On Philippe Boucher's day with the Cup, Stephane Robidas commits mortal sin

by Hooks Orpik on Jul 9, 2009 3:05 PM EDT in News

The Hockey Hall of Fame website has bi-weekly summer updates to document the Penguins with the Cup. Here's the main link to the Penguins portion of the site, where you can catch up by reading about the celebration and parade (which never gets old) as well as Tyler Kennedy and now Philippe Boucher's day with Lord Stanley. It's a great look at what the players are doing with their time with the Cup and something to do in this mind numbling boring hockey-less portion of the hot summer.

Now we come to Stephane Robidas. Oh what have you done...

Hockey players are extraordinarily superstitious, and the long-held belief that players not touch the Stanley Cup until they’ve actually won it is widely kept as virtual law.......

Stephane Robidas inadvertently touched the Cup and thought, to hell with it and fully grasped it. "Ah, this feels really good. I could learn to like this when Dallas wins the Cup this year," he said to derisive taunts from the Penguins’ fans in attendance.

So in case you were wondering who WON'T be winning the Cup next season...

Tweet Comment 7 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Good job, Robidas! Break the trophy touching curse. I still remember Detroit fans mocking Crosby for touching the Prince of Wales trophy.

"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange

by gorgalor on Jul 9, 2009 4:00 PM EDT reply actions

Not touching the conference championship is a superstition that’s recently gotten momentum. Mario Lemieux grabbed it, hell even Steve Yzerman skated off with his on occasion.

Not touching the Cup until you win it yourself is a show of respect that’s been around forever. Boo to Robidas.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Jul 9, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m going for silly tradition, as opposed to respect for the Cup. As evidenced by Hayden Panettiere’s cup lick:

Someone probably should have told her where that cups been over the years, but I digress.

"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange

by gorgalor on Jul 10, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions

A show of respect?? C’mon now…

It’s a silly hockey tradition and nothing more.

by Art Middleton on Jul 9, 2009 4:06 PM EDT reply actions

Not that I would have put my $$$ on the Cowboys errr....Stars anyway

but I’m rather a fan of breaking some of these superstitions. Especially the Conference Trophy thing…I suppose a fellow active NHL’er should abide by the Rule of not touching it unitl they’ve won it but this certainly isn’t the first and won’t be the last time someone has done this. It sure is a hell of a lot less “offensive” than guys who let their kids take a $hit in the Cup (krissy draper) and guys who let scum like kid rock and his “Entourage” fondle the Cup (chrissy chelios). So if Phillipe Boucher lets his NHL pal hold the Cup, so be it.

by Dutch71 on Jul 9, 2009 5:56 PM EDT reply actions

Here's a question

Assuming you’re in a position similar to me (early 20s, lifelong rec hockey player, never going to win the cup), and you have a chance to touch hoist, drink champagne out of the cup, do you do it?

I’m not sure if I would, and that indecision is pretty much a de facto no. The nearest thing I’m ever going to get to hoisting the cup is seeing OLAS hoist it in a couple years. Hopefully before I die.

by Its Cold In Here on Jul 10, 2009 3:26 PM EDT reply actions

Yes, I would. Undoubtedly. Even if I thought the tradition made any sense, which I really don’t, I think it should only hold true for people with a snowball’s chance of making the show to begin with.

Pittsburgh Black And Gold -- So new, it still smells like paint!

by JustinM on Jul 10, 2009 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions