"Carolina Hurricanes" win Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years
Kyiv • UNN
The team defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the finals to secure their second title. Captain Jordan Staal was named the NHL playoff MVP.
The Carolina Hurricanes, an American professional hockey team from North Carolina, won the NHL Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday in Las Vegas, UNN reports, citing BBC Sport.
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The Hurricanes closed out the best-of-seven series with one game to spare, winning 4-2 to secure their second title.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who lifted the Stanley Cup as Carolina's captain in 2006, led the Hurricanes into the playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and lost only three games, defeating the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, and Golden Knights on the way to the title.
"I think it was our time. We weren't going to be denied," Brind'Amour said.
"It's different now because as a player, I wanted it so bad for myself. But now, sitting behind [the bench] and watching the game, I wanted it so bad for these guys because there isn't a harder-working team. It's like a proud father watching his kids go to work," he noted.
Taylor Hall opened the scoring for the Hurricanes just three minutes and 47 seconds in, before Jackson Blake doubled their lead midway through the second period.
Nikolaj Ehlers sealed the victory with 68 seconds remaining, scoring into an empty net after the Golden Knights replaced goaltender Carter Hart with an extra attacker with three minutes left in an attempt to get back into the game.
Hurricanes rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi made 22 saves to record his first career playoff shutout.
Carolina captain Jordan Staal, a two-time Stanley Cup champion after previously winning with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, became the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. The 37-year-old scored eight goals and provided four assists during the Hurricanes' championship run.
"This is what I've been chasing since I won the first one. You want to win again and again and again," said Staal, whose 17-year gap between titles is the longest in NHL history.
"It was so hard. I just wanted to win so badly," he said.
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