One Dumb Tradition Down

Well, thank goodness for Sidney Crosby.

The Kid ended (hopefully) one of the truly moronic semi-traditions in hockey Tuesday night after the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Eastern Conference crown by sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes.

In recent years, team after team had declined even to touch the trophies for winning the Eastern or Western Conference, with the silly excuse being "that wasn't the trophy they wanted" in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Even Crosby bought into it last year when the Pens won the east. But Tuesday night, he gratefully accepted the Prince of Wales Trophy from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, then carried it away into the arms of his joyous teammates.

And not one of them was struck by lightning from the hockey gods. Of course, if the Penguins don't win the Cup, some dope will blame Crosby for taking the trophy.

It's a terrific accomplishment to win one of the NHL conferences, and a trophy is a suitable reward that teams and players should embrace, not ignore. Even better, it was evidence of the fact Crosby thinks for himself, rather than robotically following whatever hockey tradition "purists" believe should be followed.

Now, we'll see what the Red Wings do Wednesday night if they clinch against Chicago.

Hopefully they'll follow the example of The Kid.

Comments

[DFF]

I'm a Wings fan and I'm pretty certain that they've carried the trophy off the ice each time they've won the conference final.

[Charles Houle]

Sorry, but I think this is a reverse superstition Damien. Sid didn't take the trophy last year and they didn't win... so what's he got to lose? I think he changed it up on purpose...

[lvr]

Crosby told Friedman on HNIC that they were changing it up because they lost last year but I agree that it's a dumb idea. Winning the conference is a big achievement and you should accept the trophy and be proud of what's been accomplished and excited about what it represents: Entry to the Stanley Cup championship game.

[AH]

I also think Sidney Crosby changed it up to reverse the superstition from a year ago as Charles Houle says above. I doubt that getting rid of a "dumb tradition" was on his mind. He is not much of a revolutionary. I love the kid but he has the personality of drywall. Reverse superstition is still, superstition. If they win the Cup, expect everyone to celebrate winning the Conference for the next decade (if the NHL still exists in that time).

[Jon Doe]

Nothing wrong with a little superstition, its just fun, deep down they know its BS. I don't see why you have to get bent out of shape about stuff like this

[pigdump]

Do you think the Pens will be fired up playing against Marian Hossa who said he'd rather sign with Detroit for less than resign with Pitt to have a better chance to win the Cup? I hope the Pens can rub his nose in it! It would be fun! Heh heh!

[Bryan M]

I liked what Stevie Y did in 2002. Hoisted the conference trophy, swiveled to show it to all the fans at the Joe, then marched off the ice with it. Accepted the trophy, but didn't make a fuss - the same statement as not touching the trophy, but less ridiculous.

[gunnar]

Sid believes he is above tradition.....above the players, above the refs, deep down he's arrogant, egotistical; the opposite of hockeys great captains

[Mario.garisto@gmail.com]

why does Sidney need to have a great personality? Why does this even come up? Is it not enough that he works his butt off to win and score and be an elite athlete? Give the kid a break, what do we care if he doesnt make jokes or play into the media's hand?

The best of the best let their actions on their respected fields do the talking... i.e. Michael Jordan, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy Etc.....

Get off this kids back for not being a character off the ice, in todays day and age where every athlete wants the spotlight, be glad this kid just works hard and does what he does!

[Pension Plan Puppets]

Psychology undoubtedly plays a part in professional sports so why the need to label a player's belief as moronic?

And as others have pointed out, by your standard it's still moronic because he was imitating Lemieux who hoisted the Prince of Wales both times that the Penguins won the Cup.

[Jonathan]

I like traditions and superstitions in sport; it appeals to the romantic in me.
I really doubt that Crosby touching the trophy will end this tradition. Players will continue to do as they please, but the media will always remind us that some semblance of a tradition exists. If i recall, Lemeiux et al. hoisted the trophy en route to their wins back in the 90's.

[yertu damkule]

AH - just curious...what kind of 'personality' would you like crosby to have? i guess it's not enough to be a hard-working, honest, fantastic hockey player. gotta bring a little sizzle, be more like JR & hull & avery & ovie, right? hockey players, and most athletes, are boring, because it's in their best interest to be so.

what a generation we are...whining about how little personality one player has, whining about how too much personality others have, all the while whining about how much they whine.

[Jim]

I also read where Crosby was quoted as saying the reason he touched/carried the Conference Trophy was because he didn't touch it last year and they lost, so he thought he'd change it up this year....this isn't the end of a superstition, it's just replacing one superstition with another because the first one didn't work, just like those above have stated.

There are a lot more superstitions than this one in the NHL, all just as silly......not shaving during playoffs, putting on your equipment in a certain order and never deviating from it....I even read where Wayne Gretzky had to position his sticks a certain way and would not allow other players' sticks to touch his.

I'm surprised some team captain didn't think of this sooner. Think about it - if both Conference Champions don't touch the Conference Trophies, one of them will go on to lose the Stanley Cup, so obviously the superstition fails 50% of the time if the goal is to win the Cup.

