NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly presented the trophy to Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog following a 6-5 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. Landeskog then called his teammates over, and as the group was having their picture taken, Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon placed their hands on the bowl.
"We were trying to figure out whether to touch it or not. Some guys wanted it, some guys didn't," Landeskog said.
"We asked (general manager) Joe (Sakic). … He said, 'Do whatever you want. Touch it.' So a couple of us touched it. It's not the one we really came for, and it doesn't really mean that much to us. So it's just a step in the right direction."
Colorado joined the Vegas Golden Knights (2018) as the only team to touch the bowl since 2006-07. The Golden Knights would go on to lose in five games to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final.
Last season, the Montreal Canadiens did not touch it but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the Final. The Canadiens, who normally play in the Eastern Conference, were awarded the bowl after defeating the Golden Knights in what was called the Stanley Cup Semifinals because of the temporary divisional realignment cause by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 14 teams that did not touch the bowl in the previous 15 seasons, eight went on to win the Stanley Cup, most recently the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl has been awarded to the Western Conference champion since the 1993-94 season.
The Eastern Conference champion has been awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy since 1993-94.
