Did the Florida Panthers touch the Presidents Trophy?

The Florida Panthers did not touch the Presidents' Trophy this season, as it was won by the New York Rangers. The Rangers recorded 55-23-4 and 114 points this regular season to top the table. Despite their impressive performance, their playoff journey ended in disappointment as they were ousted by the Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday.

The Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the best regular season record, is often surrounded by a so-called curse. This curse suggests that the team winning the award tends to underperform in the playoffs.

"If we had finished one point behind the Presidents' Trophy, I don't know if the pressure changes," coach Peter Laviolette said to NHL.com after the regular season.

Only eight teams have won both the Presidents Trophy and the Stanley Cup in a single season. The last team to win both was the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks.

The Florida Panthers last won the Presidents' Trophy during the 2021-22 season but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.

---

Florida Panthers and the Prince of Wales Trophy: Did They Touch It?

No, the Florida Panthers did not touch the Prince of Wales Trophy this season.

“We touched it last year and it didn't work for us,” Bennett said of ignoring the trophy presented to the Eastern Conference champions (per NHL.com). “So, we thought we'd try something different this year.”

This year, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice was quick to intervene, ensuring that captain Aleksander Barkov and the rest of the team refrained from touching the trophy.

“He also told me last year (not to touch it),” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said afterward. "Last year we had a different situation, but we’re not going to talk about last year. This year, I think we all agreed we were not going to touch it."

Upon hearing that Barkov admitted to ignoring his advice about touching the trophy last year, Paul Maurice said:

"I think 'Sasha' has a pretty good sense of humor. Actually, I don’t remember. All I know is there a picture somewhere here of him carrying it down the hallway, so at that point, I had to say I told him to, right? It has nothing to do with anything, but we play our silly games."

Last season, after sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round, the Panthers touched and lifted the trophy to celebrate. It was their first conference win since 1996. However, they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final in just five games.