The "Presidents Trophy Curse" is a famed NHL curse that would is factually closer to a superstition than a curse.
The 'curse' is placed on the team that finishes with the league's best regular season record (winning the Presidents trophy), making them unable to win the Stanley Cup in the same season.
The curse has been significantly severe and in recent years, with no team winning both trophies in the same season since 2013.
Is the Presidents Trophy Really Cursed?
Since the Presidents Trophy was debuted in 1986, only eight teams that have won the trophy have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the same season.
Despite the low win rate, the Presidents Trophy winner actually wins more Stanley Cups than any other seed. Presidents Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup eight times in 40 years (20%).
Making the curse even more of a topic, eight Presidents Trophy winners have been eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, including the Boston Bruins in 2023 who broke the NHL's record for most points in a regular season (135). The Bruins fell to the Florida Panthers in the first round after going up 3-1 to start the series.
What Teams have Won the Presidents Trophy & Stanley Cup?
Only seven teams have won both the Presidents Trophy and Stanley cup in the same season, and it has only happened eight times total. The Detroit Red Wings are the only team to have completed the regular season and postseason sweep twice.
The first team to do so was the Edmonton Oilers in 1987, and the most recent team to not be affected by the 'curse' was the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
Teams to Win the Presidents Trophy & Stanley Cup in the same Season:
Edmonton Oilers | 1987 |
Calgary Flames | 1989 |
New York Rangers | 1994 |
Dallas Stars | 1999 |
Colorado Avalanche | 2001 |
Detroit Red Wings | 2002 |
Detroit Red Wings | 2008 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 2013 |
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