If you live outside North America, you may not know there is an important trophy named after the Prince of Wales and a legend states that if you touch it after winning, you won’t win the final championship.
When the National Hockey League (NHL) team wins the Eastern Conference Championship on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals, they are presented with the Prince of Wales Trophy at the conclusion of the final Eastern Conference Championship game.
The trophy was created in December 1925 and sponsored by the Prince of Wales at the time – Prince Edward (the future Edward VIII). As such, the Prince of Wales’s feathers feature on the trophy alongside the shield of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada.
The Montreal Canadiens were the first winners of the trophy.
By Michael Miller – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The trophy was not always awarded to the winner of the Eastern Conference as the National Hockey League has undergone many changes during its tenure. It has been awarded to the playoff, American League, and Prince of Wales Conference champions, among others.
With an important trophy like this one, certain superstitions are attached to it. If the winning team in the Eastern Conference touches the trophy, legend says they will not win the Stanley Cup. However, that has not always held true. The Pittsburg Penguins and Washington Capitals have touched the trophy in recent memory and still gone on to win the Stanley Cup.
The latest Prince of Wales Trophy winner is the Florida Panthers who defeated the New York Rangers to head to the Stanley Cup Finals to face the winner of the Western Conference Finals in a best of seven.
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