May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner of the Vegas Golden Knights Bill Foley are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by Deputy commissioner of the NHL Bill Daly after winning against the Colorado Avalanchein game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
May 26, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights and primary owner of the Vegas Golden Knights Bill Foley are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl by Deputy commissioner of the NHL Bill Daly after winning against the Colorado Avalanchein game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
The Vegas Golden Knights sidestepped the infamous “Campbell Bowl Curse” after becoming the 2026 Western Conference champions.
The NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly awarded the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl to the Golden Knights captain Mark Stone on Tuesday, May 26. But he didn’t touch it after his team swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final (WCF).
Vegas kept up with the longstanding NHL superstition that if a team touches the conference winners’ trophy, it ends up not winning the Stanley Cup.
Although Stone and his teammates did pose for photos with it in front of their home fans last night. They did it after winning Game 4 versus the Avalanche with a 2-1 score line at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Notably, in 2023, after winning the WCF last time against the Dallas Stars 4-2, the Golden Knights didn’t touch the Campbell Bowl. It ended up serving them well as they went on to win the Stanley Cup by getting the better of the Florida Panthers 4-1.
While there is no guarantee as to what the result of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final will be, Vegas has kept the Campbell Bowl Curse going for the time being.
Moreover, the Golden Knights are slated to face the winners of the Eastern Conference Final (ECF), which will either be the Carolina Hurricanes or the Montreal Canadiens.
Currently, the Hurricanes are 2-1 ahead in the East Final with Game 4 set to go down on Wednesday, May 27, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC.
What are the other instances of teams not touching the conference winners’ trophy?
The Edmonton Oilers didn’t touch the conference winners’ trophy in 2024 after beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in the West Final.
But despite thinking that they had sidestepped the Campbell Bowl Curse, the Oilers ended up losing the Stanley Cup Final 4-2 to the Florida Panthers last year.
Two years ago, the Panthers beat the Oilers 4-3 in the big dance after they won the WCF against the Stars 4-2.
As far as the ECF goes, Sidney Crosby, who was captaining the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008, didn’t touch the conference winners’ trophy, but his team still lost the Stanley Cup Final.
And the next year, he did touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the East Final for the Penguins, only to end up winning the Stanley Cup. With that, it can be said that the superstition in the NHL regarding the conference winners’ trophy isn’t set in stone at all.
Will the Vegas Golden Knights manage to keep up with their tradition of winning the Stanley Cup after not touching the Campbell Bowl? Tell us in the comments.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Aadesh Dhote