2006 Presidents' Trophy

Lore & Background

The trophy was introduced at the start of the 1985–86 season by the League's Board of Governors. Before this, the team that finished in first place when the regular season concluded was allowed to hang a banner reading 'NHL League Champions.' A total of 18 teams have won the Presidents' Trophy. The Detroit Red Wings have won six, the most of any team. The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche are tied for second with four.

In Their Own Story

The ice at American Airlines Center was still wet from the Zamboni when the arena lights dimmed and the crowd noise swelled into a low, steady roar. It was late March, 2006, and the Stars had just closed out a four-game winning streak that pushed them past the 100-point mark for the first time in franchise history. Saku Koivu stood at the boards, breathing hard, his jersey dark with sweat at the collar. He looked across the ice to Antti Niemi, who was already pulling his socks down, methodical as always. Around them, the rink was a white canvas scored with black lines and the ghosts of a hundred pucks, and the air smelled of rubber and cold steel. Somewhere in the stands, a kid in a size-30 Stars jersey was already writing the number on a notebook. The season was almost over. The trophy was almost certain. And for one more night, the ice held everything together.

Reader's Guide

The Presidents' Trophy winner is the top-seeded team in the postseason, guaranteeing home-ice advantage in all rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. If two or more teams are tied for first in points, the NHL's standard tiebreaking procedure is applied, with the first tiebreaker being the team with the most regulation wins. During the shortened 2020–21 season, the Colorado Avalanche won the trophy over the Vegas Golden Knights based on regulation wins.

Did You Know?

• Only eight Presidents' Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.
• The most recent team to win both the trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season is the 2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks.
• The Detroit Red Wings are the only team to accomplish this feat more than once (2002 and 2008).
• The Montreal Canadiens have finished first overall 21 times, the most in League history, though this was most recently accomplished in 1977–78.