NHL Conference Finals

The National Hockey League (NHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference championship series of the NHL. The Conference Finals are best-of-seven series, and comprise the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The two series are played in mid-to-late May (early June in 1995 and 2013, due to labour disputes that delayed the start of the season and September in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals receive the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, respectively, and advance to face each other in the final round.

History

Before the 1967–68 season, the NHL was made up only of a single division. From the 1967–68 season through the 1973–74 season, the NHL was made up of two divisions (as opposed to conferences), the East Division and the West Division.

Following the 1973–74 season, the NHL again realigned. The East and West Divisions were renamed the Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences, respectively. At the time, the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography and geographical references were removed.

Beginning in the 1981–82 season, the conferences and the playoffs were realigned. The NHL was hoping to reduce travel costs in the face of a struggling economy and high energy prices. The regular season and playoffs were also altered to emphasize divisional match-ups.

Beginning in the 1993–94 season, the names of conferences and divisions were changed to reflect their geographic locations. At the instigation of then-new NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the NHL made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association uses geographic-based names for their conferences and divisions, and the National Football League, and Major League Baseball use geographic-based names for their divisions. Therefore, the Campbell Conference became the Western Conference and the Wales Conference became the Eastern Conference. The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals receives the Prince of Wales Trophy, while the winner of the Western Conference Finals receives the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl.

The Hartford Whalers never advanced to a Conference Finals, however after they relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes, they did so four times (2002 as the eventual Cup finalists, 2006 as the eventual Cup champions, 2009, and 2019). The original Winnipeg Jets never appeared in a Conference Finals, and after moving to become the Phoenix Coyotes the franchise did not even win a playoff series until the 2012 NHL playoffs when they advanced to the Conference Finals. Of the 31 teams in the NHL, only one has never appeared in a Conference Finals, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Conference trophy traditions

The 2013 Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins pose with the Prince of Wales Trophy
Henrik Sedin of the 2011 Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks accepts the Campbell Bowl

Another tradition (or rather superstition) that is prevalent among today's NHL players is that no player should touch the Cup itself until his team has rightfully won the Cup.[1] Adding to this superstition is some players' choice to neither touch nor hoist the conference trophies (Clarence S. Campbell Bowl and Prince of Wales Trophy) when these series have been won; the players feel that the Stanley Cup is the true championship trophy, and only it should be hoisted.[2]

However, in 1994, Stephane Matteau, then of the New York Rangers, admitted that he tapped the Wales Trophy with his stick's blade before the overtime period in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.[3] Matteau subsequently scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against the New Jersey Devils. Following the game, Mark Messier, the captain of the Rangers, picked up and raised the Wales Trophy after it was awarded to the team.[4] After winning the Western Conference, Vancouver Canucks captain Trevor Linden lifted the Campbell trophy.[5] The Rangers prevailed over the Canucks in a seven-game series to win the Cup.

Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur hoisted the conference trophy as well in 2000, after the New Jersey Devils came back from a 3–1 series deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games; the Devils would go on to defeat the Dallas Stars (who touched but did not lift their conference trophy)[6] in the Stanley Cup Finals. Stevens then also touched the trophy in 2003, after defeating the Ottawa Senators in seven games. Not only touching, Stevens picked up the trophy and made his team take a photo with it. The Devils went on to defeat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim four games to three in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

In 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy after they won their conference title;[7] the Hurricanes lost their Finals series with the Detroit Red Wings four games to one. Steve Yzerman, captain of the Red Wings during their 1997, 1998 and 2002 Stanley Cup victories, picked up the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl each time, to the delight of the home fans in Joe Louis Arena.[8]

The superstition held true in 2004, as Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames grabbed the Campbell Bowl, but Dave Andreychuk of the Tampa Bay Lightning refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy; the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in seven games. In 2007, Daniel Alfredsson and Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators touched and picked up the Prince of Wales Trophy, respectively, but Anaheim Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer never came close to the Campbell Bowl; the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in five games. Steve Yzerman, captain of the Detroit Red Wings during their 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup victories, picked up the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl each time, though his successor Nicklas Lidstrom did not touch it en route to a 2008 Stanley Cup victory. Scott Stevens hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy during the Devils' other two Stanley Cup-winning seasons in 1995 and 2003. In 2009, 2016, and 2017, Sidney Crosby and other members of the Pittsburgh Penguins carried and posed with the Prince of Wales Trophy before going on to win the Stanley Cup. At the close of the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards picked up the Wales Trophy. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks captain, did not touch the Campbell Bowl, and the Blackhawks went on to defeat the Flyers in six games for the 2010 Stanley Cup.

