The President's Trophy deserves way more respect.

[McGarnagle]

So a sample size of 7 games that they lost 4 of by 1 goal means more than an 82 game sample size when they were the best regular season team arguably in history? Do you guys realize how much luck plays into these short series?

Linus Ullmark tore his groin in the last week of the season and Jim Montgomery stubbornly left him in to dry instead of going to his elite 1B goalie. Marchand hit a post at the end of game 5. McAvoy deflected the tying goal in in game 7. Any little thing here or there would've flipped the result. Does it mean the Panthers were the better team in 2022-2023 and wipe out the entire regular season to that point? Or just random number generator falling in their favor that week?

 

[Ratsreign]

The President’s Trophy is a great accomplishment, and certainly is worth being proud of.
But, it feels kind of hollow without the Cup, especially if the team flames right out of the playoffs.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

When we look at team (and to a lesser extent player) success, the President's Trophy should count a tier below the Cup.
For example, in the Salary Cap Era, the Kings have won 2 cups (one entirely on the back of Jonathan Quick), 10 playoff series, and made the playoffs 9 times. Can anybody seriously claim that they've been more successful than the Capitals and Bruins?

Yes, I can seriously claim that they've been more successful than the Capitals AND the Bruins.

To parrot @Jumptheshark winning the cup is everything. The ultimate goal of every player and every team is to win the cup. More cups = more success.

The cup is the ultimate goal. I'm sure nearly every player would trade 10 President's trophies for a single Stanley Cup victory. There are varying degrees of success which are lower than winning a cup, but the Cup is everything when it comes down to it.

I feel like the President's Trophy gets the right amount of respect. It's nice to have a good regular season, but without a cup it's meaningless.

Edit to add: I do love your Ocelot picture by the way.

 

[kerrabria]

It's tough to answer, but the playoffs do exist. If the Stanley Cup wasn't created, and the playoffs were not a thing then 1st place in the NHL would mean everything.

The Stanley Cup exists, and it is seen as a very prestigious trophy. Regular season is just a warmup for the Stanley Cup playoffs. You win the President's Trophy, all you get is a banner and home ice advantage in every round of the playoffs. That's how it's been for decades. One day they might abolish the playoffs and the 1st place team after 82 games gets the Cup, then it will mean something. Until then, regular season is just a warm up for the real thing.

I don't deny that the Cup is a way bigger deal. My issue is obtuse fans who can't even articulate why they don't consider it an accomplishment at all.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Linus Ullmark tore his groin in the last week of the season and Jim Montgomery stubbornly left him in to dry instead of going to his elite 1B goalie. Marchand hit a post at the end of game 5. McAvoy deflected the tying goal in in game 7. Any little thing here or there would've flipped the result. Does it mean the Panthers were the better team in 2022-2023 and wipe out the entire regular season to that point? Or just random number generator falling in their favor that week?

100%, I do wonder how differently the regular season would be played if the regular season champs would be the league champs. Would they start playing playoff type hockey in the last month? I guess they do a little bit more already. The NHL in the regular season and postseason is so different. Playoffs reward teams that make hockey unwatchable, and some teams are purposely built for the playoffs. The Rangers for example are obviously good enough to win the Presidents' Trophy but many Rangers fans don't think they're built to win the Stanley Cup.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I wouldn’t ever say the regular season title should be a tier above the Cup, but OP is right that it deserves a lot more respect than it gets.

The NHL cultivated an Original Six mentality for a very long time. This is a 32-team league now, it can’t be ALL about winning the Cup. It renders 99% of the NHL’s product completely meaningless.

If you’re a 45 year old man and your team just won the Cup, odds are you’ll die before they do it again. Let that sink in. There has to be something else or you may as well stop watching now.

 

[kerrabria]

"the only thing that matters is whether you win the cup or lose the cup." Bingo, you got it bud.

I'm sure you feel the exact same way when your team finishes 10 points out of the playoffs as when they get bounced in the second round.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

I tell ya, my team won 60 games in the regular season. Then I ask my wife, how many regular season wins to take home the Stanley Cup? She said I was too dumb to know the answer to that question. Then she left me for a tennis pro!

I tell ya, I don't get no respect, no respect at all.

 

[Romang67]

I agree. Hockey is supposed to be fun. If my team wins the Presidents' Trophy, hockey has most likely been fun most if not all of the regular season.

Is it more fun to win the cup? I'm sure. But it's a little weird to completely disregard the 82 game regular season as nothing more than a race to finish top 16.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I don't deny that the Cup is a way bigger deal. My issue is obtuse fans who can't even articulate why they don't consider it an accomplishment at all.

It is a great accomplishment, but unless you win the cup also it is quickly forgotten. When Boston got eliminated that one season by Florida in the first round, it completely negated their President's trophy win (and historic season).

 

[Prairie Habs]

BTW, extreme example but I 100% have more respect for the 2023 Bruins than the 2019 Blues. Fight me.

So you'd have more admiration for a guy like Panarin who posts elite regular season numbers, then falls off in the playoffs, than a guy like Laf last season who stepped it up and made a name for himself with a big playoff performance?

Kind of funny for you to be taking this stance while posting with a playoff avatar, something that the fanbases make to pump themselves up for the more important part of the season. Weird how no one every makes regular season avatars.

