Which NHL team was the first to win the Presidents' Trophy?

The Edmonton Oilers were the first NHL team to win the Presidents' Trophy. They earned it in the 1985–86 season, when the NHL introduced the award for the league's best regular-season record.

Edmonton finished 56–17–7 for 119 points, led by captain Wayne Gretzky and a powerhouse lineup that included Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and goaltenders Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog. Gretzky produced 215 points, still one of the defining individual seasons of the Oilers' dynasty.

The award recognized regular-season performance, not playoff success. That distinction matters because Edmonton did not win the Stanley Cup that year: the Oilers were eliminated by the Calgary Flames in the second playoff round, while the Montreal Canadiens won the championship.

The Presidents' Trophy also replaced the need to infer the league's top team from standings alone. Edmonton won the trophy again in 1986–87, becoming its first repeat winner.