Eric Staal (born October 29, 1984) is the oldest of the brothers. He played his major junior hockey for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. Eric was selected second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He played his first season after being drafted and was a part of the YoungStars game at the 2004 NHL All-Star Game. On June 19, 2006, Eric lifted the Stanley Cup with his teammates as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. Eric was named captain of the Hurricanes on January 20, 2010. He became the fifth captain of the Hurricanes since their move to North Carolina from Hartford. Eric competed for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, winning an Olympic gold medal. For the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, hosted in Raleigh, Eric was chosen as one of the captains. On February 28, 2016, just before the trade deadline, Eric was traded to the New York Rangers where he joined his brother Marc. After an unsuccessful stint with the Rangers, Staal concluded his contract and as a free agent signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2016. In 2020, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. In 2021, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens.