Eric Staal

**Eric Staal** (born Eric Craig Staal on October 29, 1984 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild.

Staal was drafted 2nd overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

Eric grew up playing minor hockey in Thunder Bay, and played AAA for the Thunder Bay Kings organization and led his Bantam team to an All-Ontario Championship in the 1999–2000 season.

After the season, he was selected in the first round (13th overall) in the 2000 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection by the Peterborough Petes.

While not even his father, Henry thought that he may have been ready for the OHL, he finished his first season with 49 points in 63 games. His scoring totals increased the following season when he recorded 62 points.

In his draft year, Eric led the Petes in scoring with 39 goals and 98 points. He was named to the Canadian Hockey League First All-Star Team as well as the OHL Second All-Star Team. He also skated in the CHL Top Prospects Game, recording one assist.

### Professional

Eric was selected second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes (behind number one pick Marc-Andre Fleury). He played his first season in the NHL right after being drafted. In 2004, he played in the YoungStars Game as part of the 2004 NHL All-Star festivities.

As the 2004–05 season was cancelled due to a lock-out, Eric spent the year with the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Lowell Lock Monsters. He established new franchise records in points (77), assists (51), plus-minus (+37) and shorthanded goals (7) in a season, and was also called for the AHL All Star Classic.

In the 2005–06 season, he scored a career-high 100 points during the regular season, and was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week of October 23–30, 2005, the same week in which he scored his first career hat-trick, coming against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Eric then led the Hurricanes in points during the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs with 28 as they won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. After the season, he finished fourth in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player (MVP).

Following the successful season, Eric signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract extension with the Hurricanes on July 1, 2006. He made his first All-Star Game appearance in 2007 All-Star Game in Dallas, where he scored the Eastern Conference's third goal. His overall production dipped from the previous season, as he recorded just 70 points.

On January 27, 2008, at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Eric recorded two goals and an assist. He was also awarded the MVP award for the event. On September 11, 2008, he signed a seven-year, $57.75 million extension with the Hurricanes, which was to begin in the 2009–10 season. He was slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2009, but he signed despite having one year at $5 million remaining on his former contract.

On April 28, 2009, he capped an improbable comeback by scoring the series-winning goal with 31.7 seconds remaining in the Game 7 of Carolina's first round series of the 2009 playoffs against the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes went as far as the Eastern Conference Finals, ultimately losing to the eventually Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On May 8, 2009, Eric scored twice to earn 40 career post-season points, eclipsing Ron Francis' franchise mark of 39. On January 20, 2010, he was named team captain, replacing Rod Brind'Amour (who was named an alternate captain), becoming the fifth captain since the team relocated from Hartford, Connecticut to Raleigh, North Carolina.

On January 18, 2011, he was named one of two team captains for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, held in the Hurricanes' home city of Raleigh; in the game, Team Staal fell 10–11 to Team Lidstrom, captained by the Detroit Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom.

On February 28, 2016, Eric (who was in the final year of his contract) was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Aleksi Saarela and two second-round draft picks (2016 and 2017).

He joined his brother Marc in New York, but struggled for the Rangers, recording six points in 20 regular season games and zero points in a five-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

During the subsequent offseason, he signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2016. In his first season with the Wild, he recorded 28 goals and 65 points.

The 2017–18 season was a memorable one for Eric as he played his 1,000th game on March 19, 2017 and was also invited to his fifth NHL All-Star Game. He ended the season registering 42 goals, having his first 40 plus goal season since 2008–09.

Eric agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million extension with the Wild on February 25, 2019. On December 15, 2019, he became the 89th player all-time to score 1000 career points.

## International Play

Eric received his first calls to Team Canada for the 2007 World Championships in Moscow. Along with his younger brother Jordan, he won gold in a 4–2 win against Finland, scoring five goals, including the overtime winner in the quarter-finals over the Czech Republic.

In the following year, Eric was back with Team Canada at the 2008 World Championships in Quebec City, winning a silver medal. He scored eight goals in the tournament, four of them in Canada's 10–1 defeat of Germany.

Four years after being named only for Canada's taxi squad for the 2006 Winter Olympics, he was selected for the Canadian team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He became a starter (alongside Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla) and scored one goal & five assists on the path to a gold medal.

The Olympic title added with previous NHL and World Championship wins made him the 23rd player in the Triple Gold Club.

Eric was named captain of Team Canada in the 2013 World Championships in Stockholm. He was injured during in the first period of the quarter-finals (which Canada ended up losing to eventual champions Sweden) after a knee-on-knee hit by defenceman Alexander Edler.

## Accolades

### Records

* Carolina Hurricanes' franchise record for most hat tricks in a single season – 4 (2008–09)
* Carolina Hurricanes' franchise record for most career post-season points – 43
* Carolina Hurricanes' franchise record for consecutive games – 349 (2004–2009)
* Tied Minnesota Wild's franchise record for most goals in a single season – 42 (2017–18)

## Personal Life

Eric is the son of Henry and Linda Staal, who work as sod farmers; he has three younger brothers: Marc, Jordan and Jared. All four of his grandparents were Dutch immigrants.

He started playing hockey at the age of four. Along with learning how to operate farming tools, he played in a home ice rink with his three younger brothers. His idols growing up were forwards Joe Sakic and Wayne Gretzky.

He took his jersey number 12 from what his father wore when he played hockey for the Lakehead Thunderwolves from 1978 to 1983. He is a Christian.

On August 3, 2007, Eric married his longtime girlfriend, Tanya Van den Broeke; they reside in Edina, Minnesota and have three sons: Parker, Finley and Levi.