Jordan Staal is the oldest player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. The Hurricanes captain accepted the trophy as playoff MVP before hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Staal becomes the oldest player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player of the playoffs at 37 years and 277 days old. The previous oldest playoff MVP was Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe at 37 years and 61 days old.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native scored eight goals and 12 points in 19 games, including six goals and seven points in six games during the Stanley Cup final.
Staal scored in each of the first five games of the Cup final, the first player in 70 years to do so.
He scored a memorable game-winner in Game 4 while falling down. That win tied the series, and the Hurricanes did not look back afterward, taking Games 5 and 6.
Staal is the first captain to score at least six goals in a Stanley Cup final since Wayne Gretzky did so with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985. He is also the first player in NHL history to go 17 years between Stanley Cup championships, breaking Chris Chelios' record of 16 years. Staal first won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Staal had to quickly drop off the trophy at the bench so that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman could call him back to hoist the Stanley Cup.
After taking a photo with Bettman, Staal looked at his teammates with eyes wide open.
"Yeah boys, we did it, baby," Staal screamed as he lifted the Cup high over his head.
After a tour, he handed it off to 36-year-old Frederik Andersen, who earned 13 of Carolina's 16 wins in the post-season.
Carolina beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on Sunday to seal the deal and become Stanley Cup champions for the second time in franchise history.
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