Jaccob Slavin is only the ninth player to win Olympic gold (USA) and the Stanley Cup (Carolina) in the same season.
photo: Andrea Cardin/IIHF
Carolina defenceman Jaccob Slavin made history Sunday night when the Hurricanes defeated Vegas, 3-0, to win the Stanley Cup. He became just the ninth player to win the Cup and Olympic gold in the same year.
The first was another American, Ken Morrow, in 1980 (Cup with the New York Islanders), after which the double was achieved by seven Canadians. Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman won the Cup with Detroit in 2002, just a few weeks after helping Canada win Olympic gold for the first time in 50 years. This was the first of three gold medals in four Olympics for Canada.
In 2010, three names were added to this exclusive list: Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews, who all won the Cup with Chicago. And, in 2014, Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter won the Cup with Los Angeles.
Stanley Cup for two Danes
But the Cup win, in six games over the Golden Knights, was special in many ways. Goalie Frederik Andersen and compatriot Nikolaj Ehlers became just the second and third Danes to win the Cup. The first was Lars Eller, with Washington in 2018. Oddly, all three won on Vegas’s home ice, T-Mobile Arena.
And consider Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. He won a gold medal with Canada at the 1994 World Championship as a player, and in 2006 he captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup. Now, 20 years later, he lifted the Cup as the same team’s coach. Only three men have matched this achievement: Hockey Hall of Famers Toe Blake (Montreal Canadiens), Hap Day (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Cooney Weiland (Boston Bruins).
Taylor Hall is also now a Stanley Cup champion. After nearly 1,000 games over 16 seasons, he adds to a trophy chest that is full of IIHF accomplishments. Hall won gold at the 2008 U18 with Canada, and back-to-back gold at the 2015 and ’16 World Championship. He also won a silver at the 2010 World Juniors.
Logan Stankoven also had a sensational junior career in international competition. He won gold at the 2021 U18, scoring the winning goal in the final game, and then won double gold at the World Juniors in 2022 and 2023 with Canada.
Captain Jordan Staal, who was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner, won gold with Canada at the 2007 Worlds, while Sean Walker was on Canada’s 2021 gold-medal World Championship team. Seth Jarvis was also part of Canada’s champion team at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Finland’s Sebastian Aho is also celebrating the Cup win today. He was on Suomi’s gold-medal team at the 2016 World Juniors.
The Hurricanes needed only 19 games to win the Cup, losing only three times in four series. They swept Ottawa and Philadelphia in the first two rounds and lost only one game in the conference finals to Montreal. Vegas pushed them to six games. The only team to win the Cup in fewer games during the four-round of best-of-seven playoffs are the 1988 Edmonton Oilers, which lost only two games.
The first was another American, Ken Morrow, in 1980 (Cup with the New York Islanders), after which the double was achieved by seven Canadians. Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman won the Cup with Detroit in 2002, just a few weeks after helping Canada win Olympic gold for the first time in 50 years. This was the first of three gold medals in four Olympics for Canada.
In 2010, three names were added to this exclusive list: Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews, who all won the Cup with Chicago. And, in 2014, Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter won the Cup with Los Angeles.
Stanley Cup for two Danes
But the Cup win, in six games over the Golden Knights, was special in many ways. Goalie Frederik Andersen and compatriot Nikolaj Ehlers became just the second and third Danes to win the Cup. The first was Lars Eller, with Washington in 2018. Oddly, all three won on Vegas’s home ice, T-Mobile Arena.
And consider Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. He won a gold medal with Canada at the 1994 World Championship as a player, and in 2006 he captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup. Now, 20 years later, he lifted the Cup as the same team’s coach. Only three men have matched this achievement: Hockey Hall of Famers Toe Blake (Montreal Canadiens), Hap Day (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Cooney Weiland (Boston Bruins).
Taylor Hall is also now a Stanley Cup champion. After nearly 1,000 games over 16 seasons, he adds to a trophy chest that is full of IIHF accomplishments. Hall won gold at the 2008 U18 with Canada, and back-to-back gold at the 2015 and ’16 World Championship. He also won a silver at the 2010 World Juniors.
Logan Stankoven also had a sensational junior career in international competition. He won gold at the 2021 U18, scoring the winning goal in the final game, and then won double gold at the World Juniors in 2022 and 2023 with Canada.
Captain Jordan Staal, who was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner, won gold with Canada at the 2007 Worlds, while Sean Walker was on Canada’s 2021 gold-medal World Championship team. Seth Jarvis was also part of Canada’s champion team at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Finland’s Sebastian Aho is also celebrating the Cup win today. He was on Suomi’s gold-medal team at the 2016 World Juniors.
The Hurricanes needed only 19 games to win the Cup, losing only three times in four series. They swept Ottawa and Philadelphia in the first two rounds and lost only one game in the conference finals to Montreal. Vegas pushed them to six games. The only team to win the Cup in fewer games during the four-round of best-of-seven playoffs are the 1988 Edmonton Oilers, which lost only two games.