Eric Craig Staal 1984

Professional Sports Figure

Eric Staal is the oldest of the four Staal brothers, each of whom is a professional ice hockey player of sufficient caliber to play in the premier professional hockey league, the National Hockey League [NHL].

Eric Staal began his professional ice hockey career, in the 2000-2001 season, when he was only 16 years old, playing for the Peterborough, Ontario Petes in the Ontario Hockey League [OHL]. He remained with the Peterborough Petes for the three seasons, from 2000 to 2003. During the three years, he played in 185 games, scored 81 goals, and amassed 209 points.

In 2003, the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL drafted Staal, as the second overall pick of the 2003 draft. The first person drafted was a goalie. In other words Staal was then considered to be the one of the top two players in the draft. New draftees in the NHL usually are sent to a farm team, but Staal was immediately needed on the Carolina Hurricanes team, and played on the Hurricanes team for the entire season.

In the 2004-2005 season, Staal was given the opportunity to refine his skills by playing on the Hurricanes farm team, the Lowell Lock Monsters, an AHL team. In the next season, he returned to the Hurricanes, and has been playing there through the 2008-2009 season. During his first four full seasons with the Hurricanes, Staal played in 409 games, scored 164 goals, and amassed 358 points. During the next four seasons, from 2009/2010 until 2012/2013, he played in another 281 games, scored 104 goals and amassed 269 points.

The Carolina Hurricanes won the NHL’s Stanley Cup at the end of the 2005-2006 season, and Staal was a prominent member of the team, and a big contributor during the playoff games. Some of the other major awards, Staal received during his career are listed below.

2002-2003—Selected for the First All Star Team in the Canadian Hockey League[CHL]

2003-2004—Played in the Young Stars game of the NHL

2006-2007—Played in the NHL All-Star game, representing the Eastern NHL Conference

2007-2008—Played in NHL All-Star game, and selected most valuable player [MVP]

Eric Staal’s brothers are Jordan Staal, a player for the Carolina Hurricanes, Mark Staal, a player for the New York Rangers, and Jared Staal, a player in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

Eric Staal, of Dutch background, was born on October 29, 1984 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, a city on the north shore of Lake Superior. His parents are Henry and Linda Staal. The family operates the 500 acre Sunshine sod farm. Although he is a Dutch Canadian, since he has been playing on an American team, and has lived in the United States for several years, he has earned the designation as a Dutch American. We wish him well.

Eric Staal married Tanya VandenBroeke in 2007. The couple has two sons, Parker Lucas born in 2009 and Levi  John born in 2011.

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