The President's Trophy deserves way more respect.

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Me when I pretend that the games aren't a million times more competitive in the playoffs. The regular season is unwatchable these days. You say the fans don't care but the players care even less.

The PWHL has a better product. Less teams, less games, and the players actually recognize the privilege and play an honest game.

 

[Tawnos]

How many coaches are strategizing to win the President's trophy?

Pretty much all of them. A team's goal in the regular season is to win as many games as possible. The end result of doing that the best is the President's Trophy.

I agree here with the OP. A lot of it for me comes from the entertainment standpoint. If my team won a President's Trophy, that means I spent 6 months watching my team kick ass. I'm not letting 4 losses over the span of 1-2 weeks negate that. Since the only actual meaning sports have are how well they entertain their fans, I'll consider that 6 months of high entertainment to be pretty meaningful.

Frankly, in a 32 team league, I think it's the only reasonable way to look at it. Cup or bust is kind of a ridiculous stance when multiple-decade spans without a Stanley Cup are the norm, so if my team has a great season then I'm going to enjoy it regardless of whether there's a Cup at the end of it or not. 3 of 4 teams haven't won a Cup in 10 years. 3 of 5 teams haven't won in 20 years. 2 of 5 haven't won in 30 years. With numbers like that, why be a fan if the only thing that has meaning is the Stanley Cup?

Is not winning the Cup when you have a President's Trophy team or a deep playoff run disappointing? Sure it is, but the President's Trophy still holds a lot of meaning to me.

 

[TageGod]

It's ridiculous that so many NHL fans deride the President's Trophy and dismiss it as meaningless. Teams and players should take pride in being more successful than 31 other teams over an 82-game sample size. It's a testament to the group's talent, consistency, effort, and cohesion. Fans should be grateful and thrilled to watch their team win night-in and night-out for seven months.

I've long held this opinion, but--as a Panthers fan--the time is right to declare it.
The 2021-22 President's Trophy run was by far the most entertaining season of hockey I've ever watched. It was disappointing when they were swept in the second round, but that couldn't negate how much fun the lead-up was. The 2022-23 season couldn't even keep me engaged until the playoffs. As the 2023-24 season concluded, I found myself really, really hoping they could win enough games to catch the President's Trophy again. Obviously the playoffs were exhilarating, but they were equally stressful since the small sample size of each series is so luck dependent. You're more focused on your team not losing as opposed to actually winning.

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? Does anybody really believe that they're more comparable to the Lightning and Blackhawks than the Blues and Red Wings?

Best team in the league carries a lot of meaning to me. Matchups, injuries, play style shifts in the playoffs don't always favor that team in the playoffs. As a Sabres fan, I understand how hard it is for a team to put together a complete performance night after night.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Four rounds of best of seven is a much more effective way of determining a worthy champion than a pseudo but ultimately unbalanced round robin where teams have different incentives throughout the year.

 

[QuizGuy66]

The league doesn't even have a president though.l

 

[jetsmooseice]

Pretty much all of them. A team's goal in the regular season is to win as many games as possible. The end result of doing that the best is the President's Trophy.

I agree here with the OP. A lot of it for me comes from the entertainment standpoint. If my team won a President's Trophy, that means I spent 6 months watching my team kick ass. I'm not letting 4 losses over the span of 1-2 weeks negate that. Since the only actual meaning sports have are how well they entertain their fans, I'll consider that 6 months of high entertainment to be pretty meaningful.

Frankly, in a 32 team league, I think it's the only reasonable way to look at it. Cup or bust is kind of a ridiculous stance when multiple-decade spans without a Stanley Cup are the norm, so if my team has a great season then I'm going to enjoy it regardless of whether there's a Cup at the end of it or not. 3 of 4 teams haven't won a Cup in 10 years. 3 of 5 teams haven't won in 20 years. 2 of 5 haven't won in 30 years. With numbers like that, why be a fan if the only thing that has meaning is the Stanley Cup?