 

[Ratsreign]

It might be just copium but there's a ton of random variance in a seven game series between two good teams that can swing a result. But over an 82 game sample size you have a good picture of he quality of the team.

European soccer leagues determine champions by season standings and don't have playoffs.

Even with MLB always deciding a champion in a best of seven World Series, it used to be the regular season winner of the American and the National for the World Series. No playoff short series leading to on a hot streak “miracles”, it was all about the regular season as to who made the World Series. As much as we all love the playoffs, they really can take away a lot of meaning from regular season team accomplishments.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

2012 Kings were so good that they inflated Quick's numbers. That's such an overrated playoff run.

 

[Prairie Habs]

I don't deny that the Cup is a way bigger deal. My issue is obtuse fans who can't even articulate why they don't consider it an accomplishment at all.

Regular season is qualification and playoffs are the olympics. Qualifying at the top is great and all, but if you immediately choke and fall out of the olympics it only makes it an even bigger disappointment.

If Canada was the top seed in hockey and lost to France nobody would be congratulating them over a great qualification.

 

[WarriorofTime]

It’s not soccer.

 

[StreetHawk]

Sure, in a world where playoffs don't exist.

Or there is a bigger reward. Nfl that nets you a bye week.
NBA home court is more valued than home ice. Home team record is stronger for nba than nhl.
MLB, similar to nhl, as division winners all get byes. So no advantage being first or second.

 

[Nasti]

It’s meaningless because no player is playing for the President’s Trophy so it’s just not as competitive as a trophy that everyone is trying to win. Teams generally conserve energy so they’re able to empty the tank in the playoffs. It’s only slightly more valuable than having a preseason trophy.

 

[Ratsreign]

For me it means nothing... good news--you won the regular season--lets see what you do playoff time.

I have posted this many times and still people do not get it

IT IS ALL ABOUT WINNING THE CUP

Seriously-who cares how a team makes the playoffs--getting the most pts or sliding in on the last day of the season.

IT IS ALL ABOUT WINNING THE CUP.

I just have to say

Your avatar always makes me laugh.

 

[Svechhammer]

It's really dumb that a healthy portion of hockey fans will completely dismiss what happened over 82 games between October and March because a team might have had 4 subpar games in April.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I just have to say

Your avatar always makes me laugh.

It is a real sign from here in the UK

Counterpoint:
Why?

can you name the last say 10 cup winners? 99% of us will say yes. Can you then name the last 10 president winners(without googling) only about 25% can

 

[SnowblindNYR]

So you'd have more admiration for a guy like Panarin who posts elite regular season numbers, then falls off in the playoffs, than a guy like Laf last season who stepped it up and made a name for himself with a big playoff performance?

Kind of funny for you to be taking this stance while posting with a playoff avatar, something that the fanbases make to pump themselves up for the more important part of the season. Weird how no one every makes regular season avatars.

First of all, I love the playoffs. My Friend is British and I constantly make fun of the premier league for not having a playoff. That said as much as I love Laf I think any reasonable person will admit that Panarin is the better player right now and maybe Laf will never be as good as him. The playoffs are just a different game and if you admire that type of game more maybe you then admire Laf more. But I don't necessarily admire that type of game more. As much as I like the intensity and format of playoff hockey I think usually the further you go the more painful the style of play is. So do I not admire Panarin because he dare play a less physical game than Laf? No. And by the same token is Panarin's 120 point season just complete garbage because he wasn't great in the playoffs? Is Joe Thornton a bum because he was never quite as good in the playoffs and never won anything? And my post was an extreme, it's a case by case basis. Last year Florida was only a few points behind the Rangers with a better goal differential and more injuries. In that case I'm completely open to saying they were better than the Rangers. But in other cases it's not nearly as clean cut.

 

[kerrabria]

Regular season is qualification and playoffs are the olympics. Qualifying at the top is great and all, but if you immediately choke and fall out of the olympics it only makes it an even bigger disappointment.

If Canada was the top seed in hockey and lost to France nobody would be congratulating them over a great qualification.

But, in your analogy, everybody recognizes that Canada is the greatest hockey nation on earth. That doesn't change if Finland beats Czechia in the gold medal game.

The Playoffs try to determine the best of the best. Weed out the weaklings and see who has enough left in the tank to come out on top. It's fantastic, but it doesn't tell the whole story of the season. That's why I think it's important to have that second trophy.

 

[tfwnogf]

I'm sure you feel the exact same way when your team finishes 10 points out of the playoffs as when they get bounced in the second round.

So you're agreeing with me that the playoffs are more important than regular season. K good.

 

[Ratsreign]

It is a real sign from here in the UK

That’s what makes it so damn funny. Straight from the Benny Hill Show

 

[Prairie Habs]

But, in your analogy, everybody recognizes that Canada is the greatest hockey nation on earth. That doesn't change if Finland beats Czechia in the gold medal game.

The Playoffs try to determine the best of the best. Weed out the weaklings and see who has enough left in the tank to come out on top. It's fantastic, but it doesn't tell the whole story of the season. That's why I think it's important to have that second trophy.

People recognize Canada is the best because they win championships all the time. If they always choked nobody would anymore.