That being said, it's super cool, for sure, to hit that number. These milestones mean I'm getting older. It all goes by so fast. You blink and go from feeling like your career just kind of started to suddenly hitting these kind of big numbers. It's cool, but you also have to stay in the moment.
You have to enjoy all of these things and treat every day in the NHL like it could be your last. That's something that I learned after last season. It's been good to get back in the mix this year and achieve some of these things, but I'm just trying to stay focused on the day-to-day grind.
More than anything, I'm focusing on what I need do to help our team be successful. It took a little time to get back up to speed, but I knew that it would coming back in. It takes time to get a feel for the pace and decision making you need to have after spending so much time away from it.
I was hoping it would've happened a little quicker, but once you get that first one and the chances come, you continue to gain confidence. Playing with some of the guys that that I've been with, it's been a treat. I just want to continue to try and develop my game to help our team.
Playing in the NHL is all that I know. I've been doing it since I was 18 years old, so when I wasn't anymore, it was difficult. I missed the competitiveness, the games and the everyday things that you really come to enjoy and never take for granted. It's about being a part of that process of building towards something as a team, and it's really been a treat to be a part of it again.
With the second half coming up, we need to keep it going. Everybody knows where we're at. We know how important every game is for us moving forward. We believe in the talent and the group that we have and know that if we continue to build we're going to put ourselves in a position to do something.
It's just about focusing every single day in every practice and every game in order to try and deliver and get confident in all of those situations in every game. We want to make sure we continue this road trip right and get a couple more wins.
See you back in South Florida,
Eric Staal
\As told to FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive*
