Presidents' Trophy | |
---|---|
Award details | |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Given for | National Hockey League team with the most points (best record) in the regular season |
History | |
First award | 1985–86 NHL season |
Most recent | Washington Capitals |
The Presidents' Trophy (French: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the Trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The Presidents' Trophy has been awarded 31 times to 15 different teams since its inception during the 1985–86 season.
As the team with the best regular season record, the Presidents' Trophy winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage in all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, provided they advance that far. However, it does not guarantee that success; only eight of these winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Three other teams reached the Stanley Cup Finals, but failed to win. The last team to win both the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season was the 2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks. The only team to accomplish this more than once is the Detroit Red Wings.
The Trophy was introduced at the start of the 1985–86 NHL season by the League's Board of Governors. Prior to this, the best team in the League during the regular season was allowed to hang a banner reading "NHL League Champions."
A total of 15 teams have won the Presidents' Trophy. The Detroit Red Wings have won six Presidents' Trophies, the most of any team. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are second with three. Seven teams (Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks) are tied for third most with two Presidents' Trophy wins apiece. Among these multiple winners, Calgary, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Washington have won it in consecutive seasons.