I still picture Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. A coach in the NHL since 1995, Maurice finally hoisted Lord Stanley in 2024, grabbing it mid-interview and letting out one of the longest, most satisfying exhales in sports.
Those moments — Ray Bourque finally getting the Cup in 2001, Lanny McDonald retiring a champion in 1989 — are why every spring fans rally behind an OGWAC, an old guy without a Cup. Kyle Okposo’s 2024 breakthrough after 18 seasons was a recent reminder of how meaningful that first championship can be.
Here are the OGWACs I’m rooting for as we head into the 2026 playoffs.
Brent Burns — D, Colorado Avalanche At 40-plus, Burns is one of the elder statesmen still going strong. He’s been to a Final with the Sharks and had solid playoff runs with Carolina, but he’s never been a champion. Playing on a stacked Avalanche roster gives him one of the clearest routes to finally getting his name on the Cup.
Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno — Forwards, Minnesota Wild What a narrative it would be: Nick, 38, a longtime leader and former captain in Columbus and Chicago, and his brother Marcus, 34, now suiting up together in Minneso
