Dont Touch the Trophy History

[alko]

Was looking for the complete history who touched Prince Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

Two questions:

1. Is there any complete statistic?

2. Why did it start in year 1997 ? (this seems to be the first year i saw in many articles).

 

[JianYang]

I do remember linden touched it in 1994 only because when he hoisted the trophy, the lid fell off and it dented pretty badly.

I think it's funny how a big deal is made of this. OH, ARE THEY GOING TO TOUCH IT? LETS WATCH!!!!

the amount of grown ass men buying into a ridiculous superstition, and for it to normalized by the commentators....

 

[blogofmike]

When one team touches and one team doesn't , the team touching it has won 8 of 11 times.

Winners who touched
Tampa 20, 21
Pittsburgh 16, 17
Pittsburgh 09
New Jersey 03
Dallas 99
Detroit 97

Winners who didn't touch
Chicago 10
Anaheim 07
Tampa 04

As for why 1997, it seems Lindros started the trend, and people liked his moxy so much they didn't care that the Flyers were swept by the trophy-touching Red WIngs.

 

[Midnight Judges]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ovechkin+touches+prince+of+wales+trophy+

 

[MadLuke]

the amount of grown ass men buying into a ridiculous superstition, and for it to normalized by the commentators....

The list of sport jinx (talking about the perfect game-shutout before it is over), playoff beard, "good" stick, socks, etc.....

Obviously funny, but it is a fun part of the lore. And once people believe it, like placebo it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That said, to some it get more of a past than horoscope and crystal magic for some reason (which for the same reason than above can "work", if someone is more confident because they use magic, confidence vs its absence can be a factor in human endeavor, it will not work for winning the loto, but can for having a good exam or first date and maybe a sport performance, what all those sports phycology consultant do could be quite similar to traditional sport magic.

As for why 1997, it seems Lindros started the trend, and people liked his moxy so much they didn't care that the Flyers were swept by the trophy-touching Red WIngs.

This is a funny trivia.

 

[blogofmike]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ovechkin+touches+prince+of+wales+trophy+

Yes, but I didn't count them as Vegas also touched the Campbell Bowl.

Vegas Golden Knights reverse course from 2018, don't touch Clarence S. Campbell Bowl | TSN

 

[tabness]

Wings touched (Yzerman straight up lifted and celebrated it with the team lol) in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002

1995:

1997:

1998:

2002:

Wings did not touch in 2008 or 2009, Lidstrom preferred the pose in 2008, and then Zetterberg filling in for Lidstrom in 2009 did the same.

2008:

2009:

P.S: Washington in 1998 gotta have the biggest celebration I've seen with the Wales trophy, they KNEW that was it for them lol, HANTA YO

Carolina 2002 too, but Ron Francis a bit more subdued

 

[Crosby2010]

Scott Stevens touched it all three times didn't he? And when asked if I recall he said something along the lines of "Why wouldn't I, its a nice trophy."

I'll give you a list of prominent players, some in the HHOF, who never even got the opportunity to have ever touched either of these trophies because they never played in the Cup final:

Mats Sundin, Curtis Joseph, Pierre Turgeon, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Gartner, Shane Doan.

The NHL does it weird. Look, I get it, they all want the Stanley Cup, who wouldn't, but only one of them will win it and there is a good chance you may never return to the Cup final again, so why not enjoy that you got that far - so far? Touching it and lifting it over your head doesn't mean you want the Cup less. Pittsburgh did not touch it in 2008, but then they went beyond that in 2009. Crosby touched it, and he and Malkin and Gonchar posed for photos for it. It was embraced. I am not superstitious by any stretch of the imagination so I think the whole thing is crazy to be honest. But in the NFL when a team wins the AFC or NFC championship they celebrate on the field. It is a big deal, they still get a ring. Not a Super Bowl ring unless they win that but a ring. It is extremely hard to even do that.

