▲ The Carolina Hurricanes celebrate winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years.
The Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL) have lifted the championship trophy for the first time in 20 years.
On Monday (June 15, KST), Carolina defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the 2025-2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final (best-of-seven series), held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With this victory, Carolina closed out the series against Vegas with 4 wins and 2 losses, securing their second Stanley Cup title, 20 years after their first championship in 2006.
Taylor Hall opened the scoring just 3 minutes and 47 seconds into the first period, followed by consecutive goals from Jackson Blake and Nikolaj Ehlers. Goalie Brandon Bussi led the team to a shutout with a series of brilliant saves.
The Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the playoffs, went to 37-year-old veteran center Jordan Staal.
Staal set a remarkable record by scoring a goal in every game from the first to the fifth game of the final series.
"This is the result I have been longing for since our first championship," Staal said, unable to hide his joy.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who was the captain during Carolina's first championship in 2006, has now etched his name on the Stanley Cup once again as a coach.
"When I won as a player, it felt like a heavy burden was lifted off my shoulders," Brind'Amour said. "This victory is entirely for our team, which makes it even more meaningful."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.