Is not winning the Cup when you have a President's Trophy team or a deep playoff run disappointing? Sure it is, but the President's Trophy still holds a lot of meaning to me.

This is a reasonable, nuanced take in a forum that likes to be hyper-reductionist when it comes to this sort of thing with the "CUP OR BUST", etc. I mean, if that's what you really think, then why even bother watching regular season games since all it is to you is an extended preseason?

 

[Tawnos]

This is a reasonable, nuanced take in a forum that likes to be hyper-reductionist when it comes to this sort of thing with the "CUP OR BUST", etc. I mean, if that's what you really think, then why even bother watching regular season games since all it is to you is an extended preseason?

Thanks. To be fair, though, there's no requirement for hockey fans to be reasonable about... well... about anything at all.

 

[MadLuke]

Four rounds of best of seven is a much more effective way of determining a worthy champion than a pseudo but ultimately unbalanced round robin where teams have different incentives throughout the year.

Which make it in modern almost a no-go now, to ever come back of being a really big deal.

32 teams playing each other teams 3 time and we are already at 93 games, it is virtually impossible for team to have an equivalent schedule to compare, winning it in the 06 when everyone played every team exactly 14 times was much more meaningful, specially if the number 1 did beat the number 2 in head to head.

Winning a year by a good amount ok, but caring about the last game or a tie-breaker between a western and eastern team of who win the president trophy ?

 

[SeaChaser]

Winning the Presidents Cup is an accomplishment for any team. But I'm not rushing to the local sporting goods store to buy a "We won the Presidents Cup" t-shirt. Just my two cents.

 

[Kalopsia]

I am kinda curious what it would look like if the NHL moved to a European soccer-style setup where each team plays a home and away against every other team. You lose the thrill of playoffs, but now every regular season game is important. Keeping up a playoff level of intensity probably isn't possible, but I'm sure it'd still be noticeably higher than the intensity of regular season games right now. Teams would probably stop pulling their goalies since goal differential would be much more important for tiebreakers. It's an incentive for teams to keep trying during blowouts too.

Ultimately, if the goal is to identify the best team in the league, I think the European system is clearly better. If the goal is to create the most entertaining product, that's a lot less clear. To those of us who are used to playoffs it probably seems boring to not have them, but then again Europe's crazier about soccer than North America is about any individual sport. And it would be pretty cool to fit in a Champion's League style tournament during the regular season. It's never going to happen, but fun to think about.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

When we look at team (and to a lesser extent player) success, the President's Trophy should count a tier below the Cup.

We already do. Unfortunately, people just don't care about what essentially amounts to the "silver metal." Case in point, I adored the Canucks through their dominance in 2010-2012 but two Presidents' Trophies means jack shit in comparison to losing the Stanley Cup.

One just means significantly more, and thus, ends up being the focus.

 

[Oilslick941611]

8 teams that have won the president trophy have a Stanley cup since 1985.


It is meaningless. Almost as meaningless as winning a division.

 

[Zalos]

Not in the NHL. The goal isn't to win the President's trophy, it's to win the Stanley Cup.

 

[HockeyFan100]

Since the big lockout, most teams that win the Presidents trophy have either lost in the first or second round MOST of time. That's why it doesn't get respect... and the fact the Stanley Cup is the main goal.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

The President's Trophy is a huge deal. The only thing that beats it is a CF-or-better playoff run. To go nearly seven months against 30+ other teams and finish with the best record is a significant achievement for all involved—players, staff, and front office.

I would say the only time it loses its significance is when that team loses in the first round to the lowest seed. Win the President's trophy and at least one playoff round, and most fans will remember that season fondly.

 

[Figgy44]

Since the big lockout, most teams that win the Presidents trophy have either lost in the first or second round MOST of time. That's why it doesn't get respect... and the fact the Stanley Cup is the main goal.

Yeah, it's turned into a negative superstition in the last few years.

