Which NHL trophy is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record?

The Presidents' Trophy is awarded to the NHL team with the best regular-season record, measured by points. It recognizes the club that finishes first in the league standings before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.

The NHL introduced the trophy for the 1985–86 season. Winning it generally brings the top overall playoff seeding and home-ice advantage throughout the postseason, provided the team keeps advancing. It is separate from the Stanley Cup, which goes to the playoff champion.

The Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are conference trophies, awarded to the Eastern and Western Conference playoff champions. That makes them easy to confuse with the Presidents' Trophy, but they recognize postseason success rather than the league's best regular-season record.

Regular-season ties are settled through NHL tiebreaking procedures. In modern standings, regulation wins are an important early tiebreaker, so the trophy does not simply go to whichever tied team has the most total wins.