To hockey purists, Richards' jaw-dropping touching of the trophy was almost irreverent - akin to waving the middle finger at any one of baseball's wacky superstitions. For decades, the captains of the conference-winning teams have refused to touch the Prince of Wales or Clarence Campbell trophies for fear of jinxing their chances in the Stanley Cup finals.
It was only natural that Richards, the captain of the team that has defied all odds - wearing the jersey of the franchise that defied all rules on its way to the first Stanley Cup won by an expansion team in 1974 - would shun tradition.
"We had a little debate about it," Richards admitted. "I actually thought about it [Sunday] night a little bit. My first instinct was to grab it.
"Obviously, it took a lot for us to get here. And it's obviously not the trophy we want. But we haven't done anything conventional all year, especially in these playoffs. We might as well go against the grain one more time."
After failing to do so in 2008, Sidney Crosby grabbed the trophy last season - and the Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Richards' celebration, which was brief as he quickly skated off the ice with the trophy instead of handing it to teammates, was a stark contrast to Chicago's Jonathan Toews on Sunday afternoon. To Toews, the Campbell Trophy was almost radioactive; he simply smiled and posed for a picture with it before skating off.
The Flyers have advanced to the Stanley Cup finals five times since last capturing the Cup in 1975. Combined with the Chicago, which last won the Cup in 1961, the Flyers and Blackhawks have played in the finals a total of 10 times. Both teams failed each time. That will change this year.
