Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal sets record with 17 years between Stanley Cup wins
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal lifted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career on Sunday night, in the process setting a new NHL record for the longest time between championship victories.
Staal, 37, first won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. With his second win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, he eclipsed a record previously held by Chris Chelios, who won his first two Stanley Cups a full 16 years apart during his own playing career.
In addition to his second championship, Staal was named the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL’s 2026 playoff MVP. He skated in 19 games with the Hurricanes during this year’s playoffs, collecting eight goals and 12 points; he scored six of those goals against Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hockey News columnist Ken Campbell was the first to share the tidbit about Staal on Sunday, after he helped the Hurricanes win their first Stanley Cup since 2006, when his older brother, Eric, played for the team.
Staal has spent the last 14 seasons of his career with the Hurricanes after being acquired from Pittsburgh at the 2012 NHL Draft. The Thunder Bay, Ont. product has served as Carolina’s full-time captain since 2019, having previously served as either an alternate for both the Hurricanes and Penguins since 2008.
Pittsburgh originally selected Staal with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Staal — whose other brothers Marc and Jared also played in the NHL — spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Penguins, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 before winning the Cup the following year.
In 2012, the Penguins sent Staal to Carolina in exchange for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a first-round pick in that year’s draft (used to select Derrick Pouliot). He eventually helped the Hurricanes end a decade-long playoff drought in 2019 and has led them back to the playoffs each year since.
Chelios, the previous standard-bearer for time between wins, helped the Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1986 before falling short in the 1989 and 1992 Finals with Montreal and the Chicago Blackhawks, respectively. He eventually won again with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, and ultimately won a third time with Detroit in 2008 — at age 48.
Staal has appeared in 1,403 career NHL games with the Hurricanes and Penguins since 2006-07, collecting 318 goals and 747 points. He’s added 46 goals and 85 points in 181 career playoff contests.