After Wednesday night’s victory against the Edmonton Oilers, the Chicago Blackhawks have clinched this year’s Presidents’ Trophy. The Presidents’ Trophy is awarded to the team with the most points, and hence the best team of the regular season. Even if the Blackhawks lose their remaining two games of the regular season no team can overcome them in points.
Now some will rejoice this achievement, while others may not be as quick to celebrate. It makes sense to believe this is a good omen of what is to come in the playoffs. If the Blackhawks play the way they did during the regular season, then this should be a good projection of how they’ll perform post-season, but some may disagree. Some fans, the more superstitious, believe that winning the Presidents’ Trophy is bad luck, often referring to it as the “Presidents’ Trophy Curse”.
The Presidents’ Trophy was first introduced into the league during the 1985-1986 season. Since then, only seven teams have ever won the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same year. This seems like quite a low number, but remember the trophy is only twenty-seven years old. The last team to win both prizes in the same season was the 07-08 Detroit Red Wings.
This season the Blackhawks will be the team headed into the playoffs with the biggest targets on their back. Defeating the best team of the regular season in the playoffs would be a great feat for any opponent. Playoff hockey though is the most unpredictable and exciting hockey there is. Who knows if the Blackhawks will win another Stanley Cup, all bets are off when it comes to the playoffs. If they lose will it be because of poor play or the Presidents’ Trophy Curse? The world may never know…