I agree with Damien - both teams should touch and carry the trophy with pride...show respect for these trophies, and may the best team win the ultimate prize.

[Matt]

Damien,
For someone who proposes to love hockey, you sure take issue at the smallest things that give the sport it's own quirky little 'flavour'. I suppose you also think playoff beards and drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup are "dumb traditions"? (though I will concede that Crosby's so-called "beard" needs to go.) Also, what are your views on the tradition that NHL players refuse to touch the Stanley Cup unless they've won it? Dumb tradition as well?

I for one think that the "no touching of the conference trophy" is one of many little things (read quirks) that helps hockey define itself as a unique sport. Plus, these are more superstitions than traditions, and how often are superstitions based on solid reasoning or facts?

Let the players have these traditions and stop nit-picking at the sport you propose to love. Just enjoy it for what it is; fun.

[Conn Smythe]

'It's a terrific accomplishment to win one of the NHL conferences, and a trophy is a suitable reward that teams and players should embrace, not ignore.'

Sure - it's a terrific accomplishment that pales in comparison to winning the Stanley Cup.

If captains don't want to raise the conference trophies, so be it. Just because you don't agree with it, doesn't make it moronic.

[Kristen]

I agree Damien. It was nice to see him take the trophy to his team so they could all enjoy their great accomplishment of winning the East 2 years in a row.

[NHLfan]

The Calgary Stampeders ran around the field with their Western Division title trophy after the Western Final last year while the Montreal Alouettes wouldn't touch the Eastern Final title trophy after becoming eastern champs. Who won the Grey Cup? These superstitions are simply silly.

[E On White]

As a life-long-suffering Leafs fan, I would have given anything to have seen Wendel hoisting the Clarence Campbell Bowl (remember, they were in the West back then) in 93 and/or 94 at the end of the Conf finals.

Standing beside him would have been good guy like Peter Zezel, who died way too young. I just read the Zezel tribute story in the Star. This comment from Nick Kypreos sums up EXACTLY what kind of player the Leafs need more of, and fewer of these Euro floaters who have no knowledge of, care for, or pride in the team's tradition whatsoever () just read another Zezel tribute story. This part, for me, sums up EXACTLY what kind of player the Leafs need more of, and fewer of these Euro floaters who have little knowledge of, care for, or pride in the tradition whatsoever (do you hear me Mats?)

"I'll never forget the look on his face when he found out that he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was like he'd won the lottery," recalls Kypreos, a Capitals teammate. "He was just beside himself. Knowing he was going to Toronto to put on a Maple Leafs jersey was in many ways, like winning the Stanley Cup."
Few people understood the importance of the Leafs to Toronto better than Zezel and he gave back to the city whenever he could."

Amen, brother.

[Lindee Rough Life]

It's quite a series of dilemmas these NHLers must confront, round after round in the playoffs. I'll continue to sympathize with the difficult internal struggle Sidney must have been dealing with prior to picking up the trophy, while I try to figure out how I'm going to pay my mortgage, gas up the car, and pay for the kids to go to camp this summer.

[Mongtomery C. Burns]

Superstitions are for fools. It won't matter one whit whether Crosby touched the trophy or not. The Wings will put the Pens on ice in 5 games.

The Cup will stay in Hockeytown!

[KM]

Mario.garisto - I find it interesting that you would include Roy in your list of great athletes who let their actions speak for them. In my mind, Roy embodies just the opposite - he may have been a great goaltender, but he also has a history of violence and questionable actions, including an arrest for domestic violence. His sons are now exhibiting the same sort of attitude. Roy really is the opposite of Gretzky, Jordan, Lemieux, and yes, Sidney Crosby.

[Buck16]

So gunnar, you've met Sidney Crosby? You know for a fact he's "arrogant" and "egotistical"?

He grew up around the corner from my uncle (who coached him in novice) and, while he was visiting at home during the All-Star break - remember, Crosby was injured so he only had to make appearances in Montreal - he saw my uncle out for a walk. Crosby could have driven by and carried onto the airport on his way to Montreal, but he stopped on the side of the road, got out and had a 10-minute conversation with my uncle. Invited him to be his guest at a Pens game when my uncle headed south later that month.

Yeah, what an arrogant and egotistical jerk.

[Tabber]

Suggestion for those always writing in to complain about what Cox writes: Are your lives so miserable that all you can do is complain about someone doing their job? Cox is a columnist - that means he deals in opinion, and has the platform to publicize it. If you don't like his opinion, or want your own platform, then go to journalism school and find a writing job, if you can in this day and age. It's not Cox's fault you chose the wrong career path, it's your very own. Go look in the mirror to find the source of your problems, and quit making yourselves look even worse than necessary by bitching about someone else's good fortune when you only have yourselves to blame for your own poor fortune (since that's what you seem to think it is). Man, what a bunch of unconscionable whiners you are!

[RJ]

This is Sidney's year to start new superstitions/traditions. Next year down with the playoff beard...face Fuzz for ALL!!

[The Hater]

It doesn't matter, either way the Penguins will lose because Sidney Crosby is on their team and he is the biggest cancer in the league, even worse than Sean Avery and twice as racist!