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The Carolina Hurricanes have now won the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history and for the first time since 2006 — eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games on the evening of June 14.
Hurricanes' captain Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the process. The Conn Smythe is determined via a vote by a panel of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Staal had 12 points in 18 playoff games and is the fourth straight forward to win the coveted accolade. He previously won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who traded him to Carolina in 2012 before ultimately writing history against the Golden Knights.
Though, what is extra significant about Staal winning the 2026 Conn Smythe is that the captain has now become the oldest player to be bestowed the award at age 37. In addition, Staal became the first player in NHL history to go 17 years from one Stanley Cup (the aforementioned one from 2009) to the next.
Staal also ranks second in Carolina franchise history with 972 games played.
Jordan Staal becomes oldest player to win Conn Smythe Trophy
Staal scored six goals during a six-game series win over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final and became just the fifth player in league history to score in five straight games to start a Stanley Cup Final.
Jordan Staal becomes the oldest player (37) to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in NHL history 👏 pic.twitter.com/8SXJDNfSGZ
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 15, 2026In addition, he dominated his head-to-head matchups through all four rounds and practically won every key faceoff in the midst of serving a pivotal role on the league’s best penalty kill.
Per NHL EDGE IQ, Staal also ranked third in goals scored on offensive zone plays this postseason leading into the Final.
Prior to winning the 2026 Conn Smythe, Staal had not tallied a five-game goal streak since 2007 — when he was 18 years old and still playing for the Penguins. In his total career playoff games, the former No. 2 overall pick has scored 46 goals in addition to logging 39 assists.
Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart gave up 22 goals in six games en route to losing the Stanley Cup Final and was seen on the ice in tears.
Teammate Nikolaj Ehlers said that Staal is the kind of leader everybody should want on their roster.
“He does all the small things that people don’t notice, and he brings it every single night,” said teammate Ehlers on Staal per The Athletic. “He’s a big leader, good leader in this room, and leads by example. So he’s been unbelievable.”
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