Touch the conference title at your own risk. Or don’t touch. That is what has vexed the NHL community for decades. There’s an urban legend associated with the conference titles. And it’s gripped the NHL again. Well, that only means it’s that time of the year. When only 2 teams remain, one of them will be crowned the new Stanley Cup Champions. Will that new king be Connor McDavid?

The truth is that the Edmonton Oilers captain has been NHL royalty ever since he set foot on the ice. One can say he is the king without the crown. But the Oilers captain wants his Stanley Cup ring, and he’s leaving no stone unturned, even if it means mirroring the iconic Sidney Crosby. At least that’s what a media personality sees: a connection as the 2025 Stanley Cup is just within Connor McDavid’s grasp. And here’s the scoop.

The big breaking news came from the Twitter handle of B/R Open Ice on May 30: “Connor McDavid immediately grabbed the Clarence Campbell Bowl 👀.” Trust us, it is a big deal. Do you know that only 3 teams since 2006-07 have touched the Clarence Campbell Bowl, the Western Conference trophy? Well, ultimately, it was a risk that had to be taken by McDavid. Or one may even say it is the winning move, as the Panthers refrained from touching its Eastern Conference counterpart, the Prince of Wales trophy.

Charlie Roumeliotis, the studio host for WGN Radio 720 and a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, retweeted the B/R Open Ice’s post with the following caption: “Sidney Crosby didn’t touch the Prince of Wales Trophy in 2008 and lost. He grabbed it before the 2009 rematch and won his first Stanley Cup.” And that’s not all. Roumeliotis even made his prediction after that: “It will be the same for Connor McDavid. Edmonton in 6.”

One might wonder, why has the 2008-09 incident come up? Well, there are a lot of similarities. The 2008-09 season was the last time 2 same teams played back-to-back Stanley Cup finals. It was the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings who played the 2 finals, with each team securing a Stanley Cup. And this time in 2025, it’s a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, which the Florida Panthers won.

Obviously, Connor McDavid wants it to play out exactly the same way it played out in 2008-09. Sidney Crosby didn’t touch it in 2008, like McDavid didn’t touch it in 2024. And then, Crosby decided to try his luck. There’s a saying: fortune favors the brave. McDavid is saying he is just doing something different. “Pretty obvious, I think. We don’t touch it last year; we don’t win. Touch it this year; hopefully we win,” said McDavid. Crosby won his first Stanley Cup in the 2009 rematch. Will McDavid get his first in the 2025 rematch?

We can’t really say. Wish superstition could decide the winner. Then we could call it right now. Moreover, the Panthers have performed their superstitious ritual after their conference title win. Nobody’s leaving it to chance.

Not just Connor McDavid, the Panthers are taking the conference title superstition seriously

In 2024, the Panthers didn’t touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, the conference trophy given to the Eastern Conference winner. Head coach Paul Maurice confirmed it but didn’t play too much into the supernatural angle: “It has nothing to do with anything, but we play our silly games.” Well, he obviously didn’t mind that they won it in 7 games against the Oilers. And this year, the Panthers have done the same thing.

A dominant win against the Hurricanes, every bit deserving of the Prince of Wales Trophy. But not a single finger was laid on the trophy as the whole Panthers contingent stood beside it. Why so much belief in a superstition? What would happen if they picked up the trophy like they did in 2023?

“The last thing that we’re going to do is be superstitious about not touching it,” star forward Matthew Tkachuk had said after beating the Hurricanes in 2023. “Like, nobody said we were even going to make the playoffs. I think it’s pretty cool to touch it, carry it around, and take picture with it. We earned that thing.”

Now we can’t say what happened next was because of supernatural influence and that touching the Prince of Wales Trophy had anything to do with it. But the Panthers did go on to lose the Stanley Cup finals to the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 games. Well, let’s not dwell on the past. The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals start on June 5.

The Edmonton Oilers have touched the conference trophy. The Florida Panthers haven’t. Who will lift the Stanley Cup in 2025 – Aleksander Barkov or Connor McDavid? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!