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | No Touch | Won |
| 2009 | Detroit Red Wings | No Touch | Loss |
| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings | No Touch | Won |
| 2007 | Anaheim Ducks | No Touch | Won |
| 2006 | Edmonton Oilers | No Touch | Loss |
Related: 2024 NHL Playoffs: Winners and losers from Sunday’s game action, including Connor McDavid
Oilers not tempting NHL fate ahead of Stanley Cup Final
In the salary cap era, only three Western Conference teams have touched the trophy, including the Vancouver Canucks, who lost the Stanley Cup Final in Game 7 in 2011, and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018, who lost in Game 5. The only team that found success by celebrating with the Bowl and winning the Stanley Cup in the same season is the Colorado Avalanche, who ended the Lightning’s run of titles with a Game 6 win in 2022.
Regarding the Oilers’ celebration in 2024, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-tenured Oilers player, said no one talked about the possibility of winning the Clarence Conference Bowl before the puck drop, and there was no plan regarding their postgame celebration.
That’s unlike the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference with the Prince of Wales Trophy. When the Panthers eliminated the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the conference final on Saturday, coach Paul Maurice specifically and emphatically told captain Aleksander Barkov not to let anyone touch the trophy.
That’s because last season when the Panthers ousted the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, they touched the trophy and Barkov carried back into the locker room. The Panthers then lost to the Golden Knights in five games in the Stanley Cup Final. They’re not taking any chances this season before they play the Oilers.
According to statistics, the Western Conference teams are 6-1 in the Stanley Cup Final since 2006, when both teams didn’t touch their trophies from the conference finals. They won in 2019, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2008 and lost in 2006. The big question is, will any of these superstitions factor in the outcome of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final?