LAS VEGAS — The Carolina Hurricanes no longer have to dream about holding the Stanley Cup.

On Sunday night in Las Vegas, the Hurricanes got to do it — claiming hockey’s most cherished prize with a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

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“I’ve ran the thought of lifting that Cup over my head millions of times since I was a little kid,” forward Jordan Martinook said before the decisive game.

The Hurricanes won the last three games of the best-of-seven series to claim the second Stanley Cup in franchise history and the first since 2006 when now coach Rod Brind’Amour captained the Hurricanes to the title.

This year’s captain Jordan Staal earned the Conn Smythe Award, given to the postseason MVP, and was the first to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup skyward. He passed it to goalie Frederik Andersen, who started the first 16 games of the postseason but didn’t play in the final three games as rookie Brandon Bussi took over.

Bussi capped a remarkable — and storybook — season. Undrafted out of Western Michigan, the 27-year old was waived before the season by Florida only to be claimed by the Hurricanes and set records throughout the regular season. Too old to be considered for rookie of the year, Bussi found himself on the bench behind Andersen as the top-seeded Hurricanes rolled through the Eastern Conference.

But Bussi was at his best when the Hurricanes needed him the most. He took over for the third period of Game 3, and Carolina outscored Vegas 16-6 over the rest of the series.

In Game 6, Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced, including a diving save late in the first period to keep Vegas off the board.

Taylor Hall, acquired as part of a three-team trade last season, gave Carolina the lead in the first period. The former No 1 overall pick and league MVP, Hall’s been a star in the postseason. He snuck behind the Vegas defense, took a long pass from defenseman Jaccob Slavin and then beat goaltender Carter Hart to the glove side.

Hall’s linemates continued their postseason brilliance in the second period. After an initial stop by Hart, Logan Stankoven found Jackson Blake alone in the slot and Blake’s shot hit off Vegas star Mitch Marner’s stick and past Hart.

The line combined for 55 points in the postseason — 20 from Blake, 19 from Hall and 16 from Stankoven, who led the team with 11 postseason goals.

Carolina improved to 4-0 in close-out games in the postseason, eliminating Ottawa, Philadelphia, Montreal and now Vegas in its first opportunity. The Hurricanes finished 16-3 in the postseason, a run bettered only by the 1988 Edmonton Oilers of Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in the current playoff era.