Wayne Gretzky Shares His Stanley Cup Prediction

When Wayne Gretzky speaks, hockey fans listen. After all, he's the greatest NHL player to ever lace up a pair of hockey skates. So if anyone's opinion carries weight when it comes to who wins the 2025-26 NHL Stanley Cup, it's Gretzky's.

On May 29, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-1 in Game 5 to advance to this year's Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Speaking on the NHL on TNT hockey panel following the game, Gretzky shared his opinion on who he thinks will win this year's Stanley Cup.

I'm picking Carolina."

"I think the goaltending's pretty even. I think the defense core on both sides is pretty even. I know they can both roll four lines. I think that it's going to come down to (Jack) Eichel and (Mitch) Marner, what level they can get to, and (Andrei) Svechnikov and (Sebastian) Aho playing at their best level. Cause you know the second and third lines are going to contribute, the fourth lines are going to play hard," Gretzky said.

"I come down to one thing that you play all year for: home ice. In Game 7, is it going to be the difference in the series? And if I have to pick one side or the other, cause they're both good, I'm picking Carolina."

Carolina Hurricanes Favored by Sportsbooks to Win Stanley Cup

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Carolina Hurricanes are -155 betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup, while the Vegas Golden Knights are +130 betting underdogs.

These betting odds indicate that this should be a close, competitive series, but that the Hurricanes get the slight edge, likely due to having home ice.

During the regular season, the Hurricanes won the Metropolitan Division with a 53-22-7 record for 113 points, second in the league only to the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, who finished with 121 points.

Related: The Case for Keeping or Firing Avalanche's Jared Bednar

Vegas, meanwhile, had a 39-26-17 record for 95 points. While that was enough for them to win the Pacific Division, it wasn't enough for them to enjoy home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Both the Hurricanes and Golden Knights are excellent hockey clubs, and they both roll into the finals on a hot streak, as the Hurricanes beat the Canadiens 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Golden Knights swept the Avalanche 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals.

This is going to be a close series, as both Gretzky and the betting odds suggest it will. But, ultimately, home ice matters in the NHL, and it very well could prove to be the ultimate difference in the Stanley Cup Finals.

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Wayne Gretzky Has Won Four Stanley Cups

Speaking of the Stanley Cup, Gretzky knows all too well what it takes to win one, having won four cups during his legendary hockey career -- all with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. He also played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1983 with the Oilers, losing to the dynasty New York Islanders, and in 1993 with the Los Angeles Kings, losing to the Canadiens.

During Gretzky's storied, 20-year NHL career, he played for the Oilers, Kings, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers. He played in 1487 regular-season games, scoring 894 goals and 2857 points, which, to this day, is still an NHL record. In addition to winning four Stanley Cups, Gretzky also won the Hart Memorial Trophy a record nine times as league MVP, the Art Ross Trophy 10 times as the NHL scoring leader, and the Conn Smythe Trophy twice as playoff MVP.

In addition, Gretzky holds the single-season record for goals with 92, the single-season record for assists with 163, and the single-season record for points with 215. To this day, he is the only NHL player who has broken the 90-goal barrier, the 120-assist barrier, and the 200-point barrier, which he did four times. That's why he is truly "The Great One," and why his opinion matters when it comes to who wins this year's NHL Stanley Cup.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 3:41 PM.