The Carolina Hurricanes are the 2026 Stanley Cup champions after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Carolina Hurricanes lost Game 3. It put them down 2-1 in the series, against the Golden Knights and looked outmatched by the more experienced Vegas squad.
Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup champions
However, the Hurricanes bounced back and won the next three games to capture their second Stanley Cup since 2006. It is the first Stanley Cup as a head coach for Rod Brind’Amour. He also captained the Hurricanes to their championship victory in 2006.
For current captain Jordan Staal, it is his second Stanley Cup title. He previously won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. Staal, 37, made history in this year’s Final by scoring in each of the first five games of the series. A feat that had not been accomplished since 1973, when Yvan Cournoyer did it for the Montreal Canadiens.
Heartbreak for the Vegas Golden Knights
Taylor Hall opened the scoring just three minutes into the game, with assists from Jaccob Slavin and Jackson Blake. Blake then made it 2–0 early in the second period. The Hurricanes went on to win the game 3–0, after an empty netter from Nikolaj Ehlers.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, the season ended in heartbreak. They fired head coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games remaining in the regular season and replaced him with John Tortorella, who made an immediate impact. However, it was not enough to carry them all the way. This was Vegas’ third Stanley Cup Final appearance in just nine seasons of existence.
