McDavid reveals reason why Edmonton Oilers touched Western Conference trophy
The Edmonton Oilers were all business after defending their Western Conference title.
After last year’s emotional Western Conference clincher on home ice, the celebration this time around was a bit more subdued as they accepted the trophy in front of a dead-quiet Dallas Stars crowd.
That’s the behaviour of a team that has been here before and understands that the job is not done. The Stanley Cup remains Edmonton’s sole focus, and while winning the Western Conference is a big step toward that, they know how much it hurts to get so close and still lose in the end.
Connor McDavid embodied this attitude when accepting the Clarence Campbell Bowl,Ā opting to touch the trophy after not doing so last season. This Oilers club is not letting superstition creep into their dressing room.
It didn’t sound like the Oilers captain put much thought into the decision.
“We didn’t last year, give it a go this year,” McDavid told Sportsnet’s Gene Principe. “I didn’t know what was going to happen when we got up there.”
View this post on Instagram
This kind of reversal, not touching the trophy one season and then doing so the next, has some historical precedent of being successful. Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins did the same thing, and it ended with them defeating the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. That one was also a rematch from the year prior.
The Florida Panthers chose not to touch the Prince of Wales trophy for the second straight season after winning the Stanley Cup last year.
"We're a good team. We're a special team. And we feel good about our game."
Connor McDavid chats with @GenePrincipe after the @EdmontonOilers booked their spot to a second straight #StanleyCup Final pic.twitter.com/f7R8Pfrngt
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2025
It appears McDavid took this decision into his own hands, as Darnell Nurse told reporters that he wasn’t consulted. He wasn’t upset with that at all.
“I was just watching,” Nurse said with a sly smile. “I got to touch it too… It’s a small thing, onto the next.”
The Panthers await the Oilers now for a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. They will meet a much more mature Edmonton squad and will have to travel to the Alberta capital to start the series.
It’ll be a fun one.