Presidents' Trophy
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The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team which finishes with the best record in the league during the regular season.
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[edit] History
The trophy was introduced at the start of the 1985-86 NHL season by the league's Board of Governors. Prior to 1986, the best team in the league during the regular season was allowed to hang a banner stating "NHL League Champions", even though all Stanley Cup winners since 1947 were technically the NHL champions. The winning team is also awarded 350,000 Canadian dollars, to be shared between the team and its players. Ice hockey is the only one of the four major North American team sports that presents a formal award of this type to its top regular-season finisher, although the National Basketball Association does provide bonus money to the team that finishes best overall.
While only about a third of all Presidents' Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, it remains the most likely position to produce the cup winner, because the Presidents' Trophy winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage in all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, provided the team advances that far.
In the Original Six era, the same criterion now observed for winning the Presidents' Trophy was used to award the Prince of Wales Trophy. From 1967-68 through 1980-81, separate trophies were presented to the top regular-season finishers in each division (conference from the 1974-75 season onward) — the Prince of Wales Trophy for the first-place team in the Eastern Division (Wales Conference after 1974) and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for the corresponding team in the Western Division (Campbell Conference after 1974). However, no trophy was awarded to the team that finished with the best overall record in the entire league during this period, and no trophy at all was awarded based on the results of the regular season from the 1981-82 season through the 1984-85 season; the Wales and Campbell trophies were transferred to the playoff champions of those conferences in 1981-82. A cash bonus was given to each player on the team with the league's best regular-season record during these years, to which the Presidents' Trophy was added in 1985-86.
The only team to have won the Presidents' Trophy more than twice is the Detroit Red Wings, with 5. However, the Montreal Canadiens have finished first overall the most times in league history: 21 times, plus a tie with the Toronto Arenas in 1917-18 (although none during the Presidents' Trophy era). Detroit is second with 17 first-overall finishes, and the Boston Bruins are third with 12.
[edit] Winners
(Stanley Cup winners are in boldface type)
| Year | Team | Points | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Buffalo Sabres | 113 Points | TBD |
| 2006 | Detroit Red Wings | 124 Points | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (EDM) |
| 2005 | No winner; 2004-05 NHL lockout | ||
| 2004 | Detroit Red Wings | 109 Points | Lost Conference Semifinal (CGY) |
| 2003 | Ottawa Senators | 113 Points | Lost Conference Final (NJ) |
| 2002 | Detroit Red Wings | 116 Points | Won Stanley Cup (CAR) |
| 2001 | Colorado Avalanche | 118 Points | Won Stanley Cup (NJ) |
| 2000 | St. Louis Blues | 114 Points | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (SJ) |
| 1999 | Dallas Stars | 114 Points | Won Stanley Cup (BUF) |
| 1998 | Dallas Stars | 109 Points | Lost Conference Final (DET) |
| 1997 | Colorado Avalanche | 107 Points | Lost Conference Final (DET) |
| 1996 | Detroit Red Wings | 131 Points | Lost Conference Final (COL) |
| 1995 | Detroit Red Wings | 70 Points | Lost Stanley Cup Final (NJ) |
| 1994 | New York Rangers | 112 Points | Won Stanley Cup (VAN) |
| 1993 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 119 Points | Lost Division Final (NYI) |
| 1992 | New York Rangers | 105 Points | Lost Division Final (PIT) |
| 1991 | Chicago Blackhawks | 106 Points | Lost Division Semifinal (MIN) |
| 1990 | Boston Bruins | 101 Points | Lost Stanley Cup Final (EDM) |
| 1989 | Calgary Flames | 117 Points | Won Stanley Cup (MTL) |
| 1988 | Calgary Flames | 105 Points | Lost Division Final (EDM) |
| 1987 | Edmonton Oilers | 105 Points | Won Stanley Cup (PHI) |
| 1986 | Edmonton Oilers | 119 Points | Lost Division Final (CGY) |