 

[Brookbank]

It's ridiculous that so many NHL fans deride the President's Trophy and dismiss it as meaningless. Teams and players should take pride in being more successful than 31 other teams over an 82-game sample size. It's a testament to the group's talent, consistency, effort, and cohesion. Fans should be grateful and thrilled to watch their team win night-in and night-out for seven months.

I've long held this opinion, but--as a Panthers fan--the time is right to declare it.
The 2021-22 President's Trophy run was by far the most entertaining season of hockey I've ever watched. It was disappointing when they were swept in the second round, but that couldn't negate how much fun the lead-up was. The 2022-23 season couldn't even keep me engaged until the playoffs. As the 2023-24 season concluded, I found myself really, really hoping they could win enough games to catch the President's Trophy again. Obviously the playoffs were exhilarating, but they were equally stressful since the small sample size of each series is so luck dependent. You're more focused on your team not losing as opposed to actually winning.

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? Does anybody really believe that they're more comparable to the Lightning and Blackhawks than the Blues and Red Wings?

Correct. The cup is about momentum and luck. The President's is about being the best hockey team.

A lot of cup finalist teams have zero hope of ever being good enough to win a President's trophy. Some of these cup teams barely make it into the playoffs

 

[Peasy]

8 teams that have won the president trophy have a Stanley cup since 1985.


It is meaningless. Almost as meaningless as winning a division.

8 wins in 39 years.

16 teams make the playoffs, 1/16.

The President Trophy winning team has won the cup 20.5% of the time. 1/16 odds is only 6.25%.

Doesnt seem very meaningless to me.

 

[Grifter3511]

8 wins in 39 years.

16 teams make the playoffs, 1/16.

The President Trophy winning team has won the cup 20.5% of the time. 1/16 odds is only 6.25%.

Doesnt seem very meaningless to me.

Math is hard for some people.

 

[FlyguyOX]

It determines who the best team is in my book

 

[elmaco]

Yeah no, thats a halfway award, literally.

 

[Grifter3511]

Yeah no, thats a halfway award, literally.

More like a 75% award (at the lowest) but

Math is hard for some people.

 

[Sgt Schultz]

I won’t even go as far to say the Presidents Trophy is given to the best team during the regular season. In 2023-24, the Rangers won since they had the most points.

Problem is, the NHL started awarding points to teams that lose games, and determining winners with what I describe as “gimmicks.” If you focus strictly on regulation time wins and losses, and declare everything after that a tie, the Winnipeg Jets finished with the best total (104 pts). Neither the Ranges nor Stars were second, either. Vancouver and Carolina tied for that honor (103 pts). I know, rules are rules, but the OT rules and shootouts are the first thing to get erased in the event of a tie or seeding issue at the end of the season.

Why? Because the league understands the sole purpose of those things is to send fans home without a tie and without taking 4-6 hours to settle things. That’s why I refer to them as gimmicks. MLB has gone down that same path with “ghost runners” in extra innings. You won’t seem them in the playoffs, but there they are.

Between that and the scheduling inconsistencies, I can accept the President’s Trophy goes to the team with the most points in the regular season, but I won’t go as far to say it determines the best team.

 

[x Tame Impala]

The President’s Trophy would need some sort of added bonus to the playoffs to mean something or we’d have to switch to a lame soccer format without playoffs.

The competition isn’t equal. Teams do experimental things with their lineups via injuries and/or letting prospects play and the game intensity is dialed down from the post season.

The league isn’t structured to have the PT be anything other than a nice caveat. I couldn’t tell you the last 10 PT winners whereas I’d have no issue with the last 10 Cup winners, who they beat, and the rest of the major award winners.

The mistake some of you are making is thinking this makes the regular season meaningless. It doesn’t. It determines playoff seeding over a long period to remove as much variance as possible and it provides more opportunities for fans to enjoy the game. The regular season is important it just matters much less compared to the playoffs.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Glorified participation trophy