Carolina Hurricanes Don't Touch Prince Of Wales Trophy After Eliminating Canadiens And Advancing To Cup Final
The Carolina Hurricanes may have lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, but they went on to win four straight for the third series in a row.
Carolina beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 on Friday to become Eastern Conference champions and advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 20 years.
The Hurricanes swept the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first two rounds, and they dropped just one game to Montreal, giving them a 12-1 record heading into their next series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Carolina Hurricanes Are Back In The Stanley Cup Final
Dominating the Canadiens in a lopsided five-game surge, Carolina clinches its first title berth since 2006. The red-hot Canes now host Vegas to battle for hockey's ultimate prize.
Staal's decision means neither team advancing to this year's final touched the conference champions' trophies. Vegas kept its hands off the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl after sweeping the Colorado Avalanche.
Choosing whether or not to touch the trophy is a matter of superstition. The last three Stanley Cup champions did not touch the conference championship trophy, but the previous three did.
Rest, Not Rust For Hurricanes
The Hurricanes had 11 days of rest between the second and third rounds, which ignited a rest-versus-rust debate. Three teams had at least 10 days of rest between series before the Canes in NHL history; two of them lost the next round, and the 1919 Canadiens' Cup final ended without a winner because of the pandemic.
Carolina was given a scare in Game 1, as the Canadiens won 6-2. But the Hurricanes found their game afterward and limited their opponent to five goals over the following four games. The squad became the first to win its following series after that much rest.
They'll only have three days of rest between Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Tuesday.
More to come.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM.