Alberta Premier Danielle Smith just made one decision about a Stanley Cup wager that surprised hockey fans

Last year ended in disappointment for Canadian hockey fans.

And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith just made one decision about a Stanley Cup wager that surprised hockey fans.

Alberta Premier breaks tradition with Stanley Cup Final wager

The Edmonton Oilers are set for a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers after defeating the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals.

Last year, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made a friendly wager with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that would have sent a bottle of Florida rum north if the Oilers had completed their series comeback against the Panthers.

But this year, Smith is taking a different approach.

“We are following the lead of Captain Connor and are going to do things a bit differently this year,” Smith told the National Post in a statement.

The Alberta Premier is referring to Oilers captain Connor McDavid’s decision to break with hockey tradition during the Western Conference Finals trophy presentation.

McDavid breaks with hockey superstition in pursuit of the Cup

One of hockey’s most enduring superstitions involves conference championship trophies – the Clarence Campbell Bowl for the Western Conference and the Prince of Wales Trophy for the Eastern Conference.

Team captains traditionally avoid touching these trophies, fearing it will somehow jinx their chances in the Stanley Cup Final.

Instead, they usually gather for an official photo without celebrating with the hardware.

But after the Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 in their best-of-seven series, McDavid made the bold decision to hoist the Clarence Campbell Bowl presented by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

Speaking to Sportsnet’s Gene Principe on the ice as teammates celebrated around him, McDavid explained his reasoning.

“I don’t know what was going to happen when we got up there, but decided to give it a go this year,” McDavid said.

In the post-game press conference, the superstar center was even more direct about his superstition-breaking move.

“Pretty obvious, I think. Don’t touch it last year, we don’t win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win,” McDavid stated.

Panthers stick with what worked for them

While the Oilers captain is changing his approach, the Florida Panthers are sticking with what got them to the Finals last year.

After finishing off the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Panthers chose not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy for the second straight year.

This decision makes sense from a superstition standpoint – when the Panthers swept the Hurricanes in 2023 and touched the trophy, they went on to lose against the Las Vegas Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals.

History shows mixed results for trophy-touching teams

The NHL’s history with this particular superstition is mixed at best. Many teams who have touched their respective conference trophies have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby touched the Prince of Wales Trophy before winning the Cup in 2009, 2016, and 2017.

Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin did the same in 2018 before winning his team’s first-ever championship.

The Tampa Bay Lightning touched their conference trophy ahead of three straight finals appearances from 2020-2022, winning the first two and losing the third.

According to the NHL, the last time a team chose to touch the Prince of Wales trophy and went on to win the Stanley Cup was the Boston Bruins in 2011.

Politics takes a backseat to hockey superstition

Premier Smith’s decision to follow McDavid’s lead rather than engage in the traditional wager with Governor DeSantis shows how seriously Canadians take their hockey – perhaps even more seriously than politics.

For a country where hockey is deeply woven into the national identity, the possibility of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993 transcends political differences.

Whether McDavid’s superstition-breaking move will lead to different results remains to be seen, but hockey fans across Alberta are hoping the change in approach will bring the Cup back to Edmonton for the first time since 1990.

Fans throughout Canada are rallying behind the Oilers as they attempt to end a 32-year Stanley Cup drought for Canadian teams.