Welcome back to the summit, Carolina.
The Hurricanes took down the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 Sunday night to win the Stanley Cup.
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It’s the second championship in Hurricanes history, ending a 20-year drought with the last triumph coming in 2005-26.
After the first four games of the series featured the two sides exchanging wins, Carolina stamped its authority with a 4-2 victory in Game 5 to make it two straight wins — and one away from the title.
But doing so in the Vegas atmosphere wouldn’t be easy. Now it’s been done.
Just about four minutes into the opening period, Taylor Hall found himself open on the break for a 1v1 shot. He drilled it home.
The second goal came with about six-and-a-half minutes to go in the second period. With the Golden Knights camped in their defensive box, Jackson Blake smacked it home with force. Logan Stankoven recorded the assist.
Carolina held it down from there with Brandon Buss coming out with several important saves.
In the closing minutes, Nikolaj Ehlers made it 3-0 off an empty net. He had some work to do to create the angle but made it happen.
The Hurricanes now see their 20-year wait for the title come to a close. They topped the Metropolitan Division with a win-loss-overtime loss record of 53-22-7. The 113-point total trailed only the Colorado Avalanche’s 121, though Colorado could not optimize its tag as favorites.
Carolina last won the Stanley Cup in 2005-06 after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in Game 7. The franchise also made the final in 2001-02, its only other appearance, but lost 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings despite taking the opening game on the road.
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The Golden Knights, which started play in 2017, made its third appearance in the final — still a remarkable feat despite two losses. Vegas first made it in its debut campaign before falling short to the Washington Capitals 4-1 — also after winning Game 1, but at home.
Vegas then claimed its first championship in 2022-23 after a brilliant 9-3 Game 5 win against the Florida Panthers, right before their dominant stretch.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour also put himself in the history books by winning a title with the franchise as both a player (captain, too) and head coach. He’s made the playoffs in each of his eight seasons leading the team, finally breaking through this year.
He made the conference finals three times, including his debut head-coaching season.
Only six other players have achieved the feat of winning a title as a player and a coach for the same team. The last example transpired in 1956 with Montreal Canadiens’ Toe Blake.
Brind’Amour will be tasked with the tough ask to repeat as champions, though his resume indicates his side will likely be back in the mix.
Carolina is the latest example of a major professional league team ending a championship drought this season. The New York Knicks just claimed the NBA title after 53 years, while Arsenal ended a 22-year Premier League title wait.
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