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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby holds the Prince of Wales Trophy after winning the Eastern Conference championship. USATSI

When most NHL teams are presented with their conference championship trophy after clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Final their captain will usually refuse to touch it because it is not the one they want.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby obviously does not have time for that nonsense.

Following their 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, Crosby and assistant captains Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunirtz were more than happy to pick up the Prince of Wales Trophy when it was presented to him by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.

The San Jose Sharks did not touch the Campbell Bowl after winning the Western Conference on Wednesday.

There is probably a very good reason why Crosby wasn't afraid to go in for it, and it is because he might be the most superstitious player in hockey. When the Penguins won the Eastern Conference in 2008 he did not touch it. The Penguins lost in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. The very next year he did pick it up when the Penguins won the East. They ended up winning.

Crosby was asked about this after the game and pretty much confirmed that thought process, pointing out that the 1991 and 1992 Penguins also won the Stanley Cup after touching it.

"It's gone well when we've touched it here," Crosby said.

Does any of this have any impact on the outcome of the next series? Of course not. Teams should be willing to touch it and celebrate winning it because it is a major accomplishment. But if there is one player in the league that really believes this is important, it just might be Crosby.