- Vegas captain Mark Stone and the Golden Knights left the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl alone after sweeping the Avalanche in Game 4
- They did the same in 2023 before going on to lift the franchise’s first Stanley Cup
- Read below for the photos, the superstition’s track record, and what’s next for Vegas in the Final
The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t taking any chances.
Right after Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over the Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena finished off a four-game sweep, captain Mark Stone walked up to accept the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. He shook Daly’s hand, posed for the team photo, and never put a finger on it.
It’s the same routine the Knights pulled three years ago. Stone and his alternates accepted the bowl without touching it back in 2023 after taking down the Stars in six. That group went on to handle the Florida Panthers in five for the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The track record on the no-touch move is real. Per the NHL, nine of the 16 teams that have left the bowl alone since 2007 have ended up hoisting the Stanley Cup. Vegas itself is the most recent of those nine. Of the three teams that touched it over that stretch, only the 2022 Avalanche actually finished the job.
Edmonton was the last group to put hands on the bowl. The Oilers did it last June before losing the Final to Florida in six.
Stone and the Knights now wait to see who comes out of the East. Carolina leads Montreal 2-1 in the conference final with Game 4 set for Wednesday night at Bell Centre. Either way, Vegas gets close to a full week off before the Final opens, which should help a captain who missed time earlier in the playoffs with a lower-body injury.
For a team that just swept the Presidents’ Trophy winners with John Tortorella behind the bench less than two months after he took over from Bruce Cassidy, the message is pretty obvious. Touch the bowl in 2018 and lose to Washington in five. Leave it alone in 2023 and win it all. They’re not changing the script.
