Logan Stankoven was 7 years old and Jackson Blake still 6 and on the verge of his seventh birthday when the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NHL draft.
Fast-forward more than a decade and a half later, and the 鈥淜ids and the Hall” line was a huge reason the .
鈥淕reat all playoffs, all year,鈥� coach Rod Brind鈥橝mour said. 鈥淭heir game really hasn鈥檛 changed for months.鈥�
Offsetting power-play struggles through the first three rounds and sagging production from the top line of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov for much of the playoffs, Hall, Stankoven and Blake combined for 29 of the Hurricanes’ 66 goals in their title run.
That included the two scored on in Game 6 against Vegas to close out the final.
鈥淭hose two just work so hard,鈥� Blake said. 鈥淭hey make it a whole lot easier on me to play out there, for sure. They were unbelievable all playoffs long, and it was so fun and to cap it off with this is very special.鈥�
Hall had what will go down as the Game 6 winner, completing at 18 seasons the longest stretch between getting picked first and winning the Cup. The 34-year-old winger who was NHL MVP in 2017-18 thrived as a role player with Carolina, his seventh team in the league.
鈥淵ou never know what kind of turn your life鈥檚 going to take,鈥� said Hall, who joined from Chicago as part of in January 2025 and signed an extension a few months later. “I got fortunate coming here. A special group to do it with. They allowed me, personally, just to come in and have success and that says a lot.鈥�
In that same deal, the Hurricanes got big winger Mikko Rantanen from Colorado. He lasted just 13 games with them before .
The centerpiece of that return was Stankoven, who was most of the way through his first season with the Stars.
鈥淚 didn’t see it coming,鈥� Stankoven said. 鈥淚t was tough at first just to kind of swallow it and realize that I was getting shipped out.鈥�
Stankoven and led the team in playoff goals with 11. Blake assisted on Hall’s goal and scored the second one Sunday night, showing up big as the youngest player to lift the Cup this time.
鈥淚 have no words right now,鈥� Blake said. 鈥淚鈥檓 out of breath. But this is the greatest feeling I鈥檝e ever had in my life. It鈥檚 unbelievable. And to do it with these guys, my family here and everyone here supporting us, it鈥檚 unbelievable.鈥�
It all worked because Stankoven was able to fill the void in the middle that had prevented the Hurricanes from getting over the hump.
Hall became the muscle. Blake was the distributor. Stankoven turned out to be the finisher, while also creating the offense at even strength.
鈥淚t鈥檚 what you dream of as a kid is to obviously, one, win a Stanley Cup but you want to be a difference-maker in the NHL,鈥� Stankoven said. 鈥淚 know that I鈥檓 not a finished product. I still have work to put in, and I鈥檓 still a young guy. I just want to keep working at my game and just being a sponge.鈥�
While the Stars are more than happy to have Rantanen in his prime, Stankoven made the best of the move 15 months ago. Last summer, he signed a $48 million contract through 2034 and already looks to be worth every penny.
鈥淓verything kind of happens for a reason,鈥� Stankoven said. 鈥淒allas got their player, and I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina.鈥�
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