Eric Staal Games Played Record

Lore & Background

Eric is the oldest of the Staal brothers, who include former teammates Marc, Jordan, and Jared. Drafted second overall in 2003 by the Hurricanes, he played in the NHL YoungStars Game and recorded 11 goals. After playing the 2004–05 season in the AHL due to the NHL lockout, Staal scored 45 goals and recorded his only 100-point season in the 2005–06 season; in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, he had nine goals and nineteen assists for 28 points, leading the league in the latter two categories as the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup Final.

He became captain of the team in 2010 and served in the position for six years. In his twelve seasons with Carolina, he recorded two 40-goal seasons and three other 30-goal seasons. He was traded to the Rangers late in the 2015–16 season before signing as a free agent with the Wild in 2016; he scored his 400th career goal in 2018 and recorded his 1,000th career point in 2019. He was traded to the Sabres in 2020 and Canadiens in 2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the latter team.

He signed a contract to play with the Panthers in 2022 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, scoring a goal to set a record for the longest gap in goals scored by a player in Final history. A six-time selection to the NHL All-Star Game, Staal retired in 2024 and had his jersey retired by the Hurricanes in 2025, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to receive the honor. Staal is a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, and both the 2007 World Championships and the 2010 Winter Olympics with Team Canada.

Reader's Guide

On April 28, 2009, Staal capped an improbable comeback by scoring the series-winning goal with 31.7 seconds remaining in game seven of Carolina's first-round series of the 2009 playoffs against the New Jersey Devils. His game-winning goal led to the comeback victory being nicknamed 'Shock at the Rock'. The Hurricanes went as far as the Eastern Conference Final, ultimately losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Did You Know?

• Staal was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the son of sod farmers Henry and Linda Staal.
• All four of his grandparents were Dutch immigrants.
• He started playing hockey at the age of four.
• His idols growing up were forwards Joe Sakic and Wayne Gretzky.
• Staal took his jersey number 12 from what his father wore when he played hockey for the Lakehead Thunderwolves from 1978 to 1983.