Based on stats, Pens/Preds made the right choice to touch/not touch their conference final trophy

The question every hockey fan asks after a team wins their Conference final series to advance to the Stanley Cup final is will they touch the trophy?

The trophies we're referring to are the Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference) and the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy (Western Conference), and there are superstitions associated with both.

Some teams don't want to touch any other trophy aside from the Cup.  Others aren't afraid and celebrate with the trophy after advancing to the Cup final.

This year, the Predators steered clear of touching the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy, while the Penguins touched Prince of Wales Trophy.

Believe it or not, based on the stats, both teams made the right choice.

As per Bobby Misey of SB Nation's 'On The Forecheck', here are how teams fared in the Cup final that touched/didn't touch the conference final trophy.

As you can see, since 2007, no Western Conference team has touched the Clarence S. Campbell Trophy and only three of those ten teams went on to lose in the final.

On the other hand, the Penguins touched the Prince of Wales Trophy last year and in 2009 before winning the Cup.  They also lost the Cup in 2008 after not touching the trophy.

Now, Bobby Misey went a little deeper and found the stats for how each conference fairs when one touches the trophy and the other doesn't, and the conclusion is the Pens have the advantage in that department.

The touching team is 5-3 over the last 20 years, so, as we said before, advantage Pens.

Obviously who wins the Cup will be decided on the ice, but it's cool to see what the stats have to say about the conference final trophy superstitions.

(H/T: Bobby Misey of SB Nation's 'On The Forecheck')