Hurricanes’ Jordan Martinook perfectly sums up Jordan Staal’s Conn Smythe win

The Carolina Hurricanes are your 2026 Stanley Cup champions. Jordan Staal led this team to its second championship in franchise history. And the Hurricanes captain won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP along the way.

Staal is very well respected around the NHL. That respect begins within the Carolina dressing room. Teammate Jordan Martinook shared a glimpse into that with his reaction to Staal’s Conn Smythe win.

“You talk to every first-line center that we played throughout these playoffs and I bet you they stay they hate playing against Jordan Staal. And then for him to come out and do what he does in the Cup Final, you can’t put into words what he means to this team. He’s been through the low’s here and now he’s lifted it above his head. I’m so happy for him,” Martinook said, via The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

Staal had a bit of a quiet postseason entering the Stanley Cup Final. However, the Hurricanes captain turned it on once his team met the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored six goals in the first five games of this series to help Carolina win the Cup in six.

This has been a long time coming for Staal, as well. The Carolina captain last won the Cup as a 20-year-old back in 2009. He joined the Hurricanes in 2012 through a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He has been Carolina’s captain since 2017 when he co-captained the team with defenseman Justin Faulk. Staal lost the captaincy in 2018, but became the sole captain in 2019 when Justin Williams retired.

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