Former Penguin Wins Stanley Cup For First Time In 17 Years, Awarded Conn Smythe

It was a magical run for a former Pittsburgh Penguin en route to a second-career Stanley Cup Championship. 

Carolina Hurricanes center and captain Jordan Staal - who was drafted second overall by the Penguins in 2006 and helped lead them to the franchise's third Stanley Cup championship in 2009 - celebrated with teammates on the ice Sunday as the Canes hoisted the Cup for the first time in 20 years.

Staal, 37, also became the oldest player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe after recording six goals and seven points in 6 Stanley Cup Final games. He also amassed the second-fewest playoff points, 12, to secure a Conn Smythe in history. 

The Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 2-0 in Game 6 to win the franchise's second Stanley Cup, with the last being in 2006. They finished their impressive playoff run with only three losses - two of which came at the hands of Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final - with two series sweeps to begin their 2026 run. 

Coach Rod Brind'Amour won as a player in 2006 and, now, as a coach in 2026.

This capped off Staal's 14th season with the Hurricanes after being dealt to Carolina from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2012 during his wedding. Carolina missed the playoffs for the first six seasons of Staal's tenure in Raleigh, and they haven't missed the playoffs in the eight seasons since.

During his six seasons with the Penguins, Staal registered 120 goals and 208 points spread across 431 regular season games, and he also recorded 36 playoff points. He had four goals and nine points - including a crucial, momentum-shifting shorthanded tally in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings - as part of the playoff run to the 2009 championship. 

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