The President's Trophy deserves way more respect.

[VivaLasVegas]

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

Maybe and maybe not. A good team could win the President's Cup merely by staying healthy and playing the other good teams during times when they were going through injuries, i.e., luck of schedule, but that does not make them the best of the good teams. Also, the best team on the last day of the season may be a team that made some great TDL trades, but their record earlier in the season wasn't so hot. There is also the factor that some teams can play games against random opponents and do very well, but they then have difficulty in a long series against a single opponent.

By contrast, the playoffs involve only the top teams all playing in a compressed time period, and there are long series between each of the teams such that the winner that moves on probably was the better team between the two.

The President's Cup is a nice honor to be sure, but IMHO it's just not even roughly comparable to the Cup in prestige. One comes with a huge parade thrown by the City, the other comes with 10%-off coupons at Olive Garden (mmm, warm breadsticks).

 

[The Macho King]

It really doesn't. Presidents Trophy isn't the goal, so it impacts the behaviors of teams in the regular season. Playoffs players play through shit because they're playing for the Cup and leaving everything on the ice.

 

[JoVel]

the people who deride it are usually fans from teams that are at the bottom of the standings because in their mind they believe "Yeah you got the presidents trophy but you didn't get the cup, Meanwhile our team is getting a top pick in the draft so technically we are the winners! way to try hard LOSERS!"

I've never cared less about the President's trophy than I did about a week after the Lightning won it for the first and only time.

Not that I cared about it previously, but after that I care about even less.

 

[Rehabguy]

Big cheer…. Are you kidding me? What is that??”

 

[BKarchitect]

This is ‘Merica. The trophy for regular season points gets exactly as much respect as it deserves.

Hell, I’d rather my team at least get the Prince of Wales or Clarence over some regular season title.

 

[Xirik]

I've never cared less about the President's trophy than I did about a week after the Lightning won it for the first and only time.

Not that I cared about it previously, but after that I care about even less.

cool story bro.

 

[elmaco]

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

There's the regular season and then there's the playoffs. I consider them a separate experience.

 

[Grifter3511]

There's the regular season and then there's the playoffs. I consider them a separate experience.

That's fine. But one is 82 games and 7 months. The other is 28 games max and 7 weeks. That's not a halfway point

 

[Shev]

As an aside, comparisons between sports are often redundant. As a Brit, there are some key reasons why playoffs would not work in soccer, and why a "regular season championship" does.

Firstly, soccer is so exhausting that three days between games is the bare minimum (and tournaments tend to go with 4). Hockey is more physical but is in shifts, rather than 90 minutes of (mostly) running around like crazy. Any kind of post season series would take FOR EVER. Take the World Cup, where the winner plays 7 games, but over the course of a month.

Secondly, in the case of the Premier League, there are only 20 teams, meaning you can have a balanced 38 game home and away season against common opponents.

Thirdly - and very importantly - we have RELEGATION. Relegation serves more than one purpose, as besides flushing the three Cleveland Browns every season, it means most matches preserve meaning to the very end, as teams are desperately trying to avoid the drop while others try to win the league or qualify for Europe. In the NHL a regular season Stanley Cup would mean a MASSIVE amount of meaningless games at the business end of a season, as very few teams would be in the hunt.

Ultimately, soccer has developed over time into a nice rhythm. The various cups give you a chance to win something, but the different rounds are sprinkled as one-off games in the midst of the long league season. These cups have history in their own right, as small clubs in lower divisions may get drawn against a Premier league heavy weight, and even beat them. The FA Cup, for instance, dates to 1872, 16 years before the first league in 1888.

This is an interesting debate, but as far as soccer, it is apples and oranges.

Either way, I was at the parade for my Avs in 2022, so I can die happy on that count!

 

[VivaLasVegas]

That's fine. But one is 82 games and 7 months. The other is 28 games max and 7 weeks. That's not a halfway point

But one is meaningless other than clinching a playoff seeding and preparing for the part of the season that does matter. It might mean something to some fans who are terribly misguided about what is actually going on, but we can't worry about them.

 

[Mr Positive]

I get it, but the main issue is that many teams realize they want the cup more than everything so they build their teams in a way that isn't meant to succeed in the regular season, and even do things like rest players rather than win games. So it just doesn't feel quite as great

 

[983 others]

no it doesnt

nba/mlb/nfl dont give away lame trophies for "winning" the regular season for a reason

because its stupid and lame and nobody cares about it...just like the original six

 

[Grifter3511]

But one is meaningless other than clinching a playoff seeding and preparing for the part of the season that does matter. It might mean something to some fans who are terribly misguided about what is actually going on, but we can't worry about them.

That's irrelevant. That's not even what we're discussing. How is the start of the playoffs the EXACT halfway point of the season, which the poster I was discussing with stated?

 

[Brookbank]

Maybe and maybe not. A good team could win the President's Cup merely by staying healthy and playing the other good teams during times when they were going through injuries, i.e., luck of schedule, but that does not make them the best of the good teams. Also, the best team on the last day of the season may be a team that made some great TDL trades, but their record earlier in the season wasn't so hot. There is also the factor that some teams can play games against random opponents and do very well, but they then have difficulty in a long series against a single opponent.

By contrast, the playoffs involve only the top teams all playing in a compressed time period, and there are long series between each of the teams such that the winner that moves on probably was the better team between the two.

The President's Cup is a nice honor to be sure, but IMHO it's just not even roughly comparable to the Cup in prestige. One comes with a huge parade thrown by the City, the other comes with 10%-off coupons at Olive Garden (mmm, warm breadsticks).

You can't fake it till you make it or luck your way into a Presidents trophy. But that's what you're inferring. That's so not true.

There's a compressed schedule in the regular season too. And back to backs

Playoff match-ups can easily work in favour of certain teams with weaker match-ups. While 2 good teams eliminate one of each. It's a lot less meritocratic than you think

 

[Brookbank]

no it doesnt

nba/mlb/nfl dont give away lame trophies for "winning" the regular season for a reason

because its stupid and lame and nobody cares about it...just like the original six

The world doesn't revolve around north American sports.

For many sports , the champion is the team with the most points at the end of the season. As it should be.

What the hell's the point of the regular season then ? Glorified pre season ? It's insanity.

 

[TRG]

They could do a "Supercup" right before the beginning of regular season or as the first game of the season, between the SC champs and the President's Trophy champ.

 

[daver]

Glorified participation trophy

The regular season is a glorified pre-season.

The goal is always to win the Cup. How much respect you give the winners of the regular season can range from "not as much as winning the Cup" to "meaningless if you do not win the Cup".

I highly doubt the players expect respect if they in the President's Cup but do if they win the Cup.

What the hell's the point of the regular season then ? Glorified pre season ? It's insanity.

$$$$$$

Actually it identifies the teams who are eligible to challenge for the Cup; the original intention of why the Cup was introduced in the first place.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

The world doesn't revolve around north American sports.

For many sports , the champion is the team with the most points at the end of the season. As it should be.

What the hell's the point of the regular season then ? Glorified pre season ? It's insanity.

I don't agree that the President's Trophy is meaningless. But I don't see the point in bringing up the rest of the world. Since this is specifically about a North American sport. It's misguided to be upset about how sports are played in their own continent as opposed to another continent. That doesn't make sense to me.

Of course it's not going to be the same. It's not right or wrong, it just is what it is. I'm sure they're not worried about North American ways when they look at the dynamics of their sports overseas. And rightly so. It would be stupid and arrogant for me to get upset about how they play their seasons if I was following soccer overseas.

 

[Bank Shot]

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 because they are dumb. Dumb people don't have thoughtful opinions on things. Winning the President's Trophy is an outstanding achievement for a hockey team.

 

[Legion34]

It should be. I agree.

To win the cup you only play 4 teams in a 32 team league.

The presidents trophy is/should be set up to be more reflective of dominance. There are 2 problems

1.) unequal point shares. It’s not a real competition when some games split 3 points and some 2.

2.) the players themselves don’t take it seriously. They just try to get in the playoffs.

If it was marketed as a thing or it became serious among the players. It would be better received.

 

[Reality Czech]

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?

I haven't heard a single fan say it's meaningless. Is it meaningless in terms of winning a championship? Yes.

 

[elmaco]

That's fine. But one is 82 games and 7 months. The other is 28 games max and 7 weeks. That's not a halfway point

Yes but i'm not thinking about it like that, it's the halfway point in effort and motivation. Regular season ends and now begins the second half of the season.

 

[Miri]

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.

But in NHL play-off exists, so we dont care for all the sense you just wrote and will just say “no”.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

President's Trophy = Amazing

Mitch Marner is elite. 10.8 AAV x 8

“Regular Season Champions” vibes

Mitch Marner is elite. 10.8 AAV x8

NHL is a Stanley Cup League < ====== reality.

Mitch Marner is 8 AAV x8

 

[x Tame Impala]

It is because they are dumb. Dumb people don't have thoughtful opinions on things. Winning the President's Trophy is an outstanding achievement for a hockey team.

If you don’t have my opinion then you’re dumb. Nice.

If it’s really an OUTSTANDING achievement then it would be a bigger deal to more hockey fans. It’s not. It’s an achievement for sure but it’s small potatoes in a league where we care about the Stanley Cup.

There isn’t a “curse” or anything with winning it but if it were really a huge deal I think we’d see more PT winners also win the Cup. They don’t. There’s been what, TWO PT winners who have won the Cup since the lockout? 2013 Hawks and 2008 Wings? It’s just not a signifier of much when the playoffs are such clearly, CLEARLY, a better level of competition.