{
 "updated": "2026-07-02",
 "league": "NHL",
 "last_season": "2025-26",
 "next_season": "2026-27",
 "champion": {
  "team": "Carolina Hurricanes",
  "result": "Carolina Hurricanes def. Vegas Golden Knights 4-2",
  "dates": "June 2 · June 14, 2026",
  "note": "The Hurricanes' second Stanley Cup and their first since 2006; Carolina carried home-ice advantage into the Final."
 },
 "bracket": {
  "note": "2026 Stanley Cup playoffs · all 15 series verified against both the bracket template and the per-series game boxes.",
  "east": {
   "round1": [
    {"high": "Buffalo Sabres", "high_seed": "A1", "low": "Boston Bruins", "low_seed": "WC1", "winner": "Buffalo Sabres", "score": "4-2"},
    {"high": "Tampa Bay Lightning", "high_seed": "A2", "low": "Montreal Canadiens", "low_seed": "A3", "winner": "Montreal Canadiens", "score": "4-3"},
    {"high": "Carolina Hurricanes", "high_seed": "M1", "low": "Ottawa Senators", "low_seed": "WC2", "winner": "Carolina Hurricanes", "score": "4-0"},
    {"high": "Pittsburgh Penguins", "high_seed": "M2", "low": "Philadelphia Flyers", "low_seed": "M3", "winner": "Philadelphia Flyers", "score": "4-2"}
   ],
   "round2": [
    {"high": "Buffalo Sabres", "high_seed": "A1", "low": "Montreal Canadiens", "low_seed": "A3", "winner": "Montreal Canadiens", "score": "4-3"},
    {"high": "Carolina Hurricanes", "high_seed": "M1", "low": "Philadelphia Flyers", "low_seed": "M3", "winner": "Carolina Hurricanes", "score": "4-0"}
   ],
   "final": {"high": "Carolina Hurricanes", "high_seed": "M1", "low": "Montreal Canadiens", "low_seed": "A3", "winner": "Carolina Hurricanes", "score": "4-1"}
  },
  "west": {
   "round1": [
    {"high": "Colorado Avalanche", "high_seed": "C1", "low": "Los Angeles Kings", "low_seed": "WC2", "winner": "Colorado Avalanche", "score": "4-0"},
    {"high": "Dallas Stars", "high_seed": "C2", "low": "Minnesota Wild", "low_seed": "C3", "winner": "Minnesota Wild", "score": "4-2"},
    {"high": "Vegas Golden Knights", "high_seed": "P1", "low": "Utah Mammoth", "low_seed": "WC1", "winner": "Vegas Golden Knights", "score": "4-2"},
    {"high": "Edmonton Oilers", "high_seed": "P2", "low": "Anaheim Ducks", "low_seed": "P3", "winner": "Anaheim Ducks", "score": "4-2"}
   ],
   "round2": [
    {"high": "Colorado Avalanche", "high_seed": "C1", "low": "Minnesota Wild", "low_seed": "C3", "winner": "Colorado Avalanche", "score": "4-1"},
    {"high": "Vegas Golden Knights", "high_seed": "P1", "low": "Anaheim Ducks", "low_seed": "P3", "winner": "Vegas Golden Knights", "score": "4-2"}
   ],
   "final": {"high": "Colorado Avalanche", "high_seed": "C1", "low": "Vegas Golden Knights", "low_seed": "P1", "winner": "Vegas Golden Knights", "score": "4-0"}
  },
  "finals": {"high": "Carolina Hurricanes", "low": "Vegas Golden Knights", "winner": "Carolina Hurricanes", "score": "4-2"}
 },
 "standings": {
  "atlantic": [
   {"team": "Buffalo Sabres", "record": "50-23-9", "points": 109, "note": "division winner"},
   {"team": "Tampa Bay Lightning", "record": "50-26-6", "points": 106},
   {"team": "Montreal Canadiens", "record": "48-24-10", "points": 106},
   {"team": "Boston Bruins", "record": "45-27-10", "points": 100},
   {"team": "Ottawa Senators", "record": "44-27-11", "points": 99},
   {"team": "Detroit Red Wings", "record": "41-31-10", "points": 92},
   {"team": "Florida Panthers", "record": "40-38-4", "points": 84},
   {"team": "Toronto Maple Leafs", "record": "32-36-14", "points": 78}
  ],
  "metropolitan": [
   {"team": "Carolina Hurricanes", "record": "53-22-7", "points": 113, "note": "division winner"},
   {"team": "Pittsburgh Penguins", "record": "41-25-16", "points": 98},
   {"team": "Philadelphia Flyers", "record": "43-27-12", "points": 98},
   {"team": "Washington Capitals", "record": "43-30-9", "points": 95},
