The Colorado Avalanche secured a massive win on Tuesday evening against the St. Louis Blues. They officially have locked up the Central Division, as well as the Western Conference crown.
After the victory Tuesday, head coach Jared Bednar pointed out that the Avs aren’t quite finished. While they’ve locked up those two key positions, they’ve still got a chance to secure the Presidents’ trophy, which is given to the team who finishes the regular season with the most wins.
It hasn’t been easy, but the Avalanche have achieved a lot this season, and have their sights set on a lot more.
If you are familiar with NHL history, you’d likely know about the Presidents’ trophy curse. The percentage of teams who won the President’s trophy and the Stanley Cup trophy in the same year is not high. The trophy was first introduced in 1986. Since then, the winner of that trophy has gone on to win the Stanley Cup just eight times.
The odds are against the Avs, but it is obviously not impossible. It’s a chance for Colorado to defy the odds. They could put the curse talk to bed if they end up winning it all. To me, it’s just a fun talking point. It’s not like there’s some demon underneath the ice that flips the puck in favour of opposing teams.
Colorado started the season off strong, and they have continued to make the most noise of anyone in all of the league. They have been somewhat up and down as of late, losing to the Blues on Sunday and to the last-place Canucks on April 1, but as they say, you can lose against any team at any time just like you can win against any team at any time.
The best thing the team can do is to look at the very next opponent, and not a game ahead. If they do focus on a scenario they aren’t faced with at that very moment, bad things can happen. They’ve got the Calgary Flames up next on Thursday, and that’s exactly the only thing that should be on their minds.
Winning the Presidents’ trophy will happen if the Carolina Hurricanes end up losing their pace. The Avs have played one less game than Carolina up to this point, so it’s certainly still in reach. Whether they win the trophy or not, their end goal remains the exact same: Win the trophy that matters most, the Stanley Cup.