Logan Stankoven rampaged through the playoffs and cemented his place among Kamloops hockey royalty, becoming the first player from the city to hoist the Stanley Cup since Mark Recchi in 2011.
“It just didn’t feel real,” said Stankoven, whose Carolina Hurricanes knocked off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 last month in the Cup final series. “It took a day or so, but I think now it’s starting to kick in that, you know, I’m a Stanley Cup champion.”
The 5-foot-8 dynamo tallied a team-leading 11 goals in the playoffs, the most scored in a single post-season by a player from Kamloops. Recchi had 10 in 1991.
Stankoven — who had an assist and plus-2 rating in the Cup-clinching 3–0 victory in Game 6 — racked up 16 points in 19 playoff games and finished third in Conn Smythe Trophy voting.
Carolina scored 66 goals on its run to the Cup. The line of Stankoven, Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall combined for 29 of them, including two in Game 6 against Vegas.
“I didn’t know whether to cheer or cry,” said Wes Stankoven, Logan’s father. “Just all the years that Logan put in, training from such a young age … watching him hoist the Stanley Cup last night was incredible.”
Evidence of the week-long revelry that followed the Cup victory is easily found on the Internet and proves Stankoven’s famous motor can function at high-performance levels both on and off the ice. (See Stankoven standing atop bar at Raleigh, North Carolina, watering hole Teets while singing Sweet Caroline and wearing a Hurricanes’ poncho.)
“It’s just so much fun when you win and you’ve got to be able to celebrate,” said Stankoven, who soaked in adulation from a crowd of about 180,000 during the Stanley Cup parade in Raleigh. “These are the memories that you create and you remember for the rest of your life.”
Plans for the Cup celebration in Kamloops had not been revealed as of the Chronicle’s publication deadline, but the City of Kamloops is expected to be involved and Stankoven has ideas.
“I’ll be happy with anything, but I definitely would like to make a few stops,” said Stankoven, noting early August seems the likely period for the Cup’s arrival in the Tournament Capital. “One would be my old school, St. Ann’s [Academy]. I’d love to have it downtown, Riverside Park or at Sandman Centre. I think it would be great to share it with the city.”
The Summer of Stankoven did not need augmenting to enter glory-days territory, but hey, why not?
Stankoven’s eight-year, U.S. $48-million contract became operative on July 1.
“Dreams can come true,” said Deana Stankoven, Logan’s mom. “I was just so proud of him and the team. We’re just really happy as a family.”