Hurricanes Win Stanley Cup Behind Bussi's Shutout
Brandon Bussi made 22 saves in Game 6 as Carolina defeated Vegas 3-0 to win their first Cup in 20 years.
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The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions.
Brandon Bussi made 22 saves for the shutout and the Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to win the championship series 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, June 14.
Bussi, in his first National Hockey League season at age 27, won his first three career playoff starts to help Carolina win its first Stanley Cup in 20 years. Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist, and Taylor Hall scored for the Hurricanes, who lost just three games all playoffs en route to their Cup win.
Carolina swept the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in Rounds 1 and 2 respectively, and then took down the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the Eastern Conference Final. Since the NHL expanded its playoff format to include four best-of-seven series in 1986-87, only the 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers (16-2) required fewer games to win the Stanley Cup.
Rod Brind'Amour, who captained that '06 Hurricanes team, became the first NHL coach in 70 years to win the Cup with the same franchise he also won it with as a player. Brind'Amour has either been a player or head coach for 102 of Carolina's 104 playoff wins.
Jordan Staal, at 37 years old, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP—the oldest player in NHL history to win it. Staal scored in each of the first five games of the championship series, the longest streak in Cup Final history.