The Florida Panthers are having their best season in franchise history. With a 57-15-6 record through 78 games (120 points), they have the Eastern Conference locked up for the postseason. In addition to a league-best and franchise-record 13-game winning streak, the only thing left for the Panthers to clinch is their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history.
They have a four-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche to lead the NHL standings; however, the Panthers may want to let this one slide and hand it over to the Avalanche, given the award’s history.
Presidents’ Trophy Winner has Only Won the Cup 3 Times Since 2001-02
Since the 2001-02 season, the Presidents’ Trophy winner has only gone on to win the Stanley Cup three times: the Detroit Red Wings twice in 2002 and 2008, and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 are the most recent.
Related: Florida Panthers and the History of the Rats
That’s 15 of 18 teams over the last two decades to have their season regular-season dominance end without a Stanley Cup ring to add to their hardware.
The Last Floridian Team to Win the Trophy Ended Their Season on a Horrible Note
Most of us remember what happened to the last team from the Sunshine State to win the Presidents’ Trophy. In the 2019 Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round. Interestingly, the starting goaltender for the Blue Jackets at the time was current Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (from “The record-setting Lightning were swept out of first round of the NHL playoffs in embarrassing fashion because of one big disadvantage,” Business Insider, 4/17/19).
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly shakes hands with Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos after presenting the team with the President’s Trophy. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
While their success might also turn into back-to-back Cups, most Panthers fans do not want such a historical season to go down in flames, similar to their cross-state rivals that…
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