Jordan Staal Chasing NHL History in Stanley Cup Final
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal skates during a game on April 24, 2013. Photo credits: Benjamin Reed
Written By Gina Anton
As the oldest player in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at age 37, Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal is on the verge of making NHL history.
If the Hurricanes capture the Stanley Cup, Staal would become the first player in league history to wait at least 17 years between his first and second championships. His lone Stanley Cup victory came in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played a key role in a championship run that included eliminating his brother, Eric Staal, and the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
The journey has come full circle for Staal. Before he ever played an NHL game, he experienced the Stanley Cup Final as a 17-year-old draft prospect in 2006, watching from the sidelines as Eric Staal and current Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour helped lead Carolina to the franchise's only championship.
Selected second overall in the 2006 NHL Draft behind future NHL defenseman and current ESPN analyst Erik Johnson, Staal quickly established himself as one of the league's premier two-way forwards. Just three years after being drafted, he lifted the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh.
Now, 17 years later, Staal has another opportunity to add his name to the history books. A championship with Carolina would not only deliver a long-awaited second Stanley Cup but also cap one of the most remarkable championship gaps ever seen in professional hockey.
Despite already having a Stanley Cup ring, Staal says the desire to win another has never faded.
"You can ask anyone, you're always chasing it, obviously, but when you win it you want to do it again," Staal said. "There's no better feeling. There's no better camaraderie. There's no better ride. There's no better accomplishment as a group of guys than finishing it off and winning your last game. It's something I've been chasing and I want it really bad for this group for how hard it's been and how much we've gone through."
For Staal and the Hurricanes, the opportunity is about more than personal achievement. It's a chance to bring another championship to Carolina and reward a veteran core that has spent years knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup Final. For their captain, it could also mean securing a unique place in NHL history.
