The Florida Panthers want a repeat of last year's playoff result, and what they did with the Prince of Wales Trophy was no different.
As part of Stanley Cup playoff superstition, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left the trophy on the stand as the NHL's Eastern Conference champions got their photo taken.
The Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup final for the third straight time after beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5 to take the Eastern Conference final 4-1.
"This is when the fun starts," Panthers left winger Carter Verhaeghe told Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas on the ice post-game. "The playoffs, I mean, it's something else. There's nothing like the NHL playoffs. You grow up watching it. There's not many regular-season games that I'm watching growing up. This is kind of what we play for as hockey players, and it's so much fun to be a part of."
Hurricanes fans at home in Lenovo Center saw their team take a 2-0 lead in the first period before the Panthers scored three unanswered in the second. While Hurricanes right winger Seth Jarvis scored a slick goal to tie the game in the third period, Verhaeghe scored his third career series-clinching goal for the Panthers to seal the deal.
"(Barkov) made such a great play," Verhaeghe said. "He took two guys on, gave me kind of a backdoor tap-in. It's just being in the right spot. It's obviously a big goal, and it's nice scoring big goals, but that one was all 'Barky' tonight."
When Barkov's Panthers swept the Hurricanes in the 2023 Eastern Conference final, he touched the Prince of Wales Trophy. They only won once in the Cup final against the Vegas Golden Knights, losing in five games.
Last year, Panthers coach Paul Maurice made it very clear: do not touch the trophy. They listened, and they took a 3-0 series lead against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Cup final. Edmonton battled back to tie the series, but Florida held on in Game 7 to win it all.
Whether or not NHL teams touch the trophy for the conference champions is a tradition of superstition.
In playoff history, whether it's the Prince of Wales Trophy in the East or the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in the West, some teams touch the trophy for good luck, while others think that would be a strict no-no.
The Golden Knights didn't touch the Campbell Bowl in 2023 when they won the Cup, but the 2022 Colorado Avalanche did touch it.
The Panthers' rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, touched the Wales Trophy in 2020 and 2021 when they won it all.
In fact, the Panthers have made their own tradition lately. After every win, the players shoot fake rats at Brad Marchand before leaving the ice.
Marchand's also led the team on some Dairy Queen runs as well.
"Of course, it's so critical," Verhaeghe said. "Marchy's leading the charge at the Dairy Queen. I think he could probably eat three Blizzards at once. But, I mean, yeah, it's awesome."
Florida now has to wait for its opponent as it tries to become back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The Oilers hold a 3-1 series lead over the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final, with Game 5 taking place in Dallas on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
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