Not many NHL players can say that they have reached the 1,000 game, 400 goal, and 600 assist milestones. However, Eric Staal has achieved all of those things. Staal, who is 39 years old, has played in 1,365 games, scored 455 goals and 608 assists, made six All Star Game appearances, and was named MVP once over the course of his 18 year professional career. Let’s look back on his legendary career.
Staal, who is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, grew up in a hockey family playing alongside his younger brothers Marc, Jordan, and Jared who have all gone on to have NHL careers themselves. When he was 18 years old, Staal was drafted 2nd overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2003 NHL draft. He quickly made a statement during his debut season. He played 81 games, making his first All-Star appearance at 19 years old and scoring 31 points over the course of the 2003-2004 season.
However, Staal really made a splash during the 2005-2006 season. According to the NHL, Staal scored 45 goals and 100 points, which ranked him in top 10 in the NHL in both categories. Staal also played an instrumental role in the Carolina Hurricanes first ever Stanley Cup win later that year, leading the league during the postseason with 28 points which included nine goals and 19 assists over the course of the Playoffs.
Fast forward to the 2009-2010 season when Staal became captain of the Hurricanes, which was a role he held until 2016. During this time, he got to play alongside his brothers Jordan and Jared, who started playing for the Hurricanes. After seven seasons as captain, Staal was traded to the New York Rangers, where he played for one season alongside his other brother Marc, and thus beginning a pattern of hopping around the NHL.
Before the beginning of the 2016 season, Staal signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild. During his time with the Wild, he became the 89th NHL player to score 1,000 points. At the beginning of the 2020-2021 season, Staal signed with the Buffalo Sabres, but it wasn’t long before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the March trade deadline. While in Montreal, he made another Stanley Cup Final appearance but failed to score any goals or assists. In the 2021-2022 season, Staal took a break from the NHL and played for the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL affiliate.
During the 2022-2023 season, Staal joined the Florida Panthers on a professional tryout contract where he hit the 1,300 NHL game milestone in a 3-0 win against the Hurricanes in what was then FLA Live Arena. The moment was truly special because it was the site of his NHL debut and the first time he got to play with brothers Marc and Jordan in over six years.
Staal made his final Stanley Cup Final appearance, and during game one against the Vegas Golden Knights–his 100th postseason game–he scored his first ever short-handed goal. According to the NHL, the goal was also Staal’s first Stanley Cup Finals goal in 17 years, giving him the record for longest span between goals in the Finals.
In addition to playing in the NHL and AHL, Staal also represented Canada in the 2010 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In Vancouver in 2010, Staal was a member of the squad that won the gold. Though Canada didn’t have that much success in Beijing in 2022 with only a sixth place finish, Staal got to serve as captain of the team.
Recently, it was announced that Staal would sign a one day contract to officially retire with the Hurricanes, who will retire his jersey number 12 soon.
“From the time I arrived in Raleigh at 18 years old and throughout my 12 years there, I felt the love and support of the fans and organization in a way that will always feel special to me," Staal said in a statement from the NHL. "There was no doubt in my mind that when it became time to hang up my skates, I would want to retire as a Carolina Hurricane. To now also know that the team is retiring my No. 12 is truly humbling and I am extremely grateful and honored.”
“Throughout his time in the Triangle, he made an immeasurable impact on his teammates, the organization and the community. We look forward to raising No. 12 to the rafters and celebrating the career of a man who has meant so much to hockey fans in North Carolina,” Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky said in the same statement.
Staal has had a unique hockey career and has been one of the fundamental players of his generation of NHL hockey. Though his career has taken him all over the NHL, it is exciting that he gets to retire as a member of the team that gave him his start. Though Staal is hanging up his skates, there is no doubt that he will continue to inspire the hockey community for years to come.
Edited by Emma Habel
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