Down on the Farm: Olympic dreams bring Staal to Iowa

Former Minnesota Wild forward Eric Staal had one goal in mind when he signed a Professional Tryout contract with the Iowa Wild earlier this month.
OK, maybe two goals.
First and foremost, the veteran centerman with nearly 1,300 games of NHL experience wanted one more crack at making the Canadian Olympic roster ahead of the Games in Beijing.

The other was perhaps one final shot at signing with an NHL team for the stretch run of the regular season and a long playoff run.
But make no mistake: Staal's primary hope in making the trek down Interstate 35 from his home in the Twin Cities was to get himself back into playing shape so that Team Canada would select the longtime NHL captain for a final Olympic Games.
"[That] is something you can't look away from. That's pretty special and would be an honor if I [got] that chance," Staal said. "I've been skating on my own for a while and kind of waiting to see what was out there, if there was an opportunity for me to play.
"I still have an itch and a desire to compete and battle and play and this is kind of a stepping stone to see where I'm at, where my body's at and how I feel and kind of go from there."
To be clear, this was an opportunity that sort of came right out of the blue.
Late into 2021, the hope and desire of NHL players was that they would be the ones representing their countries at the Olympics. But a continued run of COVID-19 postponements forced the hands of the NHL and the NHLPA, who were forced to cancel their participation in the games so it could fill the previously scheduled 2 1/2 week break with postponements.
With NHL players no longer in the mix, Staal's unfortunate circumstance as a man without an NHL team actually worked to his benefit. Despite an international resume that featured a pair of previous Olympic experiences in 2006 and 2010, Staal at this point of his career was no longer on the radar for the 2022 Games.
And while Team USA chose to select a number of current and former NCAA players to represent the United States in Beijing, Canada was immediately knocking on the doors of a handful of guys like Staal and another former Wild player, goaltender Devan Dubnyk, to help lead the way.
In addition to their on-ice skills, having vets like Staal would certainly be a benefit to the young players on Canada's roster.
"I think any team that I've ever been on that has had success has a balance of both, has had people and players on it that had experience or had situations they've been in before," Staal said. "I think it helps the overall group. Whether I get to be that for Team Canada, I will relish that."
He could also be that guy for Iowa, too.
It's not often a player with Staal's resume plays in the American Hockey League. Staal himself hadn't played in the AHL prior to Jan. 14 since 2004-05, when he played in 77 games for the Lowell Lock Monsters and averaged a point per game.
Staal has played in 1,212 games in the NHL since that year, scoring more than 400 goals and more than 1,000 points. He's also hoisted a Stanley Cup, something he'd love to do one more time if his run in Iowa and at a spot on the Olympic roster goes well.
Lately, Staal said he's still spending most days at a hockey rink, but instead of playing, he's carting his three sons to and from practice and games.
"Definitely different but still really busy," Staal said. "I have three boys and they all play, so it seems like I'm at a rink every night. I did an outdoor rink so that kept me busy during the day."
The outdoor rink has kept Staal active and on the ice himself, which helped make the transition back to playing at least a little easier.
"That's kept the mind fresh and legs engaged," Staal said. "I've definitely had moments of wanting to be out there with a group and a team and feeling like I can. This is a good chance for me and an opportunity that Iowa has given me a chance to compete in some games and play with these guys."
Staal said he's had conversations with a number of NHL teams since the start of the season, but there hasn't been a fit just yet. And while Staal would like one more opportunity to make a run at a championship - he reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens last season - he's focused on the business at hand first.
"I'm looking at it as an opportunity to play in the Olympic Games," Staal said. "That's kind of as far ahead as I'm looking at it."
Should a chance to latch on somewhere after that present itself?
"Then I'll be ready to go," Staal said. "This is just another step in that type of direction where I can just go out there and compete, play in some game situations and look forward to battling. It's the best to play a game and compete. I've done it my whole life and I still have that itch and desire to do it now.
"It'll be fun. I look forward to the games and whatever happens after that, we'll see how it plays out. But I'm good either way."