Oilers' Connor McDavid explains his intent behind shocking act after becoming Western Conference champions

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid clarified his decision to touch the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after winning the Western Conference championship with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 on Thursday.

Securing the conference trophy is a proud moment, bringing the team closer to the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. However, a superstition exists among many teams and players that touching the conference trophy could jinx their chances of winning the Cup.

In contrast, the Florida Panthers, who recently won the Eastern Conference's Prince of Wales Trophy, chose not to touch it, opting instead to pose with it. Interestingly, the Cats also avoided touching the trophy last year and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Connor McDavid explained that last year the Oilers did not touch the Campbell and lost, so this year, they chose to hold it in hopes of winning the Cup.

"Don't touch it last year, we don't win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win," McDavid said.

The Edmonton Oilers have advanced to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, the first time since their 1987-88 team, and are the first Canadian team to reach back-to-back finals since then.

Last year, the Oilers staged a remarkable comeback from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7 but ultimately lost to the Florida Panthers. This year, they would hope to seek redemption and aim to bring Lord Stanley back to Canada for the first time since 1993.

Connor McDavid powers Edmonton Oilers to second straight Stanley Cup appearance

On Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers punched their ticket to their second straight Stanley Cup appearance after beating the Dallas Stars 6-3 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

Corey Perry opened the scoring for the Oilers after giving them a 1-0 lead on the power play at 2:31 in the first period. Mattias Janmark extended the lead to 2-0 at 7:09. Jeff Skinner potted his first career playoff goal to make it 3-0 for Edmonton.

Jason Robertson cut the deficit to 3-1 for the Stars before heading into the second period. Roope Hintz narrowed the lead for the Stars with a power-play goal at 12:27 in the second period. Just over two minutes later, Connor McDavid restored the Oilers' lead to 4-2 before heading into the final period.

Robertson netted his second on the night to make it 4-3. Evander Kane then extended the Oilers' lead to 5-3 at 3:21 before Kasperi Kapanen's empty-net strike sealed the West's title for Edmonton. Connor McDavid racked up two points.

The Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers starts on Wednesday, June 4, at Rogers Place.