Is it true the NHL player will not touch the conference trophies?

Question

If so, Why? How long have they been do this?

Answer 1

Yes they do, they do that because they really dont want conference trophies, they really want the Stanley Cup.

Answer 2

Yes, it's a superstition!

Answer 3

It is a tradition that started in recent years.

***why would Mike get the vaunted thubs down for stating a fact?

Answer 4

Most players won't touch the conference trophy, out of superstition.  Steve Yzerman, it seems, didn't buy into that though.  I know he skated the Campbell trophy off the Ice in 2002, I could be wrong on this, but I believe that he did it, all three times that the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup while he was playing for them.

Answer 5

Touching it is supposed to be bad luck.

Answer 6

You only touch the trophy you want to win when you win it.  So Detroit's captain didn't touch the President's Trophy nor the conf. championship.  

And none of the younger Staal brothers touched the Cup when Eric brought it home in 2006; you only get to touch it when you win it.

You can bet all 20 Pens or Wings will gladly touch the Stanley Cup if their team wins.  Quite happily.

Answer 7

yes.  its been quite the superstition in the NHL.  they believe that the conference trophy is only minor to winning the cup.  remember, the conference trophy isn't the one they really want, its the cup.  

the younger staal brother wouldn't even touch the cup when his older brother brought it home after winning it with carolina. now he has a chance to touch it himself with the Pens.  its superstition not to touch certain trophies that the player feels are minor to the big one, or trophies that he hasn't won yet.

Answer 8

they used but that is mostly gone. i.e. the past couple championships.  below is a picture of the great ron francis holding the prince of wales trophy (east champions)

the hurricanes also all took turns hoisting the wales trophy in 2006 and they won the cup.

Answer 9

Touching the Cup

Another tradition (or rather superstition) which is prevalent among today's NHL players is that no player should touch the Cup itself until his team has rightfully won the Cup.[5] Adding to this superstition is some players' choice to neither touch nor hoist the conference trophies (Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and Prince of Wales Trophy) when these series have been won; the players feel that the Stanley Cup is the true championship trophy, and only it should be hoisted.[6] However, in 1994, Stephane Matteau, then of the New York Rangers, admitted that he tapped the Wales Trophy with his stick's blade before the overtime period in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.[7] Matteau subsequently scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against the New Jersey Devils, and the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. Scott Stevens hoisted the trophy as well in 2000, after the New Jersey Devils came back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games (Incidentally, Stevens did not touch the trophy in 1995, 2001 or 2003, the three other seasons when the Devils won the East). In 2002 the Carolina Hurricanes hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy after they won their conference title, because their winning season was so unexpected;[8] the Hurricanes lost their Finals series with the Detroit Red Wings four games to one. The superstition held true in 2004, as Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames grabbed the Campbell Bowl, but Dave Andreychuk of the Tampa Bay Lightning refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy; the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in seven games. In 2007, Daniel Alfredsson and Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators touched and picked up the Prince of Wales Trophy, respectively, but Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer never came close to the Campbell Bowl; the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in five games.

Answer 10

Lemieux even picked it up over his head back in 91 and 92, and the Pens won the Cup.... So I'm not sure that superstition is very valid.

Answer 11

yes it is a superstsion but lemuix lifted it over his head and they win the cup

Answer 12

Hawkeyfan, are you talking about Lidstrom? Because I never saw Zetterberg go near the trophy. Nicklas Lidstrom, the captain of the Wings, was the one who skated over to the table to get his picture taken with the trophy.

I think it's true that a lot of players will not touch the conference trophies because the Stanley Cup is the trophy they really want and they think they'll jinx themselves and the team if they touch the other.

Answer 13

yeah mike w you're right. haha. he doesn't believe in that stuff, and the wings won either way. he mentioned in yesterdays interview at 2nd intermission, and some person on this section tried to tell me i was wrong.

anyways if you believe in superstitions you don't touch the cup, and if you don't then you touch the cup. it can be both goodluck, and a curse.

Answer 14

Yup

Answer 15

ya. did you see how zetterberg only touched the table?