Slavin, Staal lead Carolina Hurricanes to NHL title: 'God's so kind'

Jaccob Slavin, Jordan Staal lead Carolina Hurricanes to Stanley Cup: ‘God’s so kind’

By Kevin Mercer Jun 15, 2026

The Carolina Hurricanes pose after winning the Stanley Cup Final, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

After eight consecutive trips to the playoffs, with each ending in disappointment, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions at last.

Led by longtime defensive standout Jaccob Slavin and even-longer-time center and team captain Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes shut out the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0 on Sunday, to win Game 6 and capture the Stanley Cup that had for so long eluded them.

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The Hurricanes slowly gained control of the wild back-and-forth series, winning each of the last three contests. Jubilant Caniacs rejoiced as their beloved Canes hoisted the Stanley Cup 20 years after they first did so in 2006.

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN pic.twitter.com/7K3JxzlYWI

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) June 15, 2026

Slavin, who also won the gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, was astounded by God’s goodness to him in an on-ice interview after Sunday’s clincher.

“I’m just grateful,” he told the media, via CBS 17 News. “Grateful for the win, grateful for the opportunity to glorify God on this stage, the biggest stage in hockey. Got to do it at the Olympics and now the Stanley Cup. God’s so kind. He gets all the glory. I’m just thankful and grateful.”

He continued to praise God when asked what it’s like to win both a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in less than four months.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “It’s pretty crazy, but again, going back to that perspective of ‘those things are definitely rewarding; it’s amazing, but I can’t take them with me when I die.’ Just gonna lay them at the feet of Jesus and give Him all the glory for it.”

What a year for Jaccob Slavin 👏

He joins Ken Morrow (1980) as the only Americans to accomplish the feat 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/rWlAMJgsep

— ESPN (@espn) June 15, 2026

JACCOB SLAVIN. LONG-TIME HURRICANE. NOW A STANLEY CUP CHAMPION. pic.twitter.com/S5xQYIMs9H

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 15, 2026

Slavin has been with Carolina for the entirety of his 11-year career. During that time, he’s proven to be one of the best defenders in the NHL as the anchor of Carolina’s stifling defense. Once again on Sunday, his defense led to offense as he registered an assist on Carolina’s opening goal of the night.

During those 11 years, Slavin has also proven to be one of the most outspoken followers of Christ in the NHL.

“As Christian athletes, we look at what Jesus did for us on the cross,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in March. “I think, going into a game, we know that we are sinners saved by grace, so we’re playing from the identity of, ‘All right, I’m out here as a chosen vessel of God to glorify God.’ … You’re gonna do your work for God’s glory. The reason why is because He’s worthy of it.”

In September 2022, during another of his many appearances on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, Slavin spoke about his quiet confidence.

“I know God loves me. I know God’s approved of me. And I know I’m His servant,” he said. “So I can go out there in freedom to play the game with the abilities that He’s given me to play it in. I can go out there in confidence, knowing that whether I suck or have the best game of my career, it doesn’t matter to Him.

“He wants my heart in the right spot and He wants me just to serve Him and to glorify Him.”

"He just wants my heart."

Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin joins us today on the podcast for a conversation on identity, hockey, fatherhood, and adoption!@Jslavin74 https://t.co/i0v02YiaeY pic.twitter.com/db1UdWopGy

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) September 28, 2022

It took some offense for the Hurricanes to capture the Stanley Cup as well, and Staal certainly provided that. The captain became the oldest player (37) to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, scoring eight goals (with four assists) during Carolina’s dominant 16-3 trek to the title. Six of those goals came in the first five games of the Final.

JORDAN STAAL DIVING GOAL FOR THE LEAD 😱

Continues to step up for Carolina on the biggest of stages 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9L04r3ZDH5

— ESPN (@espn) June 10, 2026

Staal is also the first player to win the Stanley Cup 17 years apart; he first won the Cup at the age of 20 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09, his third year in the league. He was traded to the Hurricanes in June 2012 and was with the team through six losing seasons before beginning the team’s playoff streak in 2018-19.

LIFT THE #STANLEYCUP, CAPTAIN‼️ pic.twitter.com/EJWsn6o9nh

— NHL (@NHL) June 15, 2026

When asked by ESPN on the ice after Sunday’s game what he’s learned over the last 17 years, Staal said, “Perseverance, trust in God, my family — I don’t want to get emotional — but those things for sure.”

