Hurricanes thrash Canadiens, advance to first Stanley Cup Final in 20 years (1:19) Greg Wyshynski May 29, 2026, 10:56 PM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer. RALEIGH, N.C. -- It took Rod Brind'Amour six seasons as a player to bring the Carolina Hurricanes their first Stanley Cup championship. After 15 years as their coach, he might finally have another chance to lift the Cup again. The Hurricanes eliminated the Montreal Canadiens with a 6-1 rout in Game 5 to win the Eastern Conference championship on Friday night, continuing their juggernaut run through the playoffs. Carolina swept its first two playoff series, and outside of a Game 1 dud against Montreal -- which happened after 11 days off between series, the longest break in 107 years in the NHL -- the Hurricanes dominated the conference final. Brind'Amour had coached the Hurricanes to the conference final three previous times, posting only one win and 12 losses against the Boston Bruins (2019) and Florida Panthers (2023, 2025).…