The Winnipeg Jets marked a significant milestone this season, claiming their first-ever President’s Trophy with a stellar 56-22-4 record and 116 points. Dominant plays led by Connor Hellebuyck in the regular season and a strong defensive team led the Jets to maintain their poise while entering the Stanley Cup playoffs. Though they are now tied with the St.Louis Blues in the best of 7 series, they face potential elimination if they fail to secure a decisive tie-breaker win. This already has a few fans murmuring the most dreaded phrase, “the curse of the President’s Trophy.”

Update: The Winnipeg Jets have finally secured their spot in round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. With an overtime goal tallying the score to 4-3 against the Blues, the Jets are now cruising on the winning tide. Maybe the President’s Trophy isn’t so cursed, after all?

Speaking of which, in NHL history, when a team shows their best performance in the regular season, they almost inevitably fail in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they fall short. Though they emerged as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, their momentum faltered in the postseason with Connor Hellebuyck’s below-par goaltending. Moreover, Winnipeg’s Game 6 loss to the St.Louis Blues, tying the series at 3-3, adds to the mystery. Will the Jets manage to prove the jinx wrong?

From its humble beginnings in 1985, only eight of the 38 President’s Trophy winners went on to win the Stanley Cup according to Rezztek. Those numbers are a serious burn. The most recent team to snag the trophy AND the Stanley Cup in the same year was the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2012-2013 season. As for the Jets’ fate in the first round of playoffs, they’re still hanging in the balance but by a thread. They desperately need a win against the Blues if they are to see their playoff dreams come to fruition. 

Moreover, with Game 7 on the horizon, the pressure is high. The Winnipeg Jets have a challenge at hand to overcome past disappointments, and maybe even defy the odds to prove wrong, the unfounded surreptitious claims. But will they break the curse or fall prey? 

Can the Winnipeg Jets lift the curse?

The President’s Trophy curse has mystified the NHL for decades. Time and again, the playoffs have flipped expectations, with underdog teams stepping up early while top-seeded regular-season giants falter. These shocking outcomes often turn the postseason into a stage for longshot stories that defy regular-season dominance. Notable examples include the 2022–23 Boston Bruins, who set a record-breaking season only to fall to the Florida Panthers, and the 2018–19 Tampa Bay Lightning, who were swept away by the Columbus Blue Jackets despite their 62-win campaign.

Back in the 2013–14 playoffs, the San Jose Sharks collapsed after taking a 3–0 lead over the Los Angeles Kings, who roared back behind Marian Gáborík’s heroics. In 2009–10, Jaroslav Halák led a stunning Montreal Canadiens comeback against the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin.

In 1997–98, the Ottawa Senators, powered by Daniel Alfredsson, upset the New Jersey Devils. Even legends weren’t immune—Wayne Gretzky’s young Oilers shocked the Canadiens with a sweep in the 1980–81 postseason.

The list of upsets grew in 1993–94 when the San Jose Sharks, with Arturs Irbe in net, eliminated the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings. That pattern continued in 2002–03 when Jean-Sébastien Giguère and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim stunned Detroit with a series sweep. These upsets serve as reminders that postseason hockey is unpredictable, and regular-season supremacy doesn’t guarantee playoff success.

Historically, only 8 of 38 teams that have won the President’s Trophy have also captured the Stanley Cup—a statistic that casts a shadow on the Winnipeg Jets’ postseason hopes. Though underdogs, the Jets delivered a thrilling double-overtime Game 7 win against the St. Louis Blues, proving their mettle. Now, they face the Dallas Stars—a team with postseason pedigree and pace. With solid defense and elite goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets have a real shot to continue defying the odds. Their Game 7 victory may just be the momentum shift needed to break the President’s Trophy curse once and for all.