Fans of the Colorado Avalanche could be seeing a lot of live hockey at Ball Arena well into June if things go according to plan.

With a win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at Ball Arena, the Avalanche clinched the fourth Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history, given to the team that finishes the regular season with the best record. The reward for winning the Presidents’ Trophy is home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. They have now become just the sixth team in NHL history to hold first place in the league from Nov. 1 through the end of the season.

The Avalanche previously won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1997, 2001 and 2021. Only eight NHL teams that have won the trophy have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the same season, with the 2001 Avalanche being one of those eight teams. Colorado looked like it was on the way to winning the trophy back in 2022 but began resting players over the final two weeks of the season, leading to the Florida Panthers overtaking it for the best record in the league.

Prior to Thursday’s game, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said they would wait to have discussions with players about whether they would like some rest over the final four games of the season after they guarantee themselves home-ice advantage. The Avalanche did not send many of their key players on their final two-game road trip at the end of last season because they couldn’t move up or down in the standings. It would not be a surprise if they did the same thing next week when the team has back-to-back games on the road in Calgary and Edmonton.

The NHL playoffs are set to get underway on April 18.