Carolina Hurricanes stifle Vegas to capture first Stanley Cup since 2006
A lot of Carolina Hurricanes fans found their way into T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, hoping to celebrate the long trek with a Stanley Cup championship.
The Hurricanes gave them just what they wanted.
For the first time in 20 years, the Canes have their hold on the Stanley Cup. They did it with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, creating another June night to remember, one for the ages.
“It was our time. We weren’t going to be denied,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
And now they’ll walk together forever, as they say, their names on the Stanley Cup and their bond unshakable.
Jordan Staal, the longest tenured Carolina player, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoff MVP, the oldest player to ever earn that distinction. He did that, in part, by scoring goals in each of the first five Stanley Cup Final games, an NHL record.
The Hurricanes, after grabbing a 3-2 lead in the Cup Final, had two chances to win the Cup.
They needed just one, taking charge early in Game 6 and draining the energy and spirit out of the Golden Knights and their faithful as goalie Brandon Bussi completed his amazing feel-good story this season with a 22-save shutout.
Bussi came to the Canes as a waiver-wire claim in October. His first three playoff starts were in the Stanley Cup Final and he won all three. No one in NHL history had done that.
“It’s so special,” an emotional Bussi said. “This team, our resilience, our battle ... we never gave up. We always believed in ourselves. So special.”
Taylor Hall’s blistering shot and score at 3:47 of the first period gave Carolina the all-important first goal, and Jackson Blake’s shot from the slot made it 2-0 in the second. Logan Stankoven’s line, so lethal in the playoff run, continued to hustle, hound pucks, score big goals.
“I was so happy,” Hall said. “I couldn’t even do a (goal) celebration, I was so happy.”
When Blake scored at 13:31 of the second, Vegas forward Mitch Marner dropped his lead and slumped his shoulders. It was telltale body language.
By then, the horde of Hurricanes fans in the building already were giddy, alternating cheers: “Let’s go Canes!” and “Bus-si! Bus-si!” They were feeling it, ready to party like it was 2006.
The cheers only got louder, turning to “We want the Cup!”
The Canes did everything necessary in the third to seal it, continually clearing the puck from their zone and killing off a penalty midway through the period as Knights fans beseeched their team to put up some kind of fight. Vegas center Jack Eichel had a shot bounce off the crossbar during the power play but the Canes killed it off and that was that.
“They’ve got experience, good pros. It’s a really good team,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said of the Canes. “We couldn’t find a way and they did.”
When Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty netter, the only thing left was the handshake line and time to lift the big silver trophy. Staal, as captain, was the first in line and eager to get his hands on it. Staal won a Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009, then waited 17 years to lift it again -- with the Hurricanes.
Brind’Amour said he had not touched or held the Cup since 2006, and had everyone laughing when he first grabbed it and hugged it before the usual celebratory pose.
“I wasn’t sure I’d raise it over my head, that’s a players’ thing,” he said. “I wanted it so bad for the group.”
Bussi’s third start in the playoffs was the biggest game of his hockey life. The end to what has been a dreamlike first NHL season would be a Stanley Cup championship -- waiver wire to Stanley Cup champion.
“Unbelievable,” Brind’Amour said. “Every start he had for us has been like that. They were good, no stress.
“Sometimes you get lucky in sports. That was a lucky waiver pick. But also people have to take advantage of the opportunity. You have to make it happen and he did.”
Twenty years ago, it was Brind’Amour wearing the “C” as Canes captain and leading the franchise to its first Stanley Cup title in a city and community they moved to in 1997 and made their own. It was quite the night as the Canes took a Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Final.
Brind’Amour lifting the trophy high, exultant, became a scene still etched in everyone’s memory.
After retiring as a player, Brind’Amour soon turned to coaching, first as an assistant coach, then becoming head coach when Tom Dundon took over as majority owner in 2018. His eight years have produced eight consecutive playoff teams and earned Brind’Amour league-wide respect as one of the NHL’s best coaches.
There was a hurdle to clear: the Eastern Conference final. The Canes reached the conference final in 2019, 2023 and 2025, but fell short of the Cup Final each time, producing some frustration.
But this year would be different. The lineup had a new look with the addition of free-agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman K’Andre Miller, traded by the New York Rangers.
“To finally get over that hump and be here and get the job done, it’s hard. It’s hard,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “But at the same time, it’s awesome.”
When the Canes needed a third goalie just before the season began, they claimed Bussi off waivers from the Florida Panthers. He had never played an NHL game, but he soon would — a lot of them.
Bussi led the team with 31 wins in the regular season. But with Frederik Andersen, the veteran, ready for the playoffs, Bussi was the backup for the first 16 games. With Andersen in net, the Canes swept both the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers.
Next up: the Eastern Conference final against the young, skilled Montreal Canadiens. The Canes, after a long layoff, dropped Game 1, then won four straight.
The Prince of Wales Trophy was presented to them as conference champions. It was not the one they wanted.
When Andersen, fighting an injury, faltered in Game 3 of the Cup Final, Bussi went in net. He would never leave. The Canes rallied, forcing a tie and two overtimes before Vegas won on a fortunate bounce. Bussi won the rest.
The Stanley Cup was in the house in Game 6. The Canes claimed it.
Talk about leaving Vegas as a big winner.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Carolina Hurricanes stifle Vegas to capture first Stanley Cup since 2006."
