Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
I wrote this short blog in 2015 about the curse of winning the President's Trophy in the NHL and it rang true as the New York Rangers became the latest team to fail to lift the Stanley Cup after posting the best regular-season record.
Since then the President's Trophy winners have continued to fall short.
The President's Trophy is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record and has been awarded since the 1985-86 NHL season.
After proving themselves to be the best team in the NHL over 82 games, you would imagine that playoff success will follow, particularly with a home-ice advantage throughout the postseason.
Plenty of NHL bets are placed on the team with the best record but is it a strategy that reaps rewards?
In 35 seasons, EIGHT President's Trophy Winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, a 22.85% strike rate.
There have been 4 Stanley Cup Winners since 2000.
In the last 10 seasons, the President's Trophy Winners have been eliminated in the First or second round Round on seven occasions.
The last team to win the President's Trophy and the Stanley Cup were the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the current strike rate, you would need odds of around 4/1 to secure a decent profit from using a system or strategy of just backing Presidents Cup Winners to win the Stanley Cup.
| Year | Presidents Trophy Winner | Play-Off Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | Edmonton Oilers | Lost in Division Finals |
| 1986-87 | Edmonton Oilers | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 1987-88 | Calgary Flames | Lost in Division Finals |
| 1988-89 | Calgary Flames | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 1989-90 | Boston Bruins | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| 1990-91 | Chicago Blackhawks | Lost in Division Semi-Finals |
| 1991-92 | New York Rangers | Lost in Division Finals |
| 1992-93 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Lost in Division Finals |
| 1993-94 | New York Rangers | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 1994-95 | Detroit Red Wings | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| 1995-96 | Detroit Red Wings | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 1996-97 | Colorado Avalanche | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 1997-98 | Dallas Stars | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 1998-99 | Dallas Stars | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 1999-2000 | St. Louis Blues | Lost in First Round |
| 2000-01 | Colorado Avalanche | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 2001-02 | Detroit Red Wings | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 2002-03 | Ottawa Senators | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 2003-04 | Detroit Red Wings | Lost in Conference Semi-Finals |
| 2004-05 | LOCKOUT | LOCKOUT |
| 2005-06 | Detroit Red Wings | Lost in First Round |
| 2006-07 | Buffalo Sabres | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 2007-08 | Detroit Red Wings | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 2008-09 | San Jose Sharks | Lost in First Round |
| 2009-10 | Washington Capitals | Lost in First Round |
| 2010-11 | Vancouver Canucks | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| 2011-12 | Vancouver Canucks | Lost in First Round |
| 2012-13 | Chicago Blackhawks | WON STANLEY CUP |
| 2013-14 | Boston Bruins | Lost in Conference Semi-Finals |
| 2014-15 | New York Rangers | Lost in Conference Finals |
| 2015-16 | Washington Capitals | Lost In Second Round |
| 2016-17 | Washington Capitals | Lost in Second Round |
| 2017-18 | Nashville Predators | Lost In Second Round |
| 2018-19 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Lost In First Round |
| 2019-20 | Boston Bruins | Lost In Second Round |
