President Trophy Winners That Won The Stanley Cup

The Presidents' Trophy is an annual award presented to the team with the highest points during the NHL regular season. NHL introduced it in the 1985-86 season.

This award is named after the league's president, now known as the NHL Commissioner. The Commissioner is the highest-ranking executive officer in the National Hockey League.

Presidents' trophy represents the season's best team in the regular season. However, it does not guarantee the Stanley Cup even with such consistency in the regular season.

Thirty-seven trophies are awarded till the 2022-23 season. The first team to win the award is Edmonton Oilers, who scored the highest 119 points; among all teams in each conference. 

The last team to win the trophy was the Boston Bruins with 135 points, the highest number of regular season points in NHL history since the 1985-86 season.

President Trophy curse is a superstitious belief that Trophy is cursed. The record of getting eliminated or rarely winning the Stanley Cup after being awarded the Trophy led to the trust in a curse.

The curse gained popularity due to the significant number of trophy winners to have lost in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over the two decades, only one team has won the Stanley Cup twice, being awarded the Trophy.

In the last season (2022-23), Boston Bruins set the NHL record for wins and points in a regular season. However, they couldn't even pass the first round of the playoffs.

The Bruins are not the first team to lose in the first round of playoffs since 2000. Other six teams to have won the Presidents' award but lost in the very first round are:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (2019)
2. Vancouver Canucks (2012)
3. Washington Capitals (2010)
4. San Jose Sharks (2009)
5. Detroit Red Wings (2006)
6. St. Louis Blues (2000)

Some do not blame the award and believe it may be due to the unpredictability of the game in playoffs and intense competition.

Curse Controversy and the records from past years also remind getting the highest point in the regular season does not guarantee the winning of the Stanley Cup.

There are 8 Presidents' Trophy winners who have won the Stanley Cup. Detroit Red Wings are the only team to achieve the record two times.

Edmonton Oilers were the first team to win Stanley Cup along with the Presidents' Award. The Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, were at their prime and dominated the other team.

Calgary Flames won the 1989 President's Trophy and became the Champion of the Season. After a four-year gap, there was another Trophy winner to become the Stanley Cup Champion.

Detroit Red Wings attained the rare feat of winning both the Trophy and the Stanley Cup twice in the 2001-02 and 2007-08 seasons. 

Again after four seasons, Blackhawks became the eighth and the last winner of the Trophy with the Cup in the 2012-13 season.

Since its inception, 37 trophies have been awarded to teams dominating in the regular season. But only eight trophy winners managed to win the Stanley Cup.

The table shows the champions of the Stanley Cup and the Trophy in the same year.

President Trophy Winners By Year (Last 10 years) are Boston Bruins (2023), Florida Panthers (2022), Colorado Avalanche(2021), and more. The Bruins appeared to be the most Trophy winners in the last decade.

Over the last decade, except the Blackhawks, no other team has won the Stanley Cup with the President's Trophy. 

Washington Capitals dominated two consecutive seasons in the 2016 and 2017 regular seasons with the highest points and won the Presidents' Trophy.

The teams who were awarded the Presidents' Trophy in each year over the last decade are:

• Boston Bruins (2022-23)
• Florida Panthers (2021-22)
• Colorado Avalanche (2020-21)
• Boston Bruins (2019-20) 
• Tampa Bay Lightning (2018-19)
• Nashville Predators (2017-18)
• Washington Capitals (2016-17)
• Washington Capitals  (2015-16)
• New York Rangers (2014-15)
• Boston Bruins (2013-14)
• Chicago Blackhawks (2012-13)

Presidents' Trophy And Stanley Cup winners same year are Edmonton Oilers (1987), Calgary Flames (1989), New York Rangers (1994), and 5 more. This rare feat has accomplished only eight times by seven teams in NHL history.

Edmonton Oilers (1986-87)

The Oilers finished the season with 106 points. They beat Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, who were one of just two teams to hit 100 points.

Gretzky led the team and league in scoring in the season. The team went 50-24-6 in the regular season.

Calgary Flames (1988-89)

Calgary Flames is the second team to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Calgary defeated Montreal Canadiens in points to win the Trophy.

The Flames finished the regular season with 54 wins and 26 losses with 117 points. If the team had 3 points less, its name would not be listed here.

New York Rangers (1993-94)

The Rangers achieved their second Trophy this season. But this time, they also won the Stanley Cup. 

Mark Messier played a significant role in winning the Cup this season. The squad finished 52-24-8 with 112 points.

Dallas Stars (1998-99)

Dallas Stars won the Presidents' Cup for the third time. In this season, The Stars were the only one to lose fewer than 20 games.

The club finished the regular season 51-19-12 with 114 points. The Stars won the Buffalo Sabres on a controversial goal by Brett Hull.

Colorado Avalanche (2000-01)

Colorado Avalanche won the second Presidents' Trophy in this season but with the Stanley Cup. Avalance finished the league 52-16-10-4 with 118 points.

They defeated the New Jersey Devils in Game-7 in the Stanley Cup Final.

Detroit Red Wings (2001-02 & 2007-08) 

Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents' Award and the Cup in two seasons. They did it for the first time in 2001-02 when they finished 51-17-10-4 with 116 points.

Five years later, they became the first and the only franchise to accomplish the feat of winning both the in the same season. 

The Wings finished the regular season 54-21-7 with 115 points in the 2007-08 season, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.

Last Presidents Trophy winner to win the Cup was the Chicago Blackhawks. The team won the trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season in 2013.

Due to the lockout, NHL teams in the 2012-13 Season played only 48 games in the regular season. 

The highest number of points accumulated by the teams was 77 in that regular season. Chicago Blackhawks were the only team to acquire the most points in the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins had the most points in the Eastern Conference and were pursuing the Blackhawks very tight with 72 points.

Not only did the Blackhawks accrue the highest points, but they were also one of the teams to win the most games. The team would still win the Presidents' Trophy even if the Penguins had matched the total score.

Chicago Blackhawks won the 2013 Presidents' Trophy with 36 wins in the total games played. The team faced seven losses in the regulation period and five overtime losses.

The Blackhawks advanced to the playoffs and were matched up with the Minnesota Wild. The match ended after Game-5 when the Blackhawks dominated with five goals without overtime.

Blackhawks moved up to play against Los Angeles Kings in the Conference Finals after winning against the Detroit Red Wings in the Semi-Finals.

The Kings also couldn't step over the Blackhawks, which played against the Eastern Conference Finalist Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup 2013.

Stanley Cup Finals lasted till Game 6 and ended with the Blackhawks lifting the Cup. The team became the 37th and last to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.