Clarence S. Campbell Bowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
Sport	Ice hockey
Given for	Western Conference playoff champions of the National Hockey League
History
First award	1968
First winner	Philadelphia Flyers
Most wins	Edmonton Oilers (9)
Most recent	Edmonton Oilers (9)

The Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, often called the Campbell Bowl, is a special award in the National Hockey League (NHL). It's given to a team in ice hockey. The award is named after Clarence Campbell, who was the president of the NHL from 1946 to 1976.

This trophy has been given for different achievements over the years. It's like the Prince of Wales Trophy, but for a different group of teams. Since the NHL expanded in 1967, the Campbell Bowl has recognized top teams in the Western part of the league. For example, it went to the West Division regular season champions from 1967 to 1974. Later, it was given to the Campbell Conference regular season champions (1974–1981). Then, it honored the Campbell Conference playoff champions (1981–1993). Since 1993, it has been awarded to the Western Conference playoff champions.

In 2021, because of changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Campbell Bowl was given to the Montreal Canadiens. They won it after beating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup semifinals.

History of the Campbell Bowl

Henrik Sedin of the 2011 Vancouver Canucks accepts the Campbell Bowl.

The NHL teams created the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. They wanted to honor Clarence Campbell for his important work as the League President. This was at the start of the NHL's big expansion period, known as the Modern Era.

The Campbell Bowl has always been similar to the Prince of Wales Trophy. Both trophies recognize top teams in different parts of the league.

How the Award Changed Over Time

• 1967 to 1973: The trophy went to the team that finished first in the West Division during the regular season.
• 1974 to 1980: The NHL changed its setup in 1974. The trophy then went to the team with the best regular season record in the Campbell Conference. This conference was the new name for the West Division.
• 1981 to 1993: The award changed again. It started going to the team that won the Campbell Conference playoffs.
• 1993 to Present: The Campbell Conference became the Western Conference in 1993. Since then, the trophy has been given to the champions of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Trophy Superstition

Many NHL players have a tradition about the Campbell Bowl (and the Prince of Wales Trophy). They believe that players should not touch or lift these trophies after winning the conference playoffs. They feel that the Stanley Cup is the only true championship trophy. Because of this, they think the Stanley Cup should be the only trophy they lift.

Instead of touching the conference trophy, the winning team's captain usually just poses with it. They often look serious. Sometimes, the whole team poses with it too. However, some teams have ignored this tradition. They lifted the conference trophy and still went on to win the Stanley Cup!

The 2021 Season Exception

The NHL changed its setup for the 2020–21 NHL season. This was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league was divided into four temporary divisions. The usual conferences were put on hold.

Because of this, the semifinal round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs was different. It was played between the winners of the divisional playoffs. At first, the Campbell Bowl was not going to be awarded. But later, the league decided it would go to the winner of the Stanley Cup semifinals between the North and West divisions. The Montreal Canadiens, an Eastern Conference team, won this game. They beat the Vegas Golden Knights and won their first Campbell Bowl.

Campbell Bowl Winners

Key

• – Eventual Stanley Cup champions

West Division Regular Season Champions (1967–1974)

Season	Winner	Win #
1967–68	Philadelphia Flyers	1
1968–69	St. Louis Blues	1
1969–70	St. Louis Blues	2
1970–71	Chicago Black Hawks	1
1971–72	Chicago Black Hawks	2
1972–73	Chicago Black Hawks	3
1973–74	Philadelphia Flyers	2

Campbell Conference Regular Season Champions (1974–1981)

Season	Winner	Win #
1974–75	Philadelphia Flyers	3
1975–76	Philadelphia Flyers	4
1976–77	Philadelphia Flyers	5
1977–78	New York Islanders	1
1978–79	New York Islanders	2
1979–80	Philadelphia Flyers	6
1980–81	New York Islanders	3

Campbell Conference Playoff Champions (1981–1993)

Season	Winner	Win #
1981–82	Vancouver Canucks	1
1982–83	Edmonton Oilers	1
1983–84	Edmonton Oilers	2
1984–85	Edmonton Oilers	3
1985–86	Calgary Flames	1
1986–87	Edmonton Oilers	4
1987–88	Edmonton Oilers	5
1988–89	Calgary Flames	2
1989–90	Edmonton Oilers	6
1990–91	Minnesota North Stars	1
1991–92	Chicago Blackhawks	4
1992–93	Los Angeles Kings	1

Western Conference Playoff Champions (1993–2020)

Season	Winner	Win #
1993–94	Vancouver Canucks	2
1994–95	Detroit Red Wings	1
1995–96	Colorado Avalanche	1
1996–97	Detroit Red Wings	2
1997–98	Detroit Red Wings	3
1998–99	Dallas Stars	2
1999–2000	Dallas Stars	3
2000–01	Colorado Avalanche	2
2001–02	Detroit Red Wings	4
2002–03	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	1
2003–04	Calgary Flames	3
2004–05	Season cancelled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06	Edmonton Oilers	7
2006–07	Anaheim Ducks	2
2007–08	Detroit Red Wings	5
2008–09	Detroit Red Wings	6
2009–10	Chicago Blackhawks	5
2010–11	Vancouver Canucks	3
2011–12	Los Angeles Kings	2
2012–13	Chicago Blackhawks	6
2013–14	Los Angeles Kings	3
2014–15	Chicago Blackhawks	7
2015–16	San Jose Sharks	1
2016–17	Nashville Predators	1
2017–18	Vegas Golden Knights	1
2018–19	St. Louis Blues	3
2019–20	Dallas Stars	4

Stanley Cup Semifinals (2020–2021)

Western Conference Playoff Champions (2021–Present)

Season	Winner	Win #
2021–22	Colorado Avalanche	3
2022–23	Vegas Golden Knights	2
2023–24	Edmonton Oilers	8
2024–25	Edmonton Oilers	9

See also

In Spanish: Clarence S. Campbell Bowl para niños

• List of National Hockey League awards
• NHL Conference Finals
• Prince of Wales Trophy