In 2012, Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown and the rest of the team refused to touch the Campbell Bowl after winning the conference finals against the Phoenix Coyotes. The team did not take the Campbell Bowl trophy on the plane back to Los Angeles. Instead, Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (the parent of the LA Kings), drove the trophy in his car trunk from Phoenix to Los Angeles and showed it to the more-than 10,000 fans that waited at LAX Airport to show their support to their Stanley Cup finalists, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. This was in marked contrast to 1993, when the Kings had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games to reach their first Finals, where Wayne Gretzky and the team celebrated with the Campbell Bowl.

In 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks took a team photo with the Campbell Bowl after winning Game 7 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Blackhawks would end up defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2018, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin hoisted the Wales trophy after winning the Eastern Conference Finals, before ultimately defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup. In 2020, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and his teammates lifted the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the Eastern Conference Finals. Head coach Jon Cooper stated "we win a trophy, we pick it up",[9] while Victor Hedman acknowledged that not touching the trophy in 2015 "didn't work".[10] The Lightning went on to defeat the Dallas Stars in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Prince of Wales Conference/Eastern Conference

Prince of Wales Conference (1982–1993)

YearChampionRunner-upGamesEventual Cup winner
1982New York IslandersQuebec Nordiques4
1983New York IslandersBoston Bruins6
1984New York IslandersMontreal Canadiens6
1985Philadelphia FlyersQuebec Nordiques6
1986Montreal CanadiensNew York Rangers5
1987Philadelphia FlyersMontreal Canadiens6
1988Boston BruinsNew Jersey Devils7
1989Montreal CanadiensPhiladelphia Flyers6
1990Boston BruinsWashington Capitals4
1991Pittsburgh PenguinsBoston Bruins6
1992Pittsburgh PenguinsBoston Bruins4
1993Montreal CanadiensNew York Islanders5

Eastern Conference (1994–present)

YearChampionRunner-upGamesEventual Cup winner
1994New York RangersNew Jersey Devils7
1995New Jersey DevilsPhiladelphia Flyers6
1996Florida PanthersPittsburgh Penguins7
1997Philadelphia FlyersNew York Rangers5
1998Washington CapitalsBuffalo Sabres6
1999Buffalo SabresToronto Maple Leafs5
2000New Jersey DevilsPhiladelphia Flyers7
2001New Jersey DevilsPittsburgh Penguins5
2002Carolina HurricanesToronto Maple Leafs6
2003New Jersey DevilsOttawa Senators7
2004Tampa Bay LightningPhiladelphia Flyers7
2005No Conference Finals played due to the lockout.
2006Carolina HurricanesBuffalo Sabres7
2007Ottawa SenatorsBuffalo Sabres5
2008Pittsburgh PenguinsPhiladelphia Flyers5
2009Pittsburgh PenguinsCarolina Hurricanes4
2010Philadelphia FlyersMontreal Canadiens5
2011Boston BruinsTampa Bay Lightning7
2012New Jersey DevilsNew York Rangers6
2013Boston BruinsPittsburgh Penguins4
2014New York RangersMontreal Canadiens6
2015Tampa Bay LightningNew York Rangers7
2016Pittsburgh PenguinsTampa Bay Lightning7
2017Pittsburgh PenguinsOttawa Senators7
2018Washington CapitalsTampa Bay Lightning7
2019Boston BruinsCarolina Hurricanes4
2020Tampa Bay LightningNew York Islanders6

Clarence Campbell Conference/Western Conference

Clarence Campbell Conference (1982–1993)

YearChampionRunner-upGamesEventual Cup winner
1982Vancouver CanucksChicago Black Hawks5
1983Edmonton OilersChicago Black Hawks4
1984Edmonton OilersMinnesota North Stars4
1985Edmonton OilersChicago Black Hawks6
1986Calgary FlamesSt. Louis Blues7
1987Edmonton OilersDetroit Red Wings5
1988Edmonton OilersDetroit Red Wings5
1989Calgary FlamesChicago Blackhawks5
1990Edmonton OilersChicago Blackhawks6
1991Minnesota North StarsEdmonton Oilers5
1992Chicago BlackhawksEdmonton Oilers4
1993Los Angeles KingsToronto Maple Leafs7

Western Conference (1994–present)

