Jets aiming for more after first regular-season hardware

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This article was published 13/04/2025 (209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The curse of the Presidents’ Trophy? Quite the contrary, actually.

The cold, hard fact is that finishing first at the end of the NHL’s regular-season gives you the best odds of sipping out of the Stanley Cup a couple months later.

Consider this: Since the league began handing out hardware to the top team at the end of every 82-game marathon back in 1985-86, the recipient has gone on to win the Stanley Cup eight times in 37 total seasons. That’s more than any other individual slot in the standings.

Your next best odds would be finishing fourth-overall (six Cups), followed by second (four Cups), seventh (four Cups), third (three Cups), fifth (three Cups) or sixth (three Cups). Eighth place (two Cups) is next, with ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th each doing it once. Eleventh, 14th, 15th and 16th have never tasted the ultimate victory.

“It’s a heck of an accomplishment,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said Sunday night after his club captured its first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history.

“Guys should be real proud of it. Just what we’ve gone through this year and to be right in the thick of things all year long, as one of the best in the league. But at the end of the day, it’s not the trophy we’re after.”

Fair enough, but statistically the Jets have just put themselves in the best position possible.

“To be able to have that ability to have home ice throughout the whole playoffs, and hopefully we can go on a long run and use that to our advantage.”– Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo

“To be able to have that ability to have home ice throughout the whole playoffs, and hopefully we can go on a long run and use that to our advantage,” said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo.

“It’s not the trophy we are after, but it’s a nice accomplishment. It’s been a fantastic year, it really has. We’ve done a lot of good things and been really consistent. Everybody has really bought into what we’re doing here. Like I said, we’ve got our sights set on higher things. At the end of the day, it’s great. It’s great for the organization, it’s great for the city.”

So what’s with the commonly held narrative out there by plenty of pundits and fans alike that capturing the Presidents’ Trophy is a hockey kiss of death? Perhaps this is a case of recency bias clouding the truth.

The Chicago Blackhawks were the last regular-season champions to win it all, and that happened way back in the 2012-13 season. An 11-year drought has followed, with the Boston Bruins (2014, 2020, 2023), New York Rangers (2015, 2024), Washington Capitals (2016, 2017), Nashville Predators (2018), Tampa Bay Lightning (2019), Colorado Avalanche (2021) and Florida Panthers (2022) all coming up short those years.

It should be noted, however, that Washington, Tampa, Colorado and Florida all followed up their disappointing playoff performance with a championship year (or two, in the case of the Lightning) immediately after.

“I’m happy for the group. I’m happy that a lot of the things that we talked about in training camp, we accomplished. Obviously the President’s Trophy wasn’t one of them that we talked about but I’m really proud to be a part of this team,” said Arniel.

“We’re still going to be judged on what happens from Game 83 on. There’s still lots to happen and hopefully there’s a long story to go with that and it gets to be a two-and-a-half month long story. For me, I’ve been in the game a long time and know that… Be proud of the accomplishments that you have and then move on to the next challenge and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”

“I don’t go on the ice… The players are the ones that are doing most of that, almost all of the heavy lifting, and it’s just fun to be a part of.”– Jets coach Scott Arniel

It’s also worth savouring the moment. Just ask the Rangers, who just became the fourth team to win the Presidents Trophy one season and then miss the playoffs the next. (The 1993 Rangers, 2008 Buffalo Sabres and 2015 Bruins are the others).

Overall, the Jets became the 19th different NHL team to win the Presidents Trophy. The Detroit Red Wings have the most, with six. Still looking for their first: The Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks. Utah HC, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

As for the seven other teams that combined a Presidents’ Trophy with a Stanley Cup besides the 2013 Blackhawks, they are the 1987 Edmonton Oilers, the 1989 Calgary Flames, the 1994 Rangers, the 1999 Dallas Stars, the 2001 Avalanche, the 2002 Red Wings, the 2008 Red Wings.

Could the 2025 Jets eventually add their name to that list?

“I’m really happy that I can be a part of it. I’m really proud to be a part of this team,” said Arniel, who is in his first year as head coach and has certainly made the most of his second chance behind an NHL bench.

“I don’t go on the ice. I open the door, I kind of put people together, and put them out on the ice. The players are the ones that are doing most of that, almost all of the heavy lifting, and it’s just fun to be a part of. This is a great group, you know, but it almost sounds like I’m having the speech at the end of the year. I’m not done yet, so I hope to talk a lot more. Hopefully this lasts a lot longer. We’ve done some great things and I still think we can do a lot more.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg