To lift the conference trophy or not to lift the conference trophy… that is the question!
The Washington Capitals were faced with the difficult decision after eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 4-0 win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Captain Alex Ovechkin, who opened the scoring a bit over a minute into the third period, confidently approached NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and appeared to have his mind made up. Rather than backing off, Ovy reached out for the Prince of Wales Trophy and greeted his teammates.
Some fans didn't exactly agree with the decision...
The Capitals choice to touch the award comes just days after Vegas made the same decision. After knocking off the high-flying Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, Assistant Captain Deryk Engelland grabbed the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and also celebrated with the Golden Knights.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have somewhat broken the curse in recent years. Both of their back-to-back Stanley Cups were preceeded by Crosby touching the Prince of Wales Trophy.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
At the end of it all, one of these teams will look clever for touching the trophy while the other will look the contrary.
Who’s going to win it all?
(H/T Washington Capitals)
