Carolina Hurricanes end the season as Stanley Cup champions after Finals sweep of Vegas

The 2025-26 NHL season ended with Carolina claiming the Stanley Cup in a decisive Game 6, beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night. It was a fitting conclusion to what the club has framed as a complete postseason run, with the Hurricanes controlling games deep into the spring as they closed out the final with one last, controlled performance.

Montreal, meanwhile, did not reach the Stanley Cup Final this season, but the Canadiens still had a quiet presence in the winner’s circle. According to reporting, three players who previously wore the Montreal Canadiens sweater are now Stanley Cup champions, underscoring how NHL careers can quickly turn into new opportunities once trades and roster retooling move players to different contending teams.

Carolina’s path to the Cup has been defined by momentum and results. In the postseason, the Hurricanes compiled a 16-3 record, a run that suggests not only success, but consistency across rounds and situations. With that kind of production behind them, the Stanley Cup Final looked less like a single-game test and more like the culmination of a team that had already proven it could win repeatedly.

The final series outcome also emphasizes the gap between “getting hot” and sustaining structure under pressure. Winning a Cup series in six games is often a sign that both teams are capable of rising to the moment, but Carolina’s ability to protect leads and keep Vegas from establishing the tempo they wanted was what made the closing stretch feel controlled rather than chaotic.

For the Golden Knights, Sunday’s loss closed a season of high expectations. Even without a championship, Vegas’s presence in the Final reinforced how quickly teams can assemble contenders in the modern NHL, though the result means they will begin the next cycle without the trophy that would have defined the year.

For Montreal, the consolation is limited, but it still matters in hockey’s ecosystem. When former players bring home the Cup elsewhere, it can affect how fans view roster decisions and how organizations plan for their own future competitiveness, particularly with respect to player development and how quickly talent can move between “franchise builder” and “championship contributor” roles. The Canadiens will likely focus on getting back to the postseason soon, so that their own players have the chance to experience games like these from the inside.