RALEIGH — Carolina center Jordan Staal has put himself in impressive company with his hot goal-scoring start to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes captain is just two wins away from even more hockey immortality — getting his name on the Lord Stanley’s Cup for the second time. The best-of-seven series between Carolina and Vegas is tied at 2 entering Thursday’s Game 5 in Raleigh.
Staal has five goals in the first four games of the Stanley Cup series, joining hockey immortals Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players to accomplish that feat.
The goal-scoring binge has fueled the Hurricanes this series, but his rock-solid leadership has been the driving force for the franchise for years.
“You see the way Jordan plays every night,” Carolina forward Jordan Martinook said ahead of Game 5. “Some stretches aren’t filled with however many goals he’s scoring right now, but every night he is the guy that sets the tone for our team and, in the most important series of our season, he’s setting the tone every night and playing phenomenal. That just shows you what type of captain he is.”
Asked what makes him such a good leader, Martinook posted a question in response: “How much time [do] we have?”
Staal is beloved in the locker room and lauded by his coach. His consistency, hard work and character have set the tone for a franchise making its eighth consecutive playoff appearance.
“When you watch him all the time, you kind of get spoiled. I coach him all the time, I know I’m spoiled with that player,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour, a former Hurricanes captain. “It’s great that you guys get to see it because that’s what he is, night in, night out for however long he’s been around.”
Staal reached the Final in 2008 and won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Traded to the Hurricanes in 2012, it’s taken him 17 seasons to get back. Staal has played more than 1,400 career regular-season games and Game 5 will be his 180th in the playoffs.
“Showing up ready to work is probably the biggest thing, no matter what,” Staal said of his leadership. “Whatever’s going on, just being consistent with that. I believe in that.”
All that readiness to work could result in a Conn Smythe Trophy for Staal. If the Hurricanes win the series, it seems likely that Staal could take home the award for playoff MVP. When his career is over, he’s likely to join his brother, Eric, in having his jersey retired above the Lenovo Center ice.
Known for his defensive prowess — Staal is often matched up with the other team’s top line and has played a big part in keeping Vegas star Jack Eichel in check in this series — and his faceoff acumen, Staal’s offensive game is an added bonus. He has seven goals in the playoffs and has been an immovable force in front of the net during the Final.
“He’s big and strong and he takes every shift like it’s his last and takes a lot of pride in that,” Brind’Amour said. “He takes pride in being the leader of this team and does it by example. We’re putting some good players with him that now can really bring out the other side of him. Everyone knew he was a good defensive player, but he’s got some real offensive abilities, too. Just for whatever reason, now the goals are going in. He’s always played like this.”
After Staal’s two-goal game in the Hurricanes’ 5-3 Game 4 win, Vegas coach John Tortorella declared that the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Staal was “killing us in front of the net.” Both goals came from in front of goaltender Carter Hart, one off a rebound and other off a broken play. Staal was falling down as he backhanded the shot. He celebrated while face down on the ice.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who has been teammates with Staal since 2015, called him one of the hardest workers on the team and someone who always wants to get better.
“He loves every guy in this room. He cares for every guy in this room,” Slavin said. “When he’s on the ice, he expects a lot from himself, he expects a lot from us, he leads by example, leads with his voice. Guys look up to him. He’s one of those guys that carries respect with him and guys respect that. He’s been here for a very long time. He leads by example.”
And when he does speak, Martinook said, everyone listens. It carries weight.
“When he’s playing like the way he’s playing,” Martinook said, “I don’t think he needs to say anything.”
