At 37, Jordan Staal Just Did Something No Stanley Cup Captain Has Done Since Ovechkin

Jordan Staal is no longer just the other Staal brother. At 37 years old and in his 20th NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes captain has added the Conn Smythe Trophy to a career résumé that already included a Stanley Cup ring. Staal becomes the oldest player ever to win the playoff MVP award, edging out Tim Thomas by a few months — and doing so while carrying his team through a historic Stanley Cup Final.

Staal scored in each of the first five games of the Final, a feat no player had accomplished in 70 years. He finished the series with five goals and was a physical presence every shift, anchoring a Hurricanes penalty kill that suffocated opponents. His performance swung the Conn Smythe vote decisively, especially after goaltender Frederik Andersen was pulled from the net during the series.

It’s a full-circle moment for the Staal family. Twenty years ago, Eric Staal led Carolina in playoff scoring during the Hurricanes’ 2006 championship run. Now Jordan, who joined the franchise in a trade from Pittsburgh before the 2012-13 season, has his name etched next to his brother’s in Hurricanes lore.

A Captain’s Legacy

Staal was drafted second overall by the Penguins in 2006 and won his first Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. But after six seasons in black and gold, he was dealt to Carolina — a move that reunited him with Eric for three seasons before Eric left to chase another ring elsewhere. Jordan stayed. He kept wearing the Hurricanes jersey through rebuilds, close calls, and finally, another championship.

“He’s been the heart of this team for over a decade,” one Hurricanes teammate said after the Game 7 win, as captured by the team’s postgame broadcast. “Nobody deserves this more.”

The last captain to hoist the Stanley Cup and win the Conn Smythe was Alex Ovechkin in 2018. Staal now joins an exclusive club that includes Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Nicklas Lidström — all leaders who delivered when it mattered most.

Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe in 2024 despite the Oilers falling short, a rarity that underscored how individual brilliance sometimes outshines team success. Staal, by contrast, captured both. And at an age when most players have long retired, he just put together the best playoff run of his career.