No player for the Hurricanes will don the No. 12 sweater ever again.
Eric Staal became the fourth-ever player and first player drafted by the franchise to have his jersey retired on Sunday. He joins Ron Francis’ No. 10, Glen Wesley’s No. 2 and current head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s No. 17 as the only numbers retired by the Hurricanes organization.
The second overall pick of the 2003 draft was the original hockey wunderkind in Raleigh. The 18-year-old came in with enormous expectations placed on his shoulders.
“Eric Staal was Mr. Everything for Peterborough this season,” a THN scouting report from 2003 read. “He has size, skill and speed which is everything you want in a top-end talent. He’s creative with the puck and fires crisp, sharp passes as well as anyone in junior.”
After amassing 31 points in 81 games in his rookie season, Staal made an incredible jump in production in his sophomore year following the lockout. His 100-point 2005-06’ season still remains the highest for a single season in franchise history. Staal led the league in points and assists in that playoff run, helping deliver the Canes their only Stanley Cup to date.
By the end of his career as a Hurricane, he totaled 322 goals, 453 assists, 775 points, 13 hat tricks, 105 power play goals and 252 power play points, all of which are franchise highs.
Despite the individual success, Staal spent the majority of his time when the Hurricanes did not have the ownership who wanted to invest in success. In his 12 seasons with the team, he made the playoffs twice.
“My memories of being here are so overwhelmingly positive that it really takes away from some of those times,” Staal said. “There were some times that were really, really hard. But the highs were so significant that it really outweighs the times that were really tough.”
There are still a few members of the organization that have been around long enough to remember the ‘tough times’. You ask any of them and there wasn’t a bad word to say about Staal.
“Him and I went through everything together,” said Hurricanes Hall of Fame goaltender Cam Ward. “I’m very proud of the fact that I was able to play 12 years with him.”
Staal’s leadership was undeniable — a lead-by-example type of person. He was an alternate captain for a couple seasons before being named the team’s captain in 2010. Through the highs and the lows, Staal remained steadfast and is still the longest-tenured captain in franchise history.
“There were a few years there where I put a lot of pressure on myself as a leader, and we just struggled,” Staal said. “You can’t say everything you feel all the time. You have to learn to speak the way you should within your team, but it helped grow me as a player and a person.”
Staal’s legacy will not be remembered for the statistics he accumulated while on the ice, but for his impact on hockey culture in North Carolina.
Staal first hit the ice in a Carolina jersey before there was one even in the rafters. But now there are four. He joined a franchise in its infancy in a market where hockey was nowhere close to being a popular sport. You can’t talk about Hurricanes history without Eric Staal. Youth hockey in the Triangle area has exploded, and you can’t explain that without the legacy of Eric Staal.
“I don’t know how many of them had pictures when they were little,” Staal said. “[They said] ‘You’re the reason why I got into hockey.’ It’s super humbling and really, really cool to experience and listen to people talk about their stories.”
The Staal bloodline is intertwined with the Hurricanes franchise. Center Jordan Staal — Eric’s younger brother — is currently the captain and has been since the beginning of the 2019 season.
Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Hurricanes traded for the current-captain in 2012, pairing him with his brother. Jordan eventually served as an alternate captain under Eric before he carried the mantle of Canes captain.
As captain, Jordan has found more playoff success than his brother ever did with the franchise. Since Carolina ended its nine-season playoff drought, they haven’t missed it since and currently sit at third in the Metropolitan division and the streak doesn’t look like its ending anytime soon.
It would be easy for Eric to be bitter of Jordan and the success he’s had with ‘his team’ but that’s not who No. 12 is.
“Me leaving left a lot on his shoulders, and it was challenging for him for a couple years after I left,” Staal said. “But I’m super proud of how they’ve come through those times. They have a great core and culture of how to be successful, and Jordan is a massive part of that. I’m grateful to have spent the time together.”
No. 12 isn’t just Eric’s number — it’s his dad Henry Staal’s too.
“When this jersey gets raised up, you can know that a part of this jersey is yours,” Staal said as his dad looked on with teary eyes and a thumbs up.
The name and the number represent more than just Eric, but without the kid from Thunder Bay, Canada the Carolina Hurricanes are not what they are today.
