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#NHLStats Pack: HURRICANES WIN STANLEY CUP 20 YEARS AFTER FIRST
The Carolina Hurricanes surged through the first three rounds with the best record by a team entering a Final under the best-of-seven format and stormed back in a championship series for the ages to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history, five days short of the 20-year anniversary of the club’s first title (June 19, 2006).
Wire-to-wire for the win
* Carolina occupied a playoff spot the entire season, sat in first place in the Metropolitan Division from Dec. 11 onward, clinched an eighth consecutive postseason berth and lost only one game against the Ottawa Senators (4-0), Philadelphia Flyers (4-0) and Montreal Canadiens (4-1) to reach the championship series where it secured a 4-2 victory versus the Vegas Golden Knights during a historic Stanley Cup Final.
Staal delivers MVP performance during historic Cup run
* Jordan Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy after tying a Final record for longest goal streak and became the first player in NHL history to go 17 years from one Stanley Cup to the next. His brother, Eric, was the leading scorer on the 2006 Hurricanes’ Cup-winning team.
No. 1 pick Hall had long road to a title
* Taylor Hall won his first Stanley Cup after hearing his named called first overall in the 2010 NHL Draft and playing nearly 1,100 career games with seven franchises across 16 seasons. He had the second-most contests by a No. 1 pick before his first championship behind Alex Ovechkin, with both players clinching their title against the Golden Knights in Vegas.
Slavin ousted Golden Knights after golden night in Milan
* Jaccob Slavin became the second American to win the Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal in the same season and first since Ken Morrow of the “Miracle on Ice” team.
The Danes were great
* Frederik Andersen and Nikolaj Ehlers joined Lars Eller as the only Danish Stanley Cup winners in NHL history. All three won the Cup by defeating Vegas in the Final.
Brind’Amour coached, captained Carolina to Cups
* Rod Brind’Amour joined rare company by coaching the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup 20 years after captaining the club to their first championship.
Raleigh is a major hockey hotbed
* The Hurricanes have given their devoted fanbase of “Caniacs” plenty to cheer about since the franchise arrived in Raleigh nearly 30 years ago following 18 seasons as the Hartford Whalers.
Hurricanes stormed back from series deficits in Final after going 12-1
Carolina swept its First and Second Round matchups before weathering a roaring Bell Centre following a lengthy wait in a five-game win against Montreal and rallying from series deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 versus Vegas during the Final to win the Stanley Cup.
First Round: 4-0 Win vs. Ottawa Senators (WC2)
Second Round: 4-0 Win vs. Philadelphia Flyers (M3)
Eastern Conference Final: 4-1 Win vs. Montreal Canadiens (A3)
Stanley Cup Final: 4-2 vs. Vegas Golden Knights (P1)
* The Hurricanes’ sweep of the Senators made Carolina the third team in NHL history with a series win in eight straight playoff years, following Montreal (10 from 1984-93 & 1951-60) and Philadelphia (9 from 1973-81). The Hurricanes followed that up by becoming the fifth team in League history with an eight-game postseason-opening winning streak after the 1985 Oilers (9-0), 1969 Blues (8-0), 1960 Canadiens (8-0) and 1952 Red Wings (8-0).
* The Hurricanes went 8-1 as visitors during these playoffs to establish a single-postseason franchise record for road wins, besting the previous high set in 2002 (7-5 in 12 GP). They became the seventh team in NHL history with eight wins through nine road games in a playoff year after the 2012 Kings (9-0), 2023 Panthers (8-1), 2022 Avalanche (8-1), 1999 Avalanche (8-1), 1995 Devils (8-1) and 1980 Islanders (8-1). Of note, the 2020 Lightning went 8-1 through their first nine games as the road team in the neutral-site “bubbles” at Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Place.
* Carolina had a perfect 6-0 record through its first six overtime contests this postseason before suffering a 2OT defeat during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes were the third team in League history with wins in each of their first six overtime contests during a playoff year after the 2023 Panthers and 2003 Mighty Ducks (both 7-0).
* Carolina contributed to a record-breaking Stanley Cup Final by following up its multi-goal comeback win in Game 2 with a 4-0 third-period rally including three tallies in a 39-second span before earning consecutive victories to vanquish Vegas. The Hurricanes had at least four goals in each of the first five contests during the championship series.
Staal secures SECOND Stanley Cup 17 years after his first championship
Jordan Staal captured the Conn Smythe Trophy and captained the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup 17 years after his first championship with the 2009 Penguins, which marked the most by a player from one title to the next in League history. He bested the previous high set by Chris Chelios (16 from 1986 MTL to 2002 DET).
* Staal (37 years, 277 days) became the oldest Stanley Cup-winning captain since Nicklas Lidstrom (38 years, 37 days in Game 6 of 2008 SCF). Lidstrom led the Red Wings past Staal and the Penguins in the 2008 Final before Staal helped Pittsburgh defeat Detroit during the 2009 championship series.
* Staal attended the 2006 Final as a 17-year-old top prospect for the NHL Draft before his brother, Eric, became the first in the family to hoist the Stanley Cup. They are the 17th set of siblings in League history to each win at least one championship with the same franchise and the fifth for a non-Original Six club after Rob and Scott Niedermayer (w/ ANA), Denis and Jean Potvin (w/ NYI), Brent and Duane Sutter (w/ NYI) as well as Jimmy and Joe Watson (w/ PHI).
