Bruins bring back NHL trophy superstition

Jonathan Bombulie
Friday, May 17, 2019 12:57 p.m. | Friday, May 17, 2019 12:57 p.m.

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Boston Bruins players pose with the Prince of Wales trophy and Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the National Hockey League, following Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, May 16, 2019. Boston won 4-0 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Despite the best efforts of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, a championship NHL superstition just won’t die.

After the Boston Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 Thursday night to complete a sweep of the Eastern Conference finals, captain Zdeno Chara did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy.

In 1997, Philadelphia Flyers captain Eric Lindros started the superstitious practice of not touching the conference championship trophy, the idea being that it’s bad luck to celebrate any accomplishment short of a Stanley Cup.

Over the past three seasons, however, Crosby and Ovechkin handled the trophy without reservations, and their teams went on to capture the ultimate prize.

You just won the Prince of Wales Trophy.

— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) May 17, 2019

The Bruins’ logic for not touching the trophy was shaky at best.

“Every team has got their different, I guess, superstitious rituals,” David Krejci told NHL.com. “We’ve been there with Z before and we’re 50-50.”

The Bruins did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy when they won it in 2011 and 2013. In 2011, they beat Vancouver. In 2013, they lost to Chicago.

If the winner of the Western Conference finals between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues wants a superstitious advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, they should handle the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl when it’s presented to them.

According to a study conducted by ontheforecheck.com, since 1997, in series where one Stanley Cup finalist touched the conference championship trophy and the other didn’t, the touchers are 6-3.