Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal becomes oldest player to win Conn Smythe Trophy

With the Carolina Hurricanes being crowned the Stanley Cup champions with a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 on Sunday, center Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for his performance in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Staal’s performance throughout the entire playoffs wasn’t the most traditional for a Conn Smythe winner, as he had only eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 19 games. However, Staal’s case became more prevalent once the Stanley Cup Final rolled around, as not only was he an elite shutdown center against Jack Eichel (who had just four assists in the six-game series), but the Thunder Bay, Ontario product had six goals in the Final, scoring one in each of the first five games. Staal was the first player to score five goals to start a Cup Final since Jean Beliveau did it in 1956.

Staal is also the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, doing so at 37 years old. He’ll turn 38 on September 10th.

Staal is the second Hurricane to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, with the other coming during the Hurricanes’ other Stanley Cup win in 2006. Cam Ward was the winner that season, so Staal is the first skater to win the Conn Smythe for the Canes.

The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup with relatively smooth sailing, as they only lost three games in the process, the fewest needed for a Stanley Cup win since the Edmonton Oilers went 16-2 in 1988. The Hurricanes began the playoffs with two straight sweeps of the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, and then bested the Montreal Canadiens in five games after losing the first before taking care of the Golden Knights in six games in the Stanley Cup Final.