Eric Staal's Road To The Canes Hall of Fame

RALEIGH, NC. - Soon-to-be Carolina Hurricanes Hall of Fame inductee Eric Staal was drafted in 2003 and played until 2023.

Totaling 1,365 NHL games and many achievements along the way, here's a look back at his career through the years.

2003-04

After three standout seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, the Canes selected Staal with the second overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft.

The only player taken ahead of him? The timeless Marc-Andre Fleury, plucked by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Jumping right into the lineup that fall, Staal played 81 games before the 2004-05 lockout forced him into his first and only season in the American Hockey League. Staal was an AHL All-Star that season, producing 77 points in 77 games for the Lowell Lock Monsters.

2005-06

When NHL play, and Staal's career at the highest level, resumed the following season, it was a campaign that couldn't have gone any better. At just 21 years old, #12 produced the first and only 100-point regular season in Canes history and led the franchise to their first Stanley Cup.

He was dominant throughout the entire postseason, leading all playoff skaters in assists (19) and points (28).

With 28 years of history, many consider Staal's '05-06 the best single season in franchise history. Staal was also named a Second-Team NHL All-Star, one of just two players in Hurricanes history to be selected to one of the league’s end-of-season All-Star teams.

2006-09

Staal continued to prove that his early success was no flash in the pan, averaging around a point per game in the seasons following the Cup victory.

An NHL All-Star in each of the next three seasons - the first of what would be six trips to the event in his career - he was also the Most Valuable Player at the 2008 Game in Atlanta. He remains the only player in franchise history to represent the Hurricanes/Whalers at four consecutive NHL All-Star Games (2007-09, 2011).

Ahead of the 2008-09 season, Staal signed a seven-year extension with the Canes that began following the upcoming season. He also became the first, and to this day, only Hurricane selected to be on the cover of EA Sports' NHL video game series.

Staal set another team single-season record with four hat tricks in 2008-09, including a performance at Tampa Bay on March 7 in which he tied the franchise records for goals (4) and points (6) in a single game.

During the 2009 postseason, the Thunder Bay, Ontario product recorded one of the finest moments in team history - The Shock at the Rock. That same postseason he passed Ron Francis for the franchise record in playoff points (40).

2009-11

Already the team's leader on the scoresheet for several seasons, during the 2009-10 season, Staal also became the locker room's leader.

On January 20, 2010, #12 was named the fifth captain in franchise history, taking over for Rod Brind'Amour. Staal scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Atlanta in his first game wearing the ”C” the following day.

The next month Staal played for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, helping them bring home gold in Vancouver and then becoming just the 23rd member to join the Triple Gold Club (winners of Olympic gold, a World Championship gold, and the Stanley Cup).

2011-16

Serving as Captain for parts of seven seasons, Staal accumulated another 381 points in 459 games with the Canes. To many, he was a bright spot during a stretch of playoff-less hockey in Raleigh.

The eldest Staal was able to play three-and-a-half of those seasons with his brother, Jordan, after he was acquired from Pittsburgh ahead of the 2012-13 season.

There's also the iconic image of the two starting a game with their other brother Jared, prior to a game during the 2012-13 season.

On February 28, 2016, Staal was moved to the New York Rangers, joining his brother Marc in exchange for Aleksi Saarela and two second-round draft picks.

He left as the Hurricanes’ career leader in goals (322), assists (453), points (775), games played (909), penalty minutes (678), even-strength goals (201), even-strength points (502), shorthanded goals (16), shorthanded points (21), game-winning goals (47) and shots on goal (3,033).

2016-2021

Playing just 25 total games for the Rangers, Staal signed in Minnesota ahead of the 2016-17 season.

He'd play there for four seasons, reaching two major milestones during his time with the team - playing his 1,000th game (Mar. 19, 2017) and becoming the 89th player all-time to reach 1,000 points (Dec. 15, 2019).

Before the 2020-21 season, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, but after just 32 games he was moved again to the Montreal Canadiens.

2021-23

Unsigned ahead of the 2021-22 season, Staal turned his attention to representing Canada again at the Olympics. Playing in four games with the Iowa Wild of the AHL - his first games in the league in over 16 years - as a tune-up, he went on to serve as his country's Captain at the 2022 event.

Staal was able to get back into the NHL for the 2022-23 season, dressing in what would be the final campaign of his career with the Florida Panthers.

He skated in 99 games (regular season + postseason) for the group en route to an Eastern Conference Championship.

2024

On July 30, 2024, Staal signed a one-day contract with the Hurricanes and retired from his playing career.

The team simultaneously announced that they would retire his number and honor him at a game during the 2023-24 season.

To learn more about the entire schedule of events taking place on Sunday, January 12 and Monday, January 13, click here.