Eric Staal

Eric Craig Staal (born October 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers. Eric is the oldest of the Staal brothers, who include former teammates Marc, Jordan, and Jared. Drafted second overall in 2003 by the Hurricanes, he played in the NHL YoungStars Game and recorded 11 goals. After playing the 2004–05 season in the AHL due to the NHL lockout, Staal scored 45 goals and recorded his only 100-point season in the 2005–06 season; in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, he had nine goals and nineteen assists for 28 points, leading the league in the latter two categories as the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup Final. He became captain of the team in 2010 and served in the position for six years. In his twelve seasons with Carolina, he recorded two 40-goal seasons and three other 30-goal seasons. He was traded to the Rangers late in the 2015–16 season before signing as a free agent with the Wild in 2016; he scored his 400th career goal in 2018 and recorded his 1,000th career point in 2019. He was traded to the Sabres in 2020 and Canadiens in 2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with the latter team. He signed a contract to play with the Panthers in 2022 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, scoring a goal to set a record for the longest gap in goals scored by a player in Final history. A six-time selection to the NHL All-Star Game, Staal retired in 2024 and had his jersey retired by the Hurricanes in 2025, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to receive the honor. Staal is...