Winning a Stanley Cup makes you a local god. Winning Olympic gold makes you a national hero. Doing both in the same five-month span? That is a miracle of timing, health, and sheer luck.
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin just pulled it off. By hoisting the Cup, Slavin became only the ninth player in hockey history to win both championships in the same calendar year. It is a ridiculously short list dominated by Canadian royalty. Slavin is only the second American to ever write his name on it.
Here is the roll call of the select few who conquered the world and the NHL in a single season.
Ken Morrow (1980)
Morrow did it first. He was 24 years old, fresh off the legendary ‘Miracle on Ice’ gold medal with Team USA. He did not even have time to unpack. Morrow immediately signed with the New York Islanders, skating in 18 regular-season games and another 20 in the postseason. He helped spark the first of New York’s four consecutive Stanley Cups. Talk about a golden touch.
Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan (2002)
In 2002, NHL players went to the Olympics for the second time. Canada took gold. Months later, the Detroit Red Wings took the Cup. Yzerman and Shanahan were the common denominators. Yzerman was a force in Salt Lake City, putting up six points. Shanahan led the Wings in regular-season scoring, but Yzerman dominated the spring with 23 playoff points.
Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook (2010)
Before they built a dynasty in Chicago, this trio ruled 2010. First came gold in Vancouver. Toews was a 21-year-old phenom, leading Canada with eight points. Keith and Seabrook played every single game. Then came the grueling NHL playoff run. They transitioned seamlessly from national heroes to franchise legends, winning the first of three Cups in a six-year span.
Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter (2014)
Four years later, another Canadian duo repeated the trick. Doughty and Carter won gold in Sochi, then returned to Los Angeles to secure the Kings’ second Cup in three years. Doughty was a beast in Russia, tying for the team lead with six points. Carter exploded in the NHL playoffs, racking up 25 points to seal the championship.
Jaccob Slavin (2026)
Now we have Slavin. He was not an offensive powerhouse for Team USA, recording just one point in six games. But he was a defensive anchor. His NHL season was fragmented, limited to just 39 regular-season games. Yet, when the playoffs arrived, he was the heartbeat of the Hurricanes’ blue line. By surviving the grind, Slavin joins Morrow in the American history books. Meanwhile, USA teammates Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin are left wondering what could have been.
