Saving Face: Carolina Hurricanes

We all have players on our favourite team that we value, ones that we wouldn't give up for anything. But they didn't all start out that way, in fact many "Franchise" players weren't even drafted by the team that now finds them so valuable. Some are on their second team, some are on their fourth, but all of them have become extremely valuable hockey players. This series is intended to allow us to look closely at these so called "Faces of the Franchise" because sometimes stars are easy to see, sometimes it takes years to find diamonds in the rough, and sometimes you don't know what you got till it's gone.

Eric Staal - Carolina Hurricanes

Woooooooooooooo!

Thunder Bay, Ontario. Winter of 1994. The Staal brothers are outside in the snow, Eric, the eldest has Jordan pinned in the icy snowbank, the snow mixing with tears as he face-washes his brother into oblivion. Marc is upset and afraid, he runs inside calling for help. Mrs. Staal rushes outside, the fun's over for now. Later, it's dark inside the house, Marc is thirsty and goes for a glass of water. It is too dark to see but Marc senses a presence in the hallway, a voice breaks the stillness, it is Eric, his face hidden in the shadows

"Snitches get stitches little bro....keep your head up"

Marc laughs it off, but he awakens the next morning with a rotten feeling in his gut, something is coming.

Jr. Reporter Eric Staal, giving you nothing but "Tru Fakts!"

Eric Staal was born in the town of Thunder Bay just 26 years ago, but his impressive hockey skills and freaky family of wunder-athletes have made him a very recognizable part of the NHL. Originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes 2nd overall in the 2003 Entry Draft, he remains with them as Captain, both of the team and Captain of their Hearts. 

Really working the groin there Eric

2003-2004: After being drafted second overall, Eric gets to work scoring seven preseason goals in seven preseason games. Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford could have selected Nathan Horton with the 2nd overall draft pick but didn't, no word on whether texted an apology or not.

2004-2005: Staal spends the lockout playing for the Lake Erie Monsters, but as far as I'm concerned there's only one lake monster we should be concerned about. Betty White doesn't give a CRAP.

hahaha FACE!

2005-06: The lockout ends and Staal gets back to work. In just his second full season, he scores 45 goals and tallies 100 points. The Oilers push the Canes to Game 7 by shutting them out. But the Canes bounce back, somehow managing to score on the great Jussi Markkanen. The Canes win the Cup.

2006-07: Eric regresses a little, falling back to 70 points on the season. Never-the-less he and his brother Jordan are selected to go the IIHF World Championships in Finland. Their mother tells them to "make sure you bring a jacket!" Eric gets married in the off-season, and he has a bachelor party, unfortunately the police make arrests, right before it got awesome. You might say it was Arrested Development.

I guess they only had one chair....?

2007-08: Eric performs better, reaching 82 points on the season. He also goes on OTR with Michael Landsberg, where he references how hard Marc was to babysit. This is the moment we should have known he was planning something.

2008-09: Eldest Staal's season is partially disrupted by the death of his grandfather, but he still finds time to totally screw over Marty Brodeur.

The passport says Jason Bourne, but who am I really.....?

2009-10: Bourne, sorry, Staal has an underwhelming season, it's the first time since his rookie season that he scores under 30 goals, finishing with 29. He does, however, do this, which is pretty cool.

2010-11: In his first full season as Team Captain, Staal finishes with 33 goals and 76 points, he also is the model for the team's Guardian and basically ends his brother's career.

Whoo! Whoo! All aboard the Eric Express! No Staal-ing!!

Eric Staal is a well-known player across the NHL, which is impressive for a member of the Hurricanes. And in recent years he has found great chemistry with Tuomo Ruutu and last year, with Justin Bieber. Who knows what route his career will go now, He's won a Stanley Cup and Gold at the Olympics and World Championships.

If he's looking for people to hit, he does still have two brothers playing hockey, even if one is hiding in an Abe Lincoln costume. 

There can be only one! Staal.

Join us tomorrow when we discuss the Chicago Blackhawks and I try and make you all laugh at Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews.