Presidents' Trophy 2017-18

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. The Washington Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy in 2009–10, 2015–16, and 2016–17.

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. From the 2005–06 through 2009–10 seasons, the first tiebreaker was most regulation and overtime wins. Before 2010, the first tiebreaker was the most wins, including both overtime and shootout wins.

Did You Know?

• 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 before the trophy was introduced.