Staal wins cup, named playoff MVP
With his parents and three brothers in the stands in Las Vegas, Jordan Staal hoisted the Stanley Cup Sunday night.
The captain of the Carolina Hurricanes accepted the cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman after the Canes blanked the Golden Knights 3-0.
Taylor Hall got Carolina off to an early start then Jackson Blake added an insurance marker before Nic Ehlers added an empty netter with 1:08 left in the third to seal it.
Carolina won the best of seven series 4 games to 2.
Staal picked up the Conn Smythe trophy awarded to the playoff’s most valuable player. The 37 year old had six goals in the final, the oldest player in NHL history to score six times in the championship series. The veteran centreman dominated in the faceoff circle and kept the opposing team’s top players at bay throughout the playoffs. The Thunder Bay native was a 20-year-old when he won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
