B.C.’s Rod Brind’Amour lifts the Stanley Cup again

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Rod Brind’Amour is bringing the Stanley Cup back to Campbell River.

Twenty years after winning it all as a captain, the Campbell River product is a champion once again after coaching the Carolina Hurricanes to a six-game series win over the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Final.

They defeated the Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 on June 14 to seal the deal.

Carolina never really looked out of place in these playoffs.

The Hurricanes finished 16-3, the second-best postseason record since the NHL moved to a four-round, best-of-seven format in 1987.

Brind’Amour, 55, has now spent 26 years tied to the organization in some form or another. Ten seasons as a player, a year in player development, seven as an assistant coach, and the last eight as head coach. It has been one continuous run in Carolina since arriving in 1999.

After Game 6, he tried to separate what he had done on the ice from what he has now done behind the bench.

“It’s still awesome, but as a player it was a little different,” Brind’Amour said. “I worked, dreamt about winning a cup my whole life, so that was like a piano coming off my back.”

He is commonly known as a ‘player’s coach’, and that sentiment could be seen during his post-game conference.

“This time around, I wanted it for the group, I wanted them to feel what it’s like, and I wanted it so bad for them. So to watch them finally get it, and then when I’m grabbing it, to see the look on their faces, it’s priceless. Because you know how happy they were for me, and it was the other way around for me. I’ll never forget that.”

The win also puts Brind’Amour in monumental company.

He becomes just the fourth person in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with the same franchise as both captain and head coach, joining Toe Blake, Hap Day and Cooney Weiland.

There was also a strong Canadian presence in Carolina’s run.

Kamloops’ Logan Stankoven was one of nine Canadian players on their roster, playing a major role in his first full season with the team, finishing with 11 goals and five assists in 19 playoff games.

On the other side, Vegas carried a pair of Island ties of its own.

Duncan’s Dylan Coghlan appeared in 13 playoff games, while Comox goaltender Adin Hill served as a backup to Carter Hart. Hill was a major factor in the Golden Knights 2023 Stanley Cup win.

The Hurricanes will hold their championship parade June 20.

After that, the Stanley Cup begins its annual summer journey, with every player, coach and staff member getting their day with the trophy. And for Campbell River, that familiar possibility is back on the table again.

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