Latest news with #PrinceofWalesTrophy
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
What is the NHL's Prince of Wales Trophy and why the Florida Panthers refuse to touch it
The Prince of Wales Trophy is more than just hardware—it's a symbol of Eastern Conference supremacy in the NHL. For the Florida Panthers, it's also a superstition. Despite winning it three years straight, they won't touch it, keeping their eyes on the Stanley Cup. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Prince of Wales Trophy — A trophy rich in history, now part of Florida's legacy For the third straight year, the Florida Panthers are Eastern Conference champions—an incredible run that now sees them eyeing a second consecutive Stanley Cup. Their 5-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 sealed the series, but the Panthers made headlines not just for the win, but for what they didn't do afterward: touch the Prince of Wales Trophy. This has become Florida's postseason ritual—an unshakable superstition born from hard-learned lessons. Back in 2023, the Panthers reached the Finals and touched the trophy. Result? A bitter loss to Vegas. In 2024, they kept their hands off and went on to defeat the Oilers to capture their first-ever Stanley Cup. Now in 2025, the trophy was once again left untouched on the ice as players skated by it, eyes locked on the bigger prize. The Prince of Wales Trophy has a legacy of its own. First awarded in 1925 by the Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VIII), it was once handed to everything from playoff champions to regular-season division winners. But since 1993, it has belonged exclusively to the Eastern Conference champions. And for the past three seasons, it's practically lived in South Florida. Florida's dominance has been anything but a fluke. They knocked out Tampa Bay 4-1, edged out Toronto in a tight 4-3 series, and overwhelmed Carolina 4-1. Led by head coach Paul Maurice and powered by stars like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sergei Bobrovsky, this team is dialed in. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Maurice summed it up perfectly after Game 5: 'That was all the elements that make our sport great.' Meanwhile, Tkachuk, the team's emotional engine, kept it simple: 'It's all business. We've got a bigger goal in mind.' Also Read: For the Panthers, the Prince of Wales Trophy isn't the celebration—it's just the checkpoint. With the Oilers and Stars still duking it out in the West, Florida is staying rested, ready, and deadly focused. This isn't about superstition alone. It's about belief, discipline, and knowing exactly what it takes to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup once again.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades while reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team.' Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension . Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. 'Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades in reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run, though. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team." Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension. Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. "Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades in reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run, though. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team." Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension. Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. "Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Benn and the Stars again fall short of a Stanley Cup shot after 3rd West final in a row
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have done what no other team has over the past three decades in reaching three conference finals in a row. They failed to win a Stanley Cup during their run, though. They didn't even give themselves the opportunity to play for one. Advertisement 'Three years in a row now, you get that close and you come up short ... obviously not a good feeling,' said Jamie Benn, the nearly 36-year-old captain who is about to be an unrestricted free agent after 16 seasons in Dallas. For the third season in a row, and the second against Edmonton, the Stars ended with a loss in the Western Conference final. They lost 6-3 in Game 5 at home Thursday night. 'Every year you learn new things. This is not the end goal for us,' said Wyatt Johnston, who at 22 has already been to three West finals. 'You need to go through the conference final. ... Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup. I think you always want to learn, and I think that's good that you can learn from it, but we want to win.' Edmonton advanced to a Stanley Cup rematch against Florida, the reigning champion in its third consecutive final series. Advertisement Before Dallas and Florida this year, three other teams made three consecutive conference finals under the current playoff format adopted in 1994. Los Angeles and Chicago won two Stanley Cup titles during their runs, and Detroit won once. Tampa Bay made three Stanley Cup Finals in a row from 2020-22, winning the first two — the Lightning were awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy as the East champ in 2021, when there were no conference-based playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As deep as the Stars have gone in each of coach Pete DeBoer's three seasons, they haven't been able to get to that final round. This was the fourth West final in six seasons for the Stars, who in the Canadian bubble in the pandemic-impacted 2020 playoffs eliminated DeBoer-coached Vegas in five games. Dallas then lost in six games to Tampa Bay. 'You've got to keep knocking on the door,' DeBoer said. 'It's a really, really hard league to win in. When you get down to the end, to the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher. ... We chased every single game in this series, and that's a tough way to play hockey against that team." Advertisement Falling behind and scoring struggles The Stars gave up the first goal in 15 of their 18 playoffs games, and struggled to score most of the postseason. Dallas was third in the NHL during the regular season with 3.35 goals per game and shut out only once, in the 79th of 82 games. The Stars averaged 2.5 goals in the playoffs with four shutout losses, including both losses in the second-round series they won in six games over top seed Winnipeg. A scoreless streak of 178:57 on the road, against Winnipeg and Edmonton, was the longest in Dallas playoff history. The Stars had two goals over the next three games after a five-goal outburst in the third period for a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers. Advertisement 'I think we played two good rounds and then they made it hard on us,' Mikko Rantanen said. 'Maybe just give credit to them. They defended really well.' Rantanen, the trade deadline acquisition who then signed a $96 million, eight-year contract extension, led Dallas with nine goals and 22 playoff points. But all the goals came in a six-game stretch before finishing with an eight-game drought. Veteran forwards Benn and Matt Duchene each had only one goal this postseason. Jason Robertson scored twice Thursday, to finish with four in 11 games after missing the start of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. Benn's future Advertisement Stars general manager Jim Nill has said Benn has earned the right to continue to be a part of the team as long as he wants. This was the end of the captain's $76 million, eight-year contract extension. Asked in the locker room Thursday night if he had any thoughts about his future, Benn softly responded, 'No.' When asked if he still wanted to be with the Stars, and if he felt good about the chances of that happening, he answered yes to both. Hall of Fame center Mike Modano is the only player in franchise history with more than Benn's 1,192 regular-season games, 399 goals and 956 points. He has played in 120 postseason games. Advertisement 'He's our captain, he's our leader. He's a guy that we follow every day,' Johnston said. "Just such an important part of our team on the ice, off the ice, and just an amazing person.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
