Coach Rod Brind’Amour makes history as Hurricanes capture Stanley Cup
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The Carolina Hurricanes hit the jackpot in Las Vegas.
The Canes bring the Stanley Cup to Raleigh for the first time in two decades after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on Sunday night.
It took just over three minutes for the Hurricanes to quell the rowdy Vegas crowd as one-time Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall found the back of the net and took an early lead.
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Jackson Blake of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with teammates Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, Sean Walker and K’andre Miller after a goal by Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of Game Six of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 14, 2026. (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
The offense was slow for a while, but it was Jackson Blake who put the Canes up 2-0 with just under seven minutes left in the second quarter. Vegas did itself almost no favors in the second period, recording just three shots on goal.
This series was no stranger to unexpected leads, but these were on the side of the Golden Knights. This Carolina team wasn’t giving up on anything, and they proved it by killing off a key Vegas power play midway through the third quarter.
Vegas officially went into desperation mode by pulling Carter Hart with about three minutes left in the game, but nothing worked and Nikolaj Ehlers got the party started by scoring an open goal. Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi continued to stay on top of his head and preserved the shutout.
One of those failed leads was in Game 3, when Vegas took a 4-0 lead on a double overtime goal. The other could be the difference in this series.
Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal during the second period of Game Six of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 14, 2026. (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Playing in less than half of the Canes’ games during the regular season, Bussi did not see any ice in the playoffs until replacing Frederik Andersen in Game 3. He stood out in the biggest game of his life.
In Game 2, the Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the third period, but Carolina scored three goals to take the lead. Vegas tied it to force overtime, but the overtime period did not go their way.
Rod Brind-Amour became the 14th person (excluding player-coaches) to win the Stanley Cup as both a player and head coach, and the first since Larry Robinson with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.
He also became the seventh person to win the Cup by coaching the team he won with as a player. No one has done that since Toe Blake did it with the Montreal Canadiens 70 years ago.
Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal during the second period of Game Six of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 14, 2026. (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
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It’s a long-awaited breakthrough for the Hurricanes, who have made the playoffs for the eighth straight year after missing out in each of the previous nine seasons. During that stretch, they had lost three conference finals and three semifinals, even though they were a consensus pick to win it all.
But this time they finally fought for Lord’s Stanley and did their best to capture it.
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