Throughout the ups and downs of his lengthy NHL career, Staal has learned that living for hockey always left him feeling deeply unsatisfied.

“I really did have hockey as my identity, and it definitely pushed me to the player that I was,” Staal told Hockey Ministries International in 2016. “But at the same time, it left me empty. I think I finally more or less realized that once I made the NHL, once I won that Stanley Cup (in 2009) and fulfilling all my dreams that I could ever think of, and then waking up a week later and realizing, ‘That’s it?’ It didn’t quite sit right at times.

“And now I understand looking back, that hole you might search for can only be filled by God. It’s definitely something that’s been nurturing in me and that I’ve tried to nurture and tried to grow in my faith and fill that hole with Jesus.”

He’s come to learn that hockey isn’t the most important thing in his life, but when it’s viewed as a gift from his Heavenly Father, it can bring incredible joy — such as on a Sunday night in Las Vegas with Lord Stanley’s Cup.

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Hockey

Jalen Chatfield knows ‘blessing’ of baptism thanks to Hurricanes teammate Jaccob Slavin

By Kevin Mercer Jun 2, 2026

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Carolina Hurricanes have made the Stanley Cup playoffs each of the past eight seasons, but they advanced to the Final in none of them. That is, until this season.

Standing in the way of Carolina’s first title in 20 years are the Vegas Golden Knights, champions of the Western Conference who won the Cup Final in 2022-23 and have only ever missed the playoffs once in the franchise’s nine-year existence.

Game 1 of the seven-game series between the two heavyweights is set for Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, at 8 p.m. ET.

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During the regular season, Carolina’s offense grabbed the headlines, scoring 3.55 goals per game (No. 2 in the NHL), but in the playoffs, the defense has taken center stage, allowing a paltry 1.62 goals per game (No. 1 in the playoffs) with three shutouts.

A crucial piece to the Hurricanes’ defensive performance has been the play of 30-year-old defenseman Jalen Chatfield. He’s third on the team this postseason in time on the ice (22:12 per game), and has also pitched in offensively with four assists and one (shorthanded) goal in 13 playoff games.

JALEN CHATFIELD SCORES SHORTHANDED AND THE CANES RE-TAKE THE LEAD 🫨🚨 pic.twitter.com/zKX7zr1rvS

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 8, 2026

Growing up in Michigan, one of hockey’s hotbeds, Chatfield began playing the sport competitively as he entered his teenage years. His development as a defender led him to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and eventually to some looks from NHL teams. Then, in March 2017, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks to begin his professional career.

Being undrafted and unproven, Chatfield was assigned to Vancouver’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. He would bounce between the Canucks and Comets for years, finally making his NHL debut in 2021 and appearing in 18 games with Vancouver.

Then, he became a free agent, and he bet on himself.

He signed a two-way contract with Carolina and has thrived in his five seasons in the Hurricanes’ system, working all the way up to the top defensive pairing with Jaccob Slavin, widely considered one of the best defensemen in the league. Now an NHL veteran older than many of his teammates, Chatfield recently reflected on his long and improbable journey.

“It has made me who I am,” he said in May via TheProvince.com. “I went through a lot of adversity in my hockey career and I’ve just stuck with my game plan.”

Playing alongside Slavin has certainly benefited Chatfield on the ice. But hockey is almost an afterthought as Chatfield talks about their relationship.

“He’s known about all my struggles, because I was very open with him and talking to him about stuff,” Chatfield told Raleigh’s News & Observer in May. “Whether it was my first year or second year, getting scratched or things like that, he’s always been there for me and he’s been my best friend.

“Just his guidance, and seeing how he is as a father, as a teammate, as a leader, I learned a lot from him and I appreciate (him) every single day. And especially being able to work with him, play with him. It’s special, for sure.”

Chatfield arrived in Carolina curious yet ignorant about the Christian faith, and he was told Slavin — who is well known for speaking openly about his faith in Jesus — could help with that. Chatfield began attending chapel services, and then Slavin’s church in Raleigh, with his new friend. The pair shared lengthy discussions at the back of the team plane about life and faith and everything in between. And through Slavin’s life, God began to draw Chatfield to Himself.

After one particular chapel service, Chatfield professed his faith in Christ and moved from death to life. With Slavin as his spiritual mentor, he grew deeper in faith with each passing day.

Chatfield’s girlfriend at the time (now wife), Drew, quickly noticed the change, and curious about it, she sought out and befriended Slavin’s wife, Kylie. A month later, Drew was a follower of Christ as well.

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A post shared by Jaccob Slavin (@jslavin74)

As one couple guided the other into greater spiritual maturity, the new believers increasingly recognized their need to be baptized. Both Jalen and Drew underwent the sacrament in the Slavins’ backyard pool.

“It’s truly a blessing,” Chatfield told the News & Observer. “… It was a really special moment. Something you never forget.”

In the Winter 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, Kylie talked about the joy of watching Jalen and Drew come to faith and get baptized.

“God literally did everything and just let us be a part of it,” she said. “I think that was also so that we could never boast about it. We didn’t do anything. … It’s been cool to see God move so evidently.”

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A post shared by Sports Spectrum (@sports_spectrum)

For Jaccob, the story of Jalen and Drew is perhaps the crowning story of his time in the NHL — which isn’t even over yet, and will soon include playing in the Stanley Cup Final.

“I think back over my career and all the moments that have happened, and by far that’s the top one,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast last September. “Because I feel like as Christians, that’s our purpose. We’re supposed to go evangelize, we’re supposed to share the Good News of the Gospel.

“And I mean, I’ve said it before, but if in my whole career I never win the Cup or anything, but Jalen came to know the Lord, that’s a successful career.”

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Hockey

NHL players across the league unite ‘under the name of Jesus’ in discipleship group

By Kevin Mercer May 12, 2026

Left to right: Mark and Angela Rumschik, James and April Reimer, and Victoria and Owen Power after an outreach event in Buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Mark Rumschik)

As the NHL playoffs rage on and the intensity grows with each passing game, hockey fans watch intently, eagerly anticipating which team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup skyward in triumph. But while the incredible saves and mesmerizing goals get all of the attention, the true Lord of all is orchestrating something much more powerful.

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Each Monday during the season, far away from the public eye, dozens of pro hockey players gather together for mutual growth in Christ and encouragement in faith. These discipleship gatherings occur on Zoom as pro players — competitors all vying for a shot at the Cup — come together as one under the lordship of Christ.

There’s prayer, there’s Bible study, there’s accountability and reassurance. And it’s all player-led, each one spurring the others on toward love and good deeds.

The man behind this NHL discipleship group is Mark Rumschik, an Athletes in Action staff member based in Michigan who has been working with hockey players for more than a decade now. Over the years, he’s been discouraged as he’s seen players, once seemingly enthusiastic in their walk with Christ, drift away in pro hockey.

“There’s a culture out there that pulls guys away,” Rumschik told Sports Spectrum. “Over the past couple years, my heart has just been broken for players that I know want to walk with Jesus but just don’t have other people doing it with them.”

Last summer, as Rumschik contemplated the issue, God sparked in his mind a vision of multiplying discipleship within the hockey world. A couple conversations with former NHL defenseman Nate Prosser later, and the plan was in motion. In partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Pro Athletes Outreach, Rumschik launched the pro hockey discipleship.

The first meeting was held on Oct. 6. Fifty players participated.

“[The discipleship] is designed in a way that we’re gonna help guys with walking with God daily,” Rumschik said. “There are some former players and myself that are investing in the leaders of our group, and the leaders are just mirroring what we’re doing with them to their players that are in their group.”

The leaders of the group are pro hockey players themselves, and they’ve each been called to lead a small group of peers within the larger discipleship meeting. Leaders connect with their groups during the week, do life with them, keep them accountable, provide them with Christian community and always point them toward Christ.

The discipleship movement is more than a Monday morning Zoom call; it’s a community in which players throughout professional hockey can navigate the spiritual challenges of their profession while remaining faithful to Him. They are asked about their personal devotion, their prayer life, their Bible reading, and their spiritual conversations with teammates. Multiplication of disciples has been the result.

“I view my role as I just want to equip these [pro hockey discipleship leaders] and give them the tools to go do the things that God has called them to do,” Rumschik said. “… We’re just a bunch of guys who are coming together, unified under the name of Jesus, trying to reach hockey players and empower and equip them to do the same.

“You can’t go wrong with that.”

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Buffalo Sabres snap playoff drought behind star Tage Thompson, who knows ‘Jesus is everything’

By Kevin Mercer Apr 20, 2026

Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson celebrates one of his goals, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

It had been 15 long years since the Buffalo Sabres last made an appearance in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. That is, until Sunday.

The Sabres took down the Boston Bruins, 4-3, in their much-anticipated playoff return, and it took a spurt of four goals in less than seven minutes to do so during a wild third period.

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The Sabres, champions of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, looked listless as they fell behind by two goals early in the third period. The energy inside Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, once celebratory, became marked with anxiety. It appeared as though Sabres fans would have to wait at least one more game for the team’s first playoff win in a decade and a half.

But then, the team’s best offensive weapon came alive.

Playing in his first career playoff game, longtime Sabre Tage Thompson scored two goals in quick succession to even the score. He wrapped his first around the Bruins’ goalie from behind the net.

TAGE THOMPSON SCORES BUFFALO'S FIRST GOAL OF THE #STANLEYCUP PLAYOFFS! 🦬

🇺🇸: @espn
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports 2 pic.twitter.com/iEvYoB48TP

— NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2026

His second came less than four minutes later, when he stole the puck behind Boston’s goal, skated open in front of the net, and buried a shot just inside the far post.

TAGE THOMPSON'S GOT TWO GOALS AND TIED IT FOR THE SABRES! GET LOUD BUFFALO! 😆

🇺🇸: @espn
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet & @TVASports 2 pic.twitter.com/7CQFbkVw4j

— NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2026

Buffalo netted two more goals just minutes later to seize control of the game. Despite a successful Boston power play to trim the lead to one, the Sabres held on for the victory and a 1-0 series lead. Buffalo’s rally was just the second time in NHL history a team overcame a multi-goal deficit in the final eight minutes of a playoff game to win in regulation.

“Eight years of adversity is enough experience to get you ready for something like this,” Thompson said in his postgame press conference about his time with the organization. “I think any time you go eight years and not making playoffs, and then it’s finally here, the last thing you want is regret. There was just a heightened feeling of hunger. We just don’t want to let this opportunity slip. I thought tonight was really important to make a statement and set our standard.”

The 28-year-old has been a stalwart on the offensive end for the upstart Sabres all year. He played the most games (81) and recorded the second-most points of his career (a team-leading 81) this season. He scored 40 goals, the most on the team, and handed out 41 assists.

Thompson’s heroics for the Sabres in Game 1 only added to what has already been a very memorable 2026. In February, he scored three goals for Team USA during the Americans’ trek to capture their first Olympic gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980.

And he’s proclaimed his faith in Christ throughout.

“Jesus is everything to me,” the 2023 NHL All-Star said days after winning gold. “Obviously, we’re made imperfect. We’re all sinners, and we need Him. And I fall short every single day, and He’s the One I rely on. I think when you have that sense of hope, the grace and the mercy that I receive every day from Him is something that gives me peace and joy in life, no matter what I do.

“And He’s blessed me with this game and this opportunity to play the game I love at a high level.”

Thompson spoke at length about his faith in Christ as a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in July 2023, when he said he grew up hearing about God but only later came to an understanding of his need for a relationship with Him.

“I think when you take a step back,” he said, “and realize that God’s in control and He has a plan for you, and His plan is far better than anything we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20), you just kind of give it over to Him and sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Now with one postseason game — and one postseason victory — under his belt, Thompson knows the publicity of a deep playoff run would present him with an even better opportunity to point others to Jesus.

“Hockey influences my faith,” he told His Huddle in December 2020, “because I’m able to use the platform I’ve been given to try and be a light to others to show what it means to be a follower of Christ. And hopefully lead others to come to know Him.”

Thompson and the Sabres will face off against the Bruins in Game 2, set for Tuesday in Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. ET. They will seek to retain the home-ice advantage and take a commanding series lead.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Brothers Josiah, Jaccob Slavin play on same NHL team for first time: ‘We all love Jesus’

By Jon Ackerman Apr 13, 2026

Josiah (left) and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes, April 11, 2026. (Photo via X/@Canes)

Not a bad week for star Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.

On Tuesday, he put home an overtime game-winner for Carolina’s 50th win of the season, just the fifth 50-win season in franchise history. It marked his first goal of the season. As a defenseman, he doesn’t typically add a ton of offense for the Hurricanes, but injuries have limited him to only 39 games this season, the fewest of his 11-year career.

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JACCOB SLAVIN WINS IT IN @ENERGIZER OVERTIME! 😤 pic.twitter.com/atJtLmvy54

— NHL (@NHL) April 8, 2026

On Thursday, the 31-year-old was given a night off to rest as the Canes played in Chicago, but a Slavin was still on the ice. Jaccob’s 27-year-old younger brother, Josiah, made his debut for Carolina. It was his first NHL action since 2022, when he played for Chicago.

