Taylor Hall-Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake line is a big reason Carolina won the Stanley Cup

Logan Stankoven was 7 years old and Jackson Blake on the verge of his seventh birthday when Taylor Hall was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NHL draft.

Fast-forward more than a decade and a half later, and the “Kids and the Hall" line was a huge reason the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.

“Great all playoffs, all year,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Their game really hasn’t changed for months.”

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 Carter Hart in Game 6 against Vegas to close out the final.

“Those two just work so hard,” Blake said. “They 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.”

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 while playing for New Jersey thrived as a role player with Carolina, his seventh team in the league.

“You never know what kind of turn your life’s going to take,” said Hall, who joined Carolina from Chicago as part of a three-team trade 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.”

In that same deal, the Hurricanes got big winger Mikko Rantanen from Colorado. He lasted just 13 games with them before getting flipped to Dallas.

The centerpiece of that return was Stankoven, who was most of the way through his first season with the Stars.

“I didn't see it coming,” Stankoven said. “It was tough at first just to kind of swallow it and realize that I was getting shipped out.”

Stankoven became the center Carolina needed 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.

“I have no words right now,” the 22-year-old Blake said. “I’m out of breath. But this is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life. It’s unbelievable. And to do it with these guys, my family here and everyone here supporting us, it’s unbelievable.”

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.

“It’s 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,” the 23-year-old Stankoven said. “I know that I’m not a finished product. I still have work to put in, and I’m still a young guy. I just want to keep working at my game and just being a sponge.”

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.

“Everything kind of happens for a reason,” Stankoven said. “Dallas got their player, and I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake (53) celebrates after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake, second from right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake, second from right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes left wing Taylor Hall (71) celebrates after a goal by right wing Jackson Blake (53) during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Jackson Blake (53) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are slipping after several officials at the Federal Reserve indicated they may raise interest rates before the end of the year. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Wednesday and erased an earlier, modest gain after the Fed released projections showing nine of 18 policymakers see a rate hike happening in 2026. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 71 points, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.5%. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. Higher interest rates would help keep a lid on inflation but would also slow the economy and hurt prices for investments.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is drifting Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear from the Federal Reserve about where it sees interest rates going.

The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, coming off a mixed day where falling tech stocks weighed on the index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 125 points, or 0.2%, as of 1:27 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was mostly unchanged.

Several stocks involved in the artificial-intelligence business headed back up their roller-coaster ride, supporting the market. Jabil rose 1.9% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected, as CEO Mike Dastoor said that “AI infrastructure demand remains extremely strong.”

Broadcom climbed 5.4%, and Applied Materials rose 7.4%.

Such AI stocks have veered up and down in recent weeks and yanked the rest of the market behind them on worries that their prices shot too high because of the mania around AI.

SpaceX, meanwhile, erased an early gain and dropped 1.8%. It's potentially on track for its first loss since its ballyhooed debut on the U.S. stock market last week.

Outside of tech, La-Z-Boy jumped 19.1% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It benefited from revenue made at newly opened stores, though Chief Financial Officer Taylor Luebke said the company continues to have “a measured view” of the broad sales environment.

A report released Wednesday said retailers across the country saw their revenue grow at a faster pace in May than economists expected, offering hope that solid spending by consumers can support the economy. But high inflation has also made U.S. shoppers feel more discouraged about their finances.

The day’s main event will come in the afternoon, when the Fed will announce its latest decision on what to do with interest rates. The widespread expectation is that it will leave its main interest rate alone, as it has throughout this year.

Investors are more interested in the projections that Fed officials will give about where they see interest rates heading in upcoming years and what Kevin Warsh will say after his first meeting as the Fed’s chair.

Traders had been building bets that the Fed may have to raise its federal funds rate this year in order to keep a lid on inflation, which has accelerated because of expensive oil caused by the war with Iran. But oil prices have pulled back to $80 per barrel after the United States and Iran reached a tentative agreement on their war.

Iran is set to immediately take steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the deal is signed, and that would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf once again and deliver crude to customers worldwide. The hope is that will take pressure off inflation.

As a result, traders are split on where the Fed could take interest rates through the end of the year. Some are betting on a cut to rates, which is something that President Donald Trump has angrily been calling for. But the most popular bet is for no move on rates, while some traders still see a hike as the most likely outcome, according to data from CME Group.

Oil prices ticked higher Wednesday following their sharp slides on optimism about the tentative U.S.-Iran deal to get the global flow of oil going again. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 0.3% to $79.23. It’s still above its roughly $70 price from before the war, but it’s well below its $100-plus price from a few weeks ago.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained at 4.43%, where it was late Tuesday.

High yields in bond markets worldwide caused by worries about inflation have been threatening to slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 was virtually unchanged after a report showed U.K. inflation remained at 2.8% in May.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.6%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him, Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Specialist Michael Pistillo, left, and trader Sean Spain work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Options trader Joseph D'Arrigo works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Employees of a securities company celebrate as Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 topped 70,000 for the first time during trading hours in Tokyo Tuesday, June 16, 2026. A sign, left, reads " Congratulations. Nikkei index reached 70,000 yen." (Shinji Kouchi/Kyodo News via AP)

Employees of a securities company celebrate as Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 topped 70,000 for the first time during trading hours in Tokyo Tuesday, June 16, 2026. A sign, left, reads "Congratulations. Nikkei index reached 70,000 yen." (Shinji Kouchi/Kyodo News via AP)

An electronic board, left, shows Nikkei index at a securities company in Tokyo Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Shinji Kouchi/Kyodo News via AP)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader stretches near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)