"He knows he isn't going to touch Lord Stanley": NHL fans react as Connor McDavid, Oilers touch Campbell bowl despite ill superstition

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers secured the Western Conference crown with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 on Thursday.

After the win, McDavid touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, awarded to the Western Conference winners.

This goes against a long-standing superstition in the NHL that players should not touch the conference championship trophy to avoid jinxing their chances of winning the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.

Fans were quick to react on social media to McDavid and the Oilers defying this superstition. One fan jokingly wrote on Twitter,

"He knows he isn't going to touch Lord Stanley,"

Another fan wrote:

Wait maybe this a good thing, this might break the curse

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Maybe they don't need superstition if they believe so hard in themselves... just a feeling..." one fan wrote.

"Didn't last year, so he's right to try something new. The Stars were 20-1-3 with that reffing tandem and the oil bucked that trend too." another fan wrote.

"I didn’t think there was any way they’d do it. I thought they might, but I didn’t think every player would touch it. That is a message sent." a user commented.

"This is so stupid it’s not like every team that doesn’t touch it wins it’s just trying to switch things up after a loss in the finals a year prior. It means nothing" another user wrote.

The Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers stuck to tradition, choosing not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after securing their spot in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers and Oilers will now meet in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch after Florida defeated Edmonton in seven games last season.

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Game 5 recap: Oilers 6-3 win against Stars

Corey Perry put the first one in for Edmonton on a power play at 2:31 of the first. Mattias Janmark then netted on a breakaway at 7:09, followed by Jeff Skinner's goal at 8:07 for a 3-0 lead.

Jason Robertson cut it to 3-1 at 11:40 for Dallas while Roope Hintz added a power-play goal at 12:27 of the second. Connor McDavid responded with a breakaway goal at 14:28 for a 4-2 lead.

Robertson scored again early in the third to make it 4-3, but Evander Kane restored the cushion at 3:21. Kasperi Kapanen sealed the 6-3 win with an empty-netter at 19:40.