NHL Presidents' Trophy curse: Bruins' first-round loss to Panthers extends jinx to 10 years

Even the best record in the history of the NHL is no match for the Presidents' Trophy curse.

The Bruins entered the 2023 NHL playoffs with an incredible 65-12-5 record, good for the most wins in NHL history and only the fourth time a team has 60-plus wins in a season (and the first since the Lightning in 2018-19). Top-seeded Boston's opening series vs. the Panthers seemed little more than a matter of course ... until the series somehow ended in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Boston.

The Bruins ultimately suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers in Game 7 on Sunday, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to eventually take a 3-2 lead into the final minute of the third period. But the Panthers managed to extend the game to overtime with a Brandon Montour goal just under the one-minute mark, keeping alive the Presidents' Trophy curse:

THIS SERIES ISN'T OVER YET 😱 @MontourBrandon just forced OT in #Game7! #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT ➡️ https://t.co/oaJG9t1U2v #NHLonTNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/c0FJF22IZL pic.twitter.com/AMFsxNRItA

— NHL (@NHL) May 1, 2023

Halfway into OT, the Bruins suffered what is perhaps the most vexing curse in the history of professional sports: For 10 years running, no team that has won the Presidents' Trophy has won the Stanley Cup in the same season. Boston suffered the Presidents' Trophy curse by way of a Carter Verhaeghe goal at the 11:25 mark that gave Florida a 4-3 overtime win:

PANTHERS JUST UPSET THE BRUINS IN THE FIRST ROUND

WOW 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/TQEbmIEa7p

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2023

MORE: NHL playoff bracket 2023: Full, updated schedule

Florida, which suffered the same curse last season, ended the 2022-23 regular season with a 42-32-8, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division behind the Bruins, Maple Leafs and Lightning. The Panthers will advance to take on Toronto, which by beating Tampa Bay secured a historic first-round series win.

With that, The Sporting News looks at the history of the Presidents' Trophy curse and the teams that have succumbed to — or overcome — it:

Who was the last team to win Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup?

The last team to win both the Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season was Chicago in 2012-13: The Blackhawks earned the former with a 36-7-5 record, due to a lockout-shortened season. The franchise then went on to win the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 series win over the Bruins. They also beat the Wild in five games, Red Wings in seven games and Kings in five games.

Prior to the Blackhawks, the 2007-08 Red Wings were the last team to win both the Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season.

MORE: Bruins vs. Panthers score: Live Game 7 highlights

Who are the past winners of the Presidents' Trophy?

The Presidents' Trophy was first awarded to the team with the best regular season record in the 1985-86 season; the Oilers won it that year before losing in the divisional finals. They managed to avoid a "curse" by winning both the next season.

From there, six of the first 17 teams to win it also went on to win the Stanley Cup, culminating with the Avalanche and Red Wings winning both in 2001 and 2002, respectively (the only time teams won both in consecutive seasons). Since then, only two teams — the Red Wings in 2007-08 and Blackhawks in 2012-13 — have gone on to win both.

In all, only eight of the 38 teams that won the Presidents' Trophy also went on to win the Stanley Cup. Here is how each has fared since the award was introduced, in reverse chronological order:

MORE: Boston sets new NHL marks for most points, most wins