- Jalen Chatfield spent Sunday hauling the Stanley Cup around North Carolina for Hurricanes fans
- The undrafted defenseman tipped the bowl for his mom and brought the trophy home to the family
- Read below for the photos from his day and when Carolina’s title defense begins
Jalen Chatfield took the Stanley Cup straight to the people.
The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman spent Sunday carrying hockey’s trophy around North Carolina, stopping so Caniacs could get their pictures. It was raining. Nobody left.
Take a look at Philip Pritchard’s shots from the day:
The second photo is the one that lands. Chatfield tilted the bowl so his mother could take a drink out of it, one hand on the brim, everybody in the room watching.
Then the Cup went home. Carolina’s account called the stop a trip to Chatmandu, and the family dog got the treatment every championship pet gets:
Rod Brind’Amour did the exact same thing with a puppy on his day with the Cup a few days earlier. Raleigh dogs are eating well this summer.
Chatfield earned the day. He dressed for all 19 games of Carolina’s run and put up eight points, one goal and seven assists, while the Hurricanes rolled to a 16-3 postseason record and the franchise’s second title.
Nobody drafted him. The 30-year-old signed with Vancouver out of junior, spent four years in that organization for 18 NHL games, and has been in Carolina since 2021. He is heading into the final season of the three-year, $9 million extension he signed in 2024.
The defense of it all starts Sept. 29, when the Hurricanes raise the banner at Lenovo Center against the Florida Panthers:
Between now and then, Chatfield gets to keep the photos of an undrafted kid from Ypsilanti holding the Stanley Cup over his head in the rain.
