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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Jordan Staal #11 of the Carolina Hurricanes lifts the Stanley Cup after Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Before Jordan Staal lifted his second Stanley Cup, the Carolina Hurricanes star center reflected on where he had been with longtime coach Rob Brind’Amour.

Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy on the way to the Hurricanes’ 4-2 series win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. He had been part of Carolina’s return to relevancy eight years ago and part of the Hurricanes’ constant push for a second Cup in the last seven seasons, which came to fruition on Sunday in Las Vegas.

“The eight years we’ve been doing this with Roddy, it’s the game we’ve built,” Staal told reporters for the Game 6 pregame press conference. “It doesn’t ever change. It’s just the same thing over and over again. It doesn’t matter what the score is —  up, down, left or right. We’re just going to show up, and we’re going to work and do the things that we do. And it’s going to give us the best chance to win.”    

Carolina won 53 games this season, the most since 2022, and the Hurricanes got past the Eastern Conference finals hump on a fourth try since 2019. Brind’Amour became the head coach in that 2018-2019 season after serving on the coaching staff since 2011.

The former Hurricanes captain and 2006 Stanley Cup winner helped rebuild the team amid a ​nine-year playoff drought before 2019. Staal played for the Hurricanes for most of that drought after a successful run with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he won his first Stanley Cup in 2009.

Jordan Staal Came Hungry

Staal came hungry this postseason as he became the oldest player, 37, to win the playoff MVP. He helped the Hurricanes end a 20-year Stanley Cup drought in the process.

“That’s a lot of years,” Hurricanes center Jordan Staal told ESPN. “It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one.”

“You want to win it again and again and again. What a feeling, what a battle,” he added. “The boys were grinding today, my goodness. So many individual efforts just to keep the puck out of our net. It was an amazing ride. I’m just so proud of these guys.”  

Rob Brind’Amour Compares Stanley Cup Wins

While many players and coaches don’t like to compare championships, Brind’Amour didn’t hesitate to talk about how the two wins differed from themselves. 

“It’s just as awesome,” Brind’Amour told reporters. “But as a player, it was a little different. I worked and dreamt of winning the Cup my whole life, so that was like a piano came off my back. This time around, I wanted it for the group.” 

His Cup win as a player looked much different in 2006 when the Hurricanes went seven with the Edmonton Oilers. Carolina lost 4-0 in that Game 6 on the road but bounced back to win Game 7 at home, 3-1.

Hurricanes Left No Doubt

The Hurricanes took control early with a quick goal by Taylor Hall, and Carolina put the series away gradually in Vegas that night.

Jackson Blake put the Hurricanes ahead 2-0 in the second period, and Nikolaj Ehlers iced the game in the third period with a late goal for a 3-0 shutout win. Carolina goalie Brandon Bussi stymied the Golden Knights’ skaters with 22 saves.