Hall wins Stanley Cup in 16th NHL season after finding fit with Hurricanes

LAS VEGAS -- Taylor Hall savored a moment Sunday that was a long time coming. 

Among family and teammates on the ice after Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena, the Carolina Hurricanes forward reflected on his long journey to a championship.

“I’m speechless. I’m tired and I’m speechless,” Hall said shortly after his victory lap with the Cup following a 3-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights. “It has been a journey, but that’s life and that’s the beautiful part of it -- you just never know what turn is going to be the one that provides a memorable experience like this.

“I’m so happy. I’m so grateful that I was able to come here and fit in. I’m just thrilled.”

The 34-year-old won the Cup in his first full season with Carolina after being part of the three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24, 2025, that also sent forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes. Rantanen only played 13 games with Carolina before being traded to the Dallas Stars, but Hall found a home.

His goal at 3:47 of the first period in Game 6 gave the Hurricanes a lead they would not relinquish; they shut out the Golden Knights to close out the best-of-7 series and win their first championship since 2006. Hall finished the postseason with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 19 games, a plus-14 rating and was second in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association behind Carolina captain Jordan Staal for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. 

“Winning with these guys is amazing; it’s just a really special group,” Hall said. “It’s a group that allows players like myself to come in and have success. What they’ve done for the last seven or eight years here is amazing.

“I’m proud of the way I contributed, but it’s easy here. We know how we need to play, and (Sunday) was a prime example of that. We were dialed in and I’m just a part of the process, but I was definitely happy that I was able to raise my game in the playoffs.”

The No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2010 NHL Draft, it took Hall nine seasons just to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was the cornerstone of a rebuild that never came to fruition during his tenure with the Oilers, and he was traded to the New Jersey Devils a season after Edmonton selected center Connor McDavid with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Hall enjoyed his best individual season with New Jersey, winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2017-18 when he had 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games and led the Devils to the postseason. His time with them was short-lived, however; Hall was traded to the Arizona Coyotes during the 2019-20 season and has also since played for the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and the Blackhawks.

But he helped the Hurricanes (53-22-7) finish first in the Eastern Conference during the 2025-26 regular season, when he had 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 80 games. His line with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake was Carolina’s most consistent through the first three rounds of the playoffs, and each contributed to the win Sunday with Blake making it 2-0 at 13:31 of the second period after a feed from Stankoven.

Hall had three points (two goals, one assist) in the Cup Final.

“He was unbelievable all playoffs long, and for him to be able to score (Sunday) and to score the game-winner for us is so special,” Blake said. “And that’s just what he did all year for us. He’s been through a lot in his career, a lot of ups and downs, and no one is more deserving than that guy for sure. He deserves it, and those are the guys you play for.”

Stankoven said, “He was incredible (Sunday) and through the whole playoffs. But (Sunday) you could see he was so hungry and he was skating great, driving the play. He had a great read on his goal, and it was a great shot. I’m very happy for him. He’s had a lot of individual success, but he wanted to be a Stanley Cup winner, and it was great to see him hoist the Cup.”

It was a moment that for a while looked as though it would never happen for Hall, not until the trade to Carolina and a chance to play for coach Rod Brind'Amour. His 48 points during the regular season were the most he had since 2021-22 with the Bruins (61; 20 goals, 41 assists).

“It’s a great story; we have a bunch of these guys that grinded it out,” Brind’Amour said. “Him coming over with the pedigree he had, it could have been easy for him to say, ‘I’m not doing this,’ but it was the opposite. It was, ‘How do I contribute to getting this?’

“He kind of got better as a player. You just watch him now, and I don’t know that he could have played any better. He was a real special player, another great addition, and I know he’s a big part of what we’ve just done here.”

His teammates felt the same way, especially when you consider Hall was the third player to hold the Cup on Sunday. Staal handed it to goalie Frederik Andersen, who then gave it to Hall at the urging of center Sebastian Aho.

“Every time you see someone lift the Cup, you see all the emotions and are so happy for that guy, and Taylor especially,” Carolina forward Mark Jankowski said. “It’s such a great career for him. He’s done so many great things, and for him to be able to be a huge part of us lifting this Cup is really special.”

Hall said it began to sink in that he was going to be a Stanley Cup champion in his 16th season after Nikolaj Ehlers sealed it with an empty-net goal with 1:08 remaining in the third period.

“With a minute left, I think that’s when you really start thinking about it, but all day you’re thinking about the possibility of doing this. It’s amazing,” Hall said. “It’s unreal. You dream of this stuff.

“I’m proud of myself, but there are a lot of people that helped me along the way, including the coaching staff here. Everyone chipped in.”