Clarence Campbell Bowl (curse) National Hockey League

The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl is one of the National Hockey Leagues’ most ornate trophies. It is made of sterling silver and rests on a hexagonal base. The large trophy features a flat band around its middle area wherein the trophy’s name is inscribed. The base is where the names of the winning teams are engraved in ornate silver plaques. The trophy is awarded to the team that emerges as the Western Conference playoff champions and advances to the Stanley Cup Finals to meet the Eastern Conference playoff champions and winners of the Prince of Wales Trophy.

The grandiose mug derives its name from Clarence Sutherland Campbell, the NHL’s president from 1946-1977. The Campbell bowl was introduced to the NHL in the expansion year of 1967 when the league expanded from six teams to twelve; before this, the league had only awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy to the league champs as it was previously a one division league, but with expansion and the league doubling in size it became necessary to introduce the Campbell Bowl to represent the Western Division Champs. The NHL changed the criteria for which the Campbell Trophy was awarded several times from its inception in 1967-1968. From 1967-1968 the trophy was given to the first-place finisher in the Western Division up until 1973-1974. In 1974-1975 the league, after realignment, began awarding the trophy to the team with the best regular-season record in the Campbell Conference until the completion of the 1980-1981 season. At the onset of the 1981-1982 season, the league began awarding the prized hardware to the Campbell Conference playoff champions; beginning with the 1993-1994 season, the Campbell Conference became the Western Conference and has since gone to the winners of the Western Conference playoffs.

Clarence Campbell Bowl Curse

As NHL hockey fans know, hockey players are a weird bunch. They work so hard to win, and when they do, they let superstition rule their thoughts and believe that not touching the Campbell or Wales Trophy will supernaturally anoint them with some fictitious advantage to win the Stanley Cup. I guess that thinking didn’t work out for the Dallas Stars these past playoffs.

First Winner

During the 1967-1968 regular season, the Clarence Bowl was up for contention between the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. Both clubs had 71 points. The Flyers had three games left, and the Kings had one. The Flyers won one of their remaining three games 2-0 against the St Louis Blues, losing the other two, while the Kings managed a 2-2 tie against the Oakland Seals. Under virtue of two points for a win and only a single point for a tie, the Flyers won the inaugural trophy. The Flyers team also received a cash award of $47,250, which was shared on 21 equal shares of $2,250 each.