 

[The Panther]

I like that the Oilers took a team photo with the Campbell thing yesterday, but why not McDavid lifting it or holding it up? It's extremely hard to win the Conference -- harder than winning the Cup was for most of League history.. Enjoy it!

 

[MadLuke]

I imagine it is a bit of expression, the why not is obvious.

Ostensibly show that you are in nothing is done yet, reaching the cup but not winning it is meaningless mode, outside the super supertisious that semi-believe in magic like Crosby with some if there 1/1000 chance to be lucky or unlucky that do it not only to express to other their values.

 

[jimmysheva]

Scott Stevens touched it all three times didn't he? And when asked if I recall he said something along the lines of "Why wouldn't I, its a nice trophy."

the one time he didn't touch it was 2001 and they lost the in the finals.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

The list of sport jinx (talking about the perfect game-shutout before it is over), playoff beard, "good" stick, socks, etc.....

Obviously funny, but it is a fun part of the lore. And once people believe it, like placebo it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That said, to some it get more of a past than horoscope and crystal magic for some reason (which for the same reason than above can "work", if someone is more confident because they use magic, confidence vs its absence can be a factor in human endeavor, it will not work for winning the loto, but can for having a good exam or first date and maybe a sport performance, what all those sports phycology consultant do could be quite similar to traditional sport magic.



This is a funny trivia.

Strictly speaking its not so much a superstition as a statement of values, why we are here, etc.

It has become pretty silly considering the effort level that goes into making a single finals appearance in this era. Ive always hated the Don Cherry school of thought on celebrations, needing to pretend like you arent excited blah blah blah.

Carolina 2002 too, but Ron Francis a bit more subdued

View attachment 879207

If Im not mistaken, does that moment not take the cake for the most significant team trophy ever awarded at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto?

 

[ES]

Was Bruins 2011 the first team to gather around the trophy without touching it?

 

[MadLuke]

Strictly speaking its not so much a superstition as a statement of values, why we are here, etc.

It is to most like I said a couple of message later:
Ostensibly show that you are in nothing is done yet, reaching the cup but not winning it is meaningless mode, outside the super supertisious that semi-believe in magic like Crosby with some if there 1/1000 chance to be lucky or unlucky that do it not only to express to other their values.

For someone like Patrick Roy and Crosby that seem to believe in magic a lot.... Maybe a small part of them goes what if, better not take any chance it cost nothing and easy to do. The not touch one year and loose and change strategy the year later could be Crosby in part believing in lucky numbers-stuff, etc...

Player keeping old scoring socks and so on is not that uncommon, specially goaltender. To be honest, the kind of pressure pitcher, goaltender, kicker in football have, easy to see why they would take refuge in ritual.

 

[norrisnick]

It is to most like I said a couple of message later:
Ostensibly show that you are in nothing is done yet, reaching the cup but not winning it is meaningless mode, outside the super supertisious that semi-believe in magic like Crosby with some if there 1/1000 chance to be lucky or unlucky that do it not only to express to other their values.

For someone like Patrick Roy and Crosby that seem to believe in magic a lot.... Maybe a small part of them goes what if, better not take any chance it cost nothing and easy to do. The not touch one year and loose and change strategy the year later could be Crosby in part believing in lucky numbers-stuff, etc...

Player keeping old scoring socks and so on is not that uncommon, specially goaltender. To be honest, the kind of pressure pitcher, goaltender, kicker in football have, easy to see why they would take refuge in ritual.

"I'm not superstitious. But I am a little stitious."

 

[Staniowski]

A lot of hockey players are weirdly superstitious, and this is true at every level of hockey. I'm not superstitious at all, so I have difficulty relating to it, and I've never given any thought to why this is a part of hockey, or maybe it's not particular to hockey at all. I don't know.
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But I don't really see the purpose of the Conference trophies to begin with; I would favour retiring those two trophies.

 

[norrisnick]

MLB, NBA, NFL all have conference/league trophies. The NHL players seem to be the only ones weird about it.