Then on Friday, the Hurricanes announced that Jaccob had been named the team’s nominee for the 2025-26 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which honors the player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Jaccob has long been active in supporting organizations such as International Justice Mission, Compassion International, the Raleigh Dream Center, the Raleigh Rescue Mission, and the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation.

But Saturday was the ultimate highlight. Jaccob was back in action, as was Josiah, and for the first time in the NHL, the brothers took the ice for the same team.

“Just pure joy,” Jaccob said during a first-intermission interview. “I mean, obviously, growing up together, played a lot of mini sticks together, played a lot of backyard hockey together. But, to finally be able to be here in the NHL with him — that’s just joy. It’s awesome — thankful for this opportunity.”

“It’s been nothing but awesome,” Josiah said. “I mean, he’s been five years older than me, so I’ve been catching up pretty much my whole life. Just to get this opportunity is nothing but special.”

"Close-knit family, we all love Jesus, and we're just happy to be here together"
Both Jaccob and Josiah Slavin joined to discuss things in a very special first intermission interview#CarolinaCulture #TusksUp #NHL pic.twitter.com/wGHzuOMRxg

— Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) April 11, 2026

Jaccob tallied an assist in 26 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time, while Josiah, a left wing, logged 14:04 as Carolina defeated the Mammoth in Utah, 4-1, for its 52nd win of the year. Heading into Monday’s matchups, the Hurricanes own the best record in the Eastern Conference (52-22-6).

Their parents, Robert and Wendi, and older sister, Jordan, also traveled to Utah to take in the special moment in person, though brothers Justin and Jeremiah were unable to make the trip.

“We have a close-knit family,” Jaccob said. “We all love Jesus, and we’re just happy to be here together.”

Robert echoed those thoughts when he and his wife were interviewed for the Canes’ broadcast as well.

“Five kids that love the Lord and they’re always there for each other, no matter what happens,” Robert said.

Josiah’s time with Carolina was short-lived, however, as he was sent on Sunday back to the Chicago Wolves, the minor league affiliate of the Hurricanes. In 66 games this season with the Wolves, he has registered 25 points (six goals, 19 assists).

No matter where he’s playing, though, Josiah will continue pointing teammates to the Lord. He said in December that he’s leading a discipleship group amongst the Wolves, and they have up to 13 guys attending the team chapels, with five or six also going to church together when their schedule allows.

“What God’s doing in Chicago right now with this team, it’s been special,” Josiah told “Sound the Siren.”

Undoubtedly, he’s taken a cue from his older brother, who’s long been one of the most outspoken Christ-followers in the NHL. With the platform Jaccob’s been given through hockey, even his time with the recent U.S. Olympic hockey team, he’s given glory to God.

He suffered a lower-body injury in preseason training that forced him to miss 29 regular-season games. He came back for two games before an upper-body injury knocked him out for another 10 games. For a time, it was questionable whether he’d be able to play in the Olympics.

“I just look at it with gratitude,” he said in February, after Team USA won gold. “… Just thankful for God, and protecting me while I was over there, but also through this season with the injuries that I had at the beginning of the year. Just trusting His timing with it all, and getting to a spot where I was healthy enough to go and play. So, again, I look at it with gratitude.”

In March, Jaccob returned to the Sports Spectrum Podcast and touched on the mantra many athletes say about praising God in the good and the bad. He was asked about why we should do that.

“I think the biggest reason why, as a Christian athlete, is we look at what Jesus did on the cross,” Jaccob said. “Going into a game, we know that we are sinners saved by grace. So we’re playing from the identity of, ‘All right, I’m out here as a chosen vessel of God to glorify God.’ And whether you’re in the office working, whether it’s a sport you’re playing, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, that is where God has you, so you’re going to do your work for God’s glory. So the reason why is because He’s worthy of it.

“One thing I’ve always prayed before games is: Christ died for me so I’m going to play for Him. If He was willing to give His life for me, I feel like the least I can do is play for Him with the platform He’s given me, the abilities He’s given me, and really just glorify and honor Him through the sport of hockey, or through loving my wife, parenting my kids, whatever it is.”

With two games remaining in the regular season, Slavin and the Hurricanes are looking to match the franchise-best win total of 54.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<