Canadian Gold medalist and Stanley Cup champion officially retires from the NHL
Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed forward Eric Staal to a one-day contract so he can retire as a Hurricane.
The team will also retire Eric Staal's number 12 during the 2024-25 NHL season.
Staal, 39, leads the team (since relocation) in goals (322), assists (453), points (775), games played (909), power-play goals (105), power-play points (252), and hat tricks (13). Over 18 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, Rangers, Wild, Sabres, Canadiens, and Panthers, he scored 1,063 points (455 goals, 608 assists) in 1,365 games. He helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006, leading the team in playoff scoring with 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists).
«From the time I arrived in Raleigh at 18 years old and throughout my 12 years there, I felt the love and support of the fans and organization in a way that will always feel special to me. There was no doubt in my mind that when it became time to hang up my skates, I would want to retire as a Carolina Hurricane. To now also know that the team is retiring my No. 12 is truly humbling and I am extremely grateful and honored.»
Drafted second overall by the Hurricanes in 2003, Staal had the only 100-point season in Hurricanes history (45 goals, 55 assists) in 2005-06. He set team single-season records for goals, points, and even-strength points (22 goals, 34 assists) and tied for assists (55) and power-play goals (19). Staal also set a team record with four hat tricks in 2008-09, including a four-goal, six-point game against Tampa Bay on March 7. He was traded to the NY Rangers on Feb. 28, 2016, and left as the Hurricanes' career leader in goals, assists, points, games played, 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).
Staal is the only player in franchise history to represent the Hurricanes/Whalers at four consecutive NHL All-Star Games (2007-09, 2011), earning All-Star MVP honors in 2008. He was one of two team captains for the league's first-ever All-Star Game Draft in Raleigh in 2011. Staal was named a Second-Team NHL All-Star in 2005-06, and he is one of two players in Hurricanes history to be selected to one of the league's end-of-season All-Star teams. He wore a letter for nine of his 12 seasons in Carolina, spending two seasons as an alternate captain (2007-09) before being named the 13th captain in franchise history on Jan. 20, 2010. Staal scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Atlanta in his first game wearing the "C" the following day, and he is still the longest-tenured captain in Hurricanes history.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native represented Canada at many international tournaments, including the IIHF World Championships in 2007, 2008, and 2013, and the Olympic Games in 2010 and 2022. Staal is one of just 30 players in the Triple Gold Club, which includes those who have won the Stanley Cup (2006), World Championship gold (2007), and Olympic gold (2010). Eric (1,365 GP) and his younger brothers Jordan (1,253 GP) and Marc (1,136 GP) are the only trio of brothers in NHL history to each play at least 1,000 career games.
Credit: NHL.comEric Staal Signs One-Day Contract, Retires From NHL
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30 JUILLET | 123 ANSWERS Canadian Gold medalist and Stanley Cup champion officially retires from the NHL Will Eric Staal be a Hockey Hall of Famer one day? | ||
| Yes | 74 | 60.2 % |
| No | 49 | 39.8 % |
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