Winning the Stanley Cup is a tall task for every team, even the Presidents’ Trophy winner. In fact, sometimes it seems like the Presidents’ Trophy winners are cursed, and the Boston Bruins are trying not to become the next victim.
The Presidents’ Trophy was first awarded to the best regular season team in 1985-86, and in the years since, it has garnered an unsavory reputation. Prior to the 2022-23 season, the Presidents’ Trophy had been handed out 37 times, and only eight of those teams went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The legend of the Presidents’ Trophy curse hasn’t always been as prevalent as it is today. There have been runs of success for the winners in the past. Two of the first four teams to earn the Presidents’ Trophy hoisted the Cup, and three of the four winners from 1998-99 to 2001-02 were crowned NHL champions.
In the award’s first 23-years of existence, seven winners went on to win the Stanley Cup, and two more teams reached the Stanley Cup Final. That isn’t exactly curse-worthy given the parity in the NHL, but the recent history of the Presidents’ Trophy has been quite ugly.
Since the 2007-08 season, only one President’s Trophy winner has won the Cup, and just one more team reached the Cup Final. From 2008-2009 to 2011-2012, three of the four Presidents’ Trophy winners were eliminated in the first round. The only exception was the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks, who lost to the Bruins in the Cup Final.
The 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks were the last team to overcome a Presidents’ Trophy victory and win the Stanley Cup. Since then, the winners have all been tripped up on their path to glory, often before they even reach the conference finals.
Last 10 Presidents’ Trophy winners
The Bruins, who just set the NHL record for wins and points in a regular season, are the Presidents’ Trophy winner to end all Presidents’ Trophy winners. This Boston team will be an interesting test case in just how strong the alleged curse is.
The Bruins are currently in a first-round battle with the Florida Panthers through two games. The series is tied 1-1 as it shifts to Sunrise, Fla. for Games 3 and 4, and Florida has looked like the better team for much of the first two games.
To make matters worse, the Bruins are dealing with some personnel issues. Captain Patrice Bergeron got injured in the last game of the regular season and has yet to play in the series. It looks like he might be on track to play in Game 5, but that still leaves a major void in Boston’s lineup for the next two games.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark, who is a favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, was dealing with an illness ahead of Game 1 and will be a game-time decision for Game 3. The Bruins have a very capable backup in Jeremy Swayman, but Ullmark has played on another level this season.
The Bruins have the ability to overcome any kind of curse or voodoo that comes with winning the Presidents’ Trophy, but as we’ve seen in the last 15 years, they have their work cut out for them.
