Oilers gladly touched West trophy ahead of Cup rematch. It was hands off for Panthers in the East

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DALLAS (AP) — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid wasn't keeping his hands off the Western Conference championship trophy this time.

McDavid gladly touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl when accepting it after the Oilers' 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 on Thursday night that sent the Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers.

“It’s pretty obvious I think,” McDavid said about what was different from the end of last year’s West final. “Don’t touch it last year, you don’t win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win.”

Most NHL teams avoid touching the conference championship trophy, with their goal instead to hoist the Stanley Cup.

And Florida didn't touch the Prince of Wales Trophy after wrapping up the East final with a Game 5 win at Carolina on Wednesday night. The Panthers are going to their third Stanley Cup Final in a row.

The Panthers touched the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the East in 2023, and lost the final. They didn't last year and then won the Stanley Cup in a seven-game series over McDavid and the Oilers.

Edmonton hasn't won a Stanley Cup since all five of the Oilers' titles came during a seven-season span from 1984-90. They also made it back to the Cup Final in 2006.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl