The Florida Panthers are the NHL's 2024 Eastern Conference champions after eliminating the New York Rangers in six games. They were a little superstitious post-game.
For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers have clinched their place in the Stanley Cup final as the NHL's Eastern Conference champions.
After trailing 2-1 to the New York Rangers in the series, the Panthers won Game 4 in overtime to tie it up, Game 5 to put the Blueshirts on the brink and Game 6 by a 2-1 score to send the Presidents' Trophy winners home.
The Panthers won the Prince of Wales Trophy, which goes to the Eastern Conference playoff champions, just like last season after sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round.
If you're new to following the Stanley Cup playoffs (welcome!) or need a refresher, there's an ongoing superstition when a team wins their conference to advance to the final.
There's the Prince of Wales Trophy in the East and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in the West. Some teams choose to touch and/or pick up the trophy, while others make sure nobody lays a finger on it. Some say it's bad luck to touch it, while others think it's good luck.
Last year, the Panthers touched the trophy after qualifying for the Cup final for the first time since 1995-96. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
This time, Florida coach Paul Maurice caught captain Aleksander Barkov before he left the bench to celebrate and made sure they don't do the same thing again.
The experiences and lessons learned by these Panthers players over the past two to three seasons have made them a force against any team in the NHL. They've found ways to power through and wear out top-level opponents in gruelling best-of-seven series matchups.
And this time, they're looking past the Prince of Wales Trophy, obeying their coach and leaving that trophy be.
Last year, the Golden Knights also chose not to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, and it paid off well for them. But in 2022, the Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche did touch it.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the last Eastern Conference team to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in 2020 and 2021. They touched the Prince of Wales Trophy both times.
Time will tell whether the Panthers' superstitious choice this post-season leads to a Stanley Cup, but they'll have a week off before facing off against either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the final on June 8.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here.