NHL won't award conference trophies this season

[May 15, 2021]    There will be no winner of the NHL's Prince of Wales Trophy or Clarence S. Campbell Bowl this year.

The Prince of Wales trophy is seen at center ice following the Boston Bruins win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of their NHL Eastern Conference Finals hockey series in Boston, Massachusetts May 27, 2011 REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Steve Mayer, the league's chief content officer, told ESPN on Friday that the trophies won't be handed out. The league's 56-game season was played in a four-division format that didn't involve designated conferences because of travel and safety issues forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are going to be things we always will remember about this season, and one of them is that we never handed the (conference) trophies out," Mayer said.

The winner of the Eastern Conference traditionally receives the Prince of Wales Trophy, with the Western Conference champion given the Campbell award.

The trophies carry an air of superstition. It's long been held that touching the trophy before the Stanley Cup Final is played is bad luck.

Last year, Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman defied the superstition and lifted the Prince of Wales Trophy. The Lightning went on to defeat the Dallas Stars for the championship.

--Field Level Media

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