Watch: Crosby lifts Prince of Wales Trophy following Game 7 win
Sidney Crosby is unlike many of his counterparts.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain showed no fear lifting the Prince of Wales Trophy on Thursday. The Penguins hoisted the trophy - awarded to the winner of the Eastern Conference - following their Game 7 victory, despite a common tradition to avoid doing so.
An unwritten rule by players usually sees clubs elect not to touch the trophy or the Western Conference's Clarence S. Campbell Bowl - the San Jose Sharks did not lift it on Wednesday - as a symbol that the team is waiting to hoist the Stanley Cup.
However, picking it up has served Crosby well in the past. After he refused to lift in in 2008 and lost in the Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings, he decided to forgo superstition in 2009 ahead of another meeting with those same Red Wings in the Final, this time capturing his first and only Stanley Cup.
Sidney Crosby notes the 91 and 92 #pens touched conference trophy in addition to 09. "It's gone well when we've touched it here."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 27, 2016
Crosby is clearly hoping history will repeat itself.