   {"team": "Columbus Blue Jackets", "record": "40-30-12", "points": 92},
   {"team": "New York Islanders", "record": "43-34-5", "points": 91},
   {"team": "New Jersey Devils", "record": "42-37-3", "points": 87},
   {"team": "New York Rangers", "record": "34-39-9", "points": 77}
  ],
  "central": [
   {"team": "Colorado Avalanche", "record": "55-16-11", "points": 121, "note": "division winner · best record in the NHL"},
   {"team": "Dallas Stars", "record": "50-20-12", "points": 112},
   {"team": "Minnesota Wild", "record": "46-24-12", "points": 104},
   {"team": "Utah Mammoth", "record": "43-33-6", "points": 92},
   {"team": "St. Louis Blues", "record": "37-33-12", "points": 86},
   {"team": "Nashville Predators", "record": "38-34-10", "points": 86},
   {"team": "Winnipeg Jets", "record": "35-35-12", "points": 82},
   {"team": "Chicago Blackhawks", "record": "29-39-14", "points": 72}
  ],
  "pacific": [
   {"team": "Vegas Golden Knights", "record": "39-26-17", "points": 95, "note": "division winner"},
   {"team": "Edmonton Oilers", "record": "41-30-11", "points": 93},
   {"team": "Anaheim Ducks", "record": "43-33-6", "points": 92},
   {"team": "Los Angeles Kings", "record": "35-27-20", "points": 90},
   {"team": "San Jose Sharks", "record": "39-35-8", "points": 86},
   {"team": "Seattle Kraken", "record": "34-37-11", "points": 79},
   {"team": "Calgary Flames", "record": "34-39-9", "points": 77},
   {"team": "Vancouver Canucks", "record": "25-49-8", "points": 58}
  ]
 },
 "standings_note": "Final 2025-26 regular-season standings (W-L-OTL); ties in points keep the source's tiebreak order (regulation wins). Two-time defending champion Florida missed the playoffs. League-wide wins sum to 1,312 and every team played 82 games · both checks exact.",
 "next_season_dates": {
  "regular_season": "September 2026 · June 2027 · 84-game schedule, the first since 1993-94 (opening date expected with the summer schedule release)",
  "all_star": "All-Star Game: February 6, 2027 · UBS Arena, Elmont, NY (five-team international round-robin)",
  "playoffs": "Stanley Cup playoffs from April 2027 · Final June 2027",
  "extra": "Outdoor games · Heritage Classic in Winnipeg (Oct 25, 2026), Winter Classic in Salt Lake City, Mammoth vs. Avalanche (Dec 31, 2026), Stadium Series at AT&T Stadium, Stars vs. Golden Knights (Feb 20, 2027). First overall draft pick: Gavin McKenna (Toronto Maple Leafs)."
 },
 "source": "2026 Stanley Cup Final, 2025–26 NHL season (standings template marked complete, cites NHL.com) and 2026–27 NHL season · fetched and cross-checked 2 July 2026. Swatches use each team's official palette, picking a distinguishable colour where the primary is black or shared.",
 "colours": {
  "Anaheim Ducks": "#CF4520", "Boston Bruins": "#FFB81C", "Buffalo Sabres": "#003087",
  "Calgary Flames": "#C8102E", "Carolina Hurricanes": "#CE1126", "Chicago Blackhawks": "#CF0A2C",
  "Colorado Avalanche": "#6F263D", "Columbus Blue Jackets": "#041E42", "Dallas Stars": "#00823E",
  "Detroit Red Wings": "#CE1126", "Edmonton Oilers": "#FF4C00", "Florida Panthers": "#B9975B",
  "Los Angeles Kings": "#A2AAAD", "Minnesota Wild": "#0E4431", "Montreal Canadiens": "#A6192E",
  "Nashville Predators": "#FFB81C", "New Jersey Devils": "#CC0000", "New York Islanders": "#F47D30",
  "New York Rangers": "#154B94", "Ottawa Senators": "#DA1A32", "Philadelphia Flyers": "#D24303",
  "Pittsburgh Penguins": "#FCB514", "San Jose Sharks": "#00778B", "Seattle Kraken": "#99D9D9",
  "St. Louis Blues": "#006AC6", "Tampa Bay Lightning": "#00205B", "Toronto Maple Leafs": "#00205B",
  "Utah Mammoth": "#6CACE4", "Vancouver Canucks": "#00843D", "Vegas Golden Knights": "#B4975A",
  "Washington Capitals": "#C8102E", "Winnipeg Jets": "#041E42"
 }
}