Presidents' Trophy

The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie each other with the most points, then the trophy goes to whichever team accumulated the most wi has been awarded 21 times to 12 different teams since its beginnings in 1985.

History
The trophy was introduced at the start of the 1985-86 NHL season by the league's Board of Governors. Prior to 1986, the best team in the league during the regular season was allowed to hang a banner stating "NHL League Champions", even though all Stanley Cup winners since 1947 were technically the NHL champions. The winning team is also awarded 350,000 Canadian dollars, to be shared between the team and its players. While only six of all the Presidents' Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in their respective years, it remains the most likely position to produce the cup winner, because the Presidents' Trophy winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage in all four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, provided the team advances that far.

From 1937 to 1968, the same criterion now observed for winning the Presidents' Trophy was used to award the Prince of Wales Trophy. With the Modern Era expansion in the 1967-68 season and the creation of the West Division, the Wales Trophy was awarded to the team that finished in first place in the East Division during the regular season. However, no trophy was awarded to the team that finished with the best overall record in the entire league during this period, and no trophy at all was awarded based on the results of the regular season from the 1981-82 season through the 1984-85 season; the Wales and Campbell trophies were transferred to the playoff champions of those conferences in 1981-82. A cash bonus was given to each player on the team with the league's best regular-season record during these years, to which the Presidents' Trophy was added in 1985-86.

The only team to have won the Presidents' Trophy more than twice is the Detroit Red Wings, with 5. However, the Montreal Canadiens have finished first overall 21 times, the most times in league history, although they have yet to win the Presidents' Trophy. Detroit is second with 17 first-overall finishes.

Winners


{{legend|#ccfebb| Team won the Stanley Cup.|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}} {{legend|#FFcc66 | Team lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.|border=solid 1px #AAAAAA}} {{legend|#ffbbbb| Team lost in the first round of the playoffs. |border = solid 1px #AAAAAA}} Bold Team with the most points ever accumulated in a season during the trophy's existence.