The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 to win their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, dating back to their entry into the league in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers.

The Hurricanes did it by playing a physical, up-tempo style that had been missing from their previous two games, scoring the all-important first goal within the first two minutes of the opening period courtesy of an Aaron Ward point shot that beat a screened Jussi Markannen.

For the next ten minutes the ‘Canes kept the Oilers back on their heels but as the period progressed the Oilers seemed to get their rhythm back, looking strong on the penalty kill late in the period and into the opening minutes of the second.

But the Hurricanes were not to be denied, with Frantisek Kaberle potting a powerplay goal when his point shot deflected off Oilers defenseman Jason Smith through Markkanen’s legs.

From there the Oilers game plan fell apart as the Hurricanes stymied their forechecking game, won the races for loose pucks and out-hit the Edmonton players. When the Oilers did break into the Hurricanes zone, their passes were no longer connecting.

Perhaps the best indication of the Oilers disarray was the inability to capitalize on a five-on-three advantage late in the period, which was partially nullified by Ryan Smyth taking a bad hooking penalty.

The Oilers did make a game of it in the third when Fernando Pisani scored early to draw his club to within one. They worked much harder in the third and generated several quality chances but ‘Canes goalie Cam Ward thwarted their efforts.

Had the Oilers played as well in the first two period as they did in the third, perhaps the outcome might’ve been different, but ultimately, however, the effort was too little too late. After Markkanen was pulled for an extra attacker, Justin Williams iced the victory at 18.59 of the third with an empty net goal.

This was the first Cup championship for long-time NHL’s like Rod Brind’amour, Doug Weight, Bret Hedican, Glen Wesley and Ray Whitney, and it’s nice to see them finally rewarded after so many years when it appeared they might never get the opportunity to win the big mug.

There might be some disagreement over Cam Ward awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP over Brind’amour or Staal, but quite frankly, without Ward’s efforts, the ‘Canes would’ve been bounced from the first round by the Montreal Canadiens.

His strong goaltending reversed the ‘Canes fortunes against the Habs, carried them past the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, and was ultimately responsible for the Hurricanes denying the Edmonton Oilers in the Finals.

Ward’s work undoubtedly means we’ve seen the last of Martin Gerber as a Carolina Hurricane. He’ll want to prove he’s still a capable starting goalie, and there’s no way Ward can be relegated to backup duty after his MVP performance in these playoffs.

Everyone in the NHL needs to take notice of the fact that Eric Staal is part of the new wave of young NHL superstars who’ll be dominating the game for at least the next decade. He led all playoff performers in points, assists, powerplay goals and shots on goal, an outstanding effort for a 21 year old in only his second NHL season and first NHL postseason.

Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford deserves full credit for putting this team together. He’s the guy who drafted Eric Staal, Cam Ward, and Erik Cole, and acquired Brind’amour, Weight, Cory Stillman, Mike Commodore, Whitney and other key players via trades or free agency. He’s also the guy who hired head coach Peter Laviolette who turned this team into a champion.

Yes, it was team owner Peter Karmanos’s money that was spent, but it was Rutherford who spent it wisely, and he deserves full accolades as the NHL’s top general manager.

Speaking of Laviolette, I doubt very much he’s gonna be coaching another club next season. It would be shocking if he didn’t.

Give the Oilers credit for fighting back hard when they appeared down and out earlier in this series, but the Hurricanes talent depth and experience were simply too much for the plucky bunch from Edmonton.

Still, the Oilers have proven they have the depth in promising young talent to be a major force in the Western Conference for years. As long as this club can carry over its amazing performance throughout this year’s playoffs into the coming years, the future should be bright for the Oilers.

I’ll have analysis of what the future holds for both teams on Wednesday.