Thunder Bay’s Jordan Staal Wins Conn Smythe as Hurricanes Capture Stanley Cup

LAS VEGAS — Twenty years after their first Stanley Cup championship, the Carolina Hurricanes are back on top of the hockey world — and a Thunder Bay hockey name is at the heart of it.

Jordan Staal, Carolina’s captain and one of Thunder Bay’s most accomplished NHL exports, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player to his team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after the Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Staal Caps Playoff Run With Conn Smythe Honours

Staal delivered when the lights were brightest.

The 37-year-old centre scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final, including goals in five consecutive games, matching an NHL record. He finished the playoffs with eight goals and 12 points in 19 games, helping Carolina complete a dominant 16-3 post-season run.
For Staal, the championship carries added weight. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, making this his second title and his first as captain of the Hurricanes.

“I’m happy I stuck around,” Staal said. “I believed in the culture. I believed in what we were trying to build in Carolina. An amazing feeling to be able to build something like that and then to top it all off with this, I mean, it’s an absolute dream come true.”

Staal became the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and the first player to go at least 17 years between Stanley Cup championships.

Hurricanes Shut Down Golden Knights in Game 6

Carolina did not leave much room for drama.

Goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced, backstopping the Hurricanes to a Cup-clinching shutout. Taylor Hall opened the scoring at 3:47 of the first period, beating Vegas goaltender Carter Hart from the left faceoff circle after Jackson Blake helped force a turnover.

Blake then made it 2-0 at 13:31 of the second period, finishing a pass from Logan Stankoven after Carolina’s forecheck pressured the Golden Knights into trouble in their own zone.

Vegas pushed late, including a Jack Eichel chance that rang off the crossbar during a third-period power play, but Bussi held firm. Nikolaj Ehlers sealed it with an empty-net goal at 18:52.

Final score: Carolina 3, Vegas 0.

Brind’Amour Wins Again With Carolina

For Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, the moment was another chapter in Carolina hockey history.

Brind’Amour captained the Hurricanes to their 2006 Stanley Cup championship and has served as Carolina’s head coach since 2018-19. With Sunday’s win, he became the seventh person in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as both a player and a coach, and the fourth to do it as both captain and coach.

“It was our time,” Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t going to be denied.” He said winning as a coach felt different from lifting the Cup as a player.

“This time around, I wanted it for the group,” Brind’Amour said. “I wanted them to feel what it’s like.”

Thunder Bay Hockey Pride on the NHL’s Biggest Stage

For hockey fans in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, Staal’s Conn Smythe win is another reminder of the region’s deep connection to the game.

The Staal name has long carried weight in Thunder Bay hockey circles, and Jordan Staal’s latest achievement adds another major honour to a career already defined by durability, leadership and playoff success.

On a night when Carolina celebrated its second Stanley Cup, Thunder Bay had a reason to celebrate too. One of its own did not just lift the Cup — he was named the most valuable player of the playoffs.