Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho gives Taylor Hall his Stanley Cup moment after 16-year wait

The 2025-26 NHL season is officially in the books, and just as it was 20 years ago, the Carolina Hurricanes are the last team standing. They won the Stanley Cup for the first time in two decades, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, capped by a 3-0 shutout win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday evening.

It marked their first title since they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in 2006.

Longtime Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and initially handed the prestigious award to goaltender Frederik Andersen. When it came time for Andersen to pass it along, the Danish netminder first attempted to give it to Sebastian Aho. However, Aho graciously redirected him to teammate Taylor Hall in a classy gesture.

TAYLOR HALL IS A STANLEY CUP CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/oc1KCyDvMT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 15, 2026

Hall, the former first overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, had just completed his first full season with the Hurricanes after arriving at last year’s NHL Trade Deadline as part of the three-team Mikko Rantanen trade. Having appeared in 989 career NHL regular-season games, Hall finally achieved a lifelong dream by lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time on Sunday night.

As part of the 3-0 win, Hall opened the scoring in the first period, beating Vegas goaltender Carter Hart with a low shot past the glove. He finished the Stanley Cup Playoffs with seven goals and 12 assists in 19 games; he reached career playoff bests in both goals and assists during Carolina’s journey to the mountaintop.

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