YearChampionRunner-upGamesEventual Cup winner
1994Vancouver CanucksToronto Maple Leafs5
1995Detroit Red WingsChicago Blackhawks5
1996Colorado AvalancheDetroit Red Wings6
1997Detroit Red WingsColorado Avalanche6
1998Detroit Red WingsDallas Stars6
1999Dallas StarsColorado Avalanche7
2000Dallas StarsColorado Avalanche7
2001Colorado AvalancheSt. Louis Blues5
2002Detroit Red WingsColorado Avalanche7
2003Mighty Ducks of AnaheimMinnesota Wild4
2004Calgary FlamesSan Jose Sharks6
2005No Conference Finals played due to the lockout.
2006Edmonton OilersMighty Ducks of Anaheim5
2007Anaheim DucksDetroit Red Wings6
2008Detroit Red WingsDallas Stars6
2009Detroit Red WingsChicago Blackhawks5
2010Chicago BlackhawksSan Jose Sharks4
2011Vancouver CanucksSan Jose Sharks5
2012Los Angeles KingsPhoenix Coyotes5
2013Chicago BlackhawksLos Angeles Kings5
2014Los Angeles KingsChicago Blackhawks7
2015Chicago BlackhawksAnaheim Ducks7
2016San Jose SharksSt. Louis Blues6
2017Nashville PredatorsAnaheim Ducks6
2018Vegas Golden KnightsWinnipeg Jets5
2019St. Louis BluesSan Jose Sharks6
2020Dallas StarsVegas Golden Knights5

Team totals

Legend: CF = Conference Finals; SCF = Stanley Cup Finals; Bolded year denotes win; Italicized denotes active series

TeamCF appearancesCF winsCF %SCF winsSCF %Last CFConsecutive CFConsecutive SCF
appearances
Chicago Blackhawks124.3333.75020153
Detroit Red Wings106.6004.667200942
Edmonton Oilers97.7785.714200633
Pittsburgh Penguins96.6675.833201722
Philadelphia Flyers94.4440.0002010
Boston Bruins85.6251.20020193
Colorado Avalanche82.25021.00020024
New Jersey Devils75.7143.600201222
Dallas Stars74.5711.250202032
Montreal Canadiens73.4292.66720142
Tampa Bay Lightning63.5002.66720202
New York Rangers62.3331.50020152
New York Islanders53.6002.667202033
Anaheim Ducks52.4001.50020172
San Jose Sharks51.2000.00020192
Los Angeles Kings43.7502.66720143
Carolina Hurricanes42.5001.5002019
Buffalo Sabres41.2500.00020072
St. Louis Blues41.25011.0002019
Toronto Maple Leafs40.000020022
Calgary Flames331.0001.3332004
Vancouver Canucks331.0000.0002011
Washington Capitals32.6671.5002018
Ottawa Senators31.3330.0002017
Vegas Golden Knights21.5000.0002020
Florida Panthers111.0000.0001996
Nashville Predators111.0000.0002017
Minnesota Wild10.00002003
Arizona Coyotes10.00002012
Winnipeg Jets10.00002018
Columbus Blue Jackets000N/A

Note: The Colorado Avalanche's totals include two Conference Finals appearances as the Quebec Nordiques (both losses), and the Dallas Stars' totals include two Conference Finals appearances as the Minnesota North Stars (one win; subsequent Stanley Cup Finals loss). The Arizona Coyotes' only Conference Finals appearance was in 2012 as the Phoenix Coyotes. The Columbus Blue Jackets remain the only active NHL team to have never advanced to the Conference Finals.

References

  1. "Stanley Cup Journals:13". Hockey Hall of Fame. July 7, 2003. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
  2. Coffey, Phil (June 2, 2006). "Ice Age: Having another trophy in mind". Retrieved July 25, 2006.
  3. "Stephane Matteau". Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  4. Cerny, Jim (May 27, 2009). "Stanley Cup Playoffs Flashback: May 27, 1994". New York Rangers. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  5. "The Canucks Are Going To the Finals – History Will Be MADE". Head To The Net. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  6. Kevin Goff. "2011 NHL Playoffs: The Myth of the Cursed Stanley Cup Conference Final Trophies". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  7. "Blog with picture of Hurricanes lifting the Prince of Wales Cup". Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  8. Goff, Kevin (May 18, 2011). "Debunking the Conference Final Trophy Curse". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  9. Wyshynski, Greg (September 24, 2020). "'Quest for the Stanley Cup' Episode 4 recap: 'We're not going home!'". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. Faiello, Mari (September 18, 2020). "Lightning win conference final and touch the trophy. No superstition here". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
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