Eric Staal

Lore & Background

Eric Staal was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to sod farmers Henry and Linda Staal. All four of his grandparents were Dutch immigrants. He started playing hockey at age four and learned to operate farming tools while playing on a home ice rink with his three younger brothers. His idols were Joe Sakic and Wayne Gretzky. He took jersey number 12 from his father, who wore it playing for the Lakehead Thunderwolves from 1978 to 1983. Staal played minor hockey in Thunder Bay, led his Bantam team to an All-Ontario Championship in 1999–2000, and was selected 13th overall in the 2000 OHL Priority Selection by the Peterborough Petes. In his draft year, he led the Petes in scoring with 39 goals and 98 points, was named to the CHL First All-Star Team and OHL Second All-Star Team, and skated in the CHL Top Prospects Game.

In Their Own Story

The Xcel Energy Center was half-empty on a Tuesday night in January, the kind of game the TV cameras forget. Third period, two minutes left, tied. A Carolina forward came up the left wing, heavy on the puck, eyes locked on the slot. Eric was already there—had been there for three shifts, maybe four, his shoulders heaving, his stick tape frayed to the blade. He didn't go for the hit. He just stood in the lane, arms wide, a wall of grey and blue. The forecheck came. The check went with it. The puck popped loose, a Wild defenseman picked it up, and the next thing anyone knew the net was shaking. Staal was already skating back, jaw set, saying nothing. He never said much. That was the point.

Reader's Guide

Staal was selected second overall in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He played his first NHL season right after being drafted, appearing in the 2004 YoungStars Game. During the 2004–05 lockout, he played for the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters, setting franchise records in points (77), assists (51), plus-minus (+37), and shorthanded goals (7). In 2005–06, he scored a career-high 100 points and led the Hurricanes in playoff points (28) as they won the Stanley Cup. He was named captain in 2010 and served for six years. He was traded to the New York Rangers in 2016, then signed with the Minnesota Wild as a free agent on July 1, 2016. He scored his 400th career goal in 2018 and his 1,000th career point in 2019. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2020 and to the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the latter. He signed with the Florida Panthers in 2022 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, scoring a goal to set a record for the longest gap in goals by a player in Final history. He retired in 2024.

Did You Know?

• Eric Staal is a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup (2006), the World Championships (2007), and the Olympic gold medal (2010).
• He was named MVP of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game.
• Staal scored the series-winning goal with 31.7 seconds left in Game 7 of the 2009 first-round playoffs against the New Jersey Devils, a comeback known as 'Shock at the Rock'.
• He played his 1,000th NHL game on March 19, 2017.
• Staal's father Henry wore number 12 playing for the Lakehead Thunderwolves, which Eric adopted as his own jersey number.