The Carolina Hurricanes have had a wealth of elite players in the franchise’s 45-year history as an NHL team. But the face of the team’s history is center Eric Staal.
The 39-year-old is hanging up his skates, signing a one-day contract with the Hurricanes Tuesday and retiring after a stellar 18-season NHL career. The Hurricanes will also retire his No. 12. In 1,365 NHL regular-season games played,
Staal put up an impressive 455 goals, 608 assists and 1,063 points. The bulk of those totals came with the Hurricanes, as Staal became the all-time leader in team history in games played (909), goals (322), assists (453), points (775), power-play goals (105), power-play points (252), hat tricks (13) and playoff points (43). Most importantly, Staal won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2005-06, leading his team in that post-season with 19 assists and 28 points in 25 games.
“Eric is a uniquely central figure in franchise history,” Carolina GM Eric Tulsky said in a press release. “Throughout his time in (Carolina), 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.”
Like many veterans, Staal bounced around the NHL after he was traded from the Hurricanes to the New York Rangers in February 2016. He also played for the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and, finally, for the Florida Panthers.
Staal’s final NHL season in 2022-23 was spent with the Panthers, for whom he amassed 14 goals and 29 points in 72 games. And Staal appeared in five NHL all-star games, including in 2020 when he was 35.
Staal also had great success on the international hockey stage, winning a gold medal at the 2007 IIHF World Championship, and earning a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. All-in-all, he was a proven winner at every level of the sport, and he retires as the Hurricanes’ greatest competitor.
Staal’s younger brother, current Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, has 832 regular-season games with Carolina under his belt, so it’s likely he’ll overtake Eric as the team’s all-time games played leader. But Eric Staal’s legacy as a difference-maker and a pioneer of sorts will only grow from this point on.
Is he a Hockey Hall of Famer? We’d say yes to that question. He carried the Hurricanes to new heights, he was part of the team’s bedrock foundation, and anyone who watched him perform has to give him his flowers.
