Boston Bruins Choke As Presidents Trophy Curse Lives On

The Boston Bruins just completed arguably the greatest regular season in NHL history. The club set single-season records for points (135) and wins (65), had an absurd goal differential of +128 and allowed a measly 2.12 goals against per game. It didn’t matter, Boston was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers on Sunday. The Presidents Trophy curse continues.

Every season the NHL awards the Presidents Trophy to the team with the best record in the league. It has been given out since the 1985-86 campaign. In those 37 years (36 seasons due to the 2004-05 lockout), the Presidents Trophy-winning team has only won the Stanley Cup eight times. The Bruins became the eighth winner to lose in the first round of the postseason. That’s just an incredible rate of failure.

On Sunday, the Bruins lost in overtime of Game 7 against the Panthers. It was an utterly heartbreaking defeat.

The last Presidents Trophy winners to hoist the Stanley Cup were the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2013. Yes, it’s been a decade since the NHL’s best regular season team won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Here’s how every President’s Trophy-winning team has faired since the Blackhawks won the Cup in 2013:

2013-14: Boston Bruins, Lost in Second Round
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
2020-21: Colorado Avalanche, Lost in Second Round
2021-22: Florida Panthers, Lost in Second Round
2022-23: Boston Bruins, Lost in First round

The moral of the story? Avoid winning the Presidents Trophy at all costs.