Hurricanes Called Most 'Disrespected' Stanley Cup Champion
The Carolina Hurricanes claimed the Stanley Cup with a 3-0 shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6.
Carolina ran through the entire playoffs, as the Hurricanes swept their first two series, won the Eastern Conference Finals in five games, and won the Stanley Cup in six games. It was a dominant 16-3 run, but throughout the playoffs, Carolina was overlooked, and former NHLer and now analyst Paul Bissonnette believes the Hurricanes will go down as the most disrespected Stanley Cup champion ever.
"The most disrespected wagon probably to ever win the Stanley Cup," Bissonnette said on Spittin' Chiclets on June 15. "They went 16-3 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and we are talking about them like they are an AHL team, up until now. They have earned the respect; this is going to be the biggest Carolina Hurricanes glaze you have ever heard in your life, and they deserve it."
Bissonnette believes the Hurricanes were considered frauds for years due to their failures in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers in recent years and their inability to compete.
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Yet, Carolina was able to prove all the doubters wrong in these playoffs as the Hurricanes dominated the entire Stanley Cup playoffs to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
But, despite winning, Bissonnette thinks their Stanley Cup run was overlooked due to how recent years ended for the Hurricanes.
Hurricanes Stuck To Process
Carolina had one of the greatest Stanley Cup playoff runs in recent memory to win it all, but it wasn't easy.
Instead, the Hurricanes were called 'frauds' and had plenty of playoff disappointment. Yet, Carolina stuck to its process, and head coach Rod Brind'Amour is happy it all paid off.
"We stuck with it," Brind'Amour said postgame. "I mean, this is eight years, and ‘Jordo,' 14. I was an assistant coach watching him grind it out. I mean, it's really gratifying. ... We've built something real special, and it's been there for a long time. It just never quite was able to crack through, and then finally we did here."
Brind'Amour has now won both Stanley Cups in Hurricanes franchise history, one as a player and the other as a head coach. Yet, he admits this one is special for him as he got to soak into the moment and notice how much it meant to not just the players but their families.
"As a player, it was like, ‘I want it. I want it. I want it for my buddies too, but I want it. I worked so hard for it,'" Brind'Amour said. "And then on the other end of it now, I know what it feels like, so I'm like, ‘I want it for them.' And it's like, ‘Come on, we've got to get it for these guys.' And now it's, like, so gratifying to sit back and see the joy that comes out of all this."
The Hurricanes will now enter the offseason with a target on their back and won't be disrespected next season.
Related: The Five Worst NHL Stanley Cup Finals Ever (At Least Since 1980)
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 1:08 PM.