He’s 32 and approaching 1,000 NHL games but the Canes’ Jordan Staal still going strong
That Jordan Staal’s first career NHL goal came shorthanded probably surprises no one.
Playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the rookie center knocked away a pass by Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers, took off down the ice on a shorthanded breakaway and beat goalie Henrik Lundqvist with a quick forehand.
It was Oct. 12, 2006, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Staal was 18 and playing in his third NHL game. It was the first of seven shorthanded goals that season for the Pens’ first-round draft pick. It was hustle play, pure and simple, by No. 11.
One replay has a TV announcer talking about Staal’s “long, powerful strides.” As first NHL goals go, it was a keeper.
Flash forward to Tuesday night against Nashville at PNC Arena. Staal, captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, was playing in his 984th NHL game. He’s 32, still a young man but with a lot of NHL miles under him in his 15th season. But he played almost 23 minutes in the game against the Predators.
The game was in overtime. First, Canes defenseman Jaccob Slavin got a stick on the puck to foil a 2-on-1 by the Predators. Forward Martin Necas chased after it in the corner, hounding the Preds’ Calle Jarnkrok to flip the puck up the boards toward Eeli Tolvanen.
But the puck bounced past Tolvanen. There was Staal, on his way up the ice with long, powerful strides, all but ignoring Tolvanen’s futile attempts behind him to hit his stick, the puck, Staal, anything. Tolvanen at that moment was a mild irritant.
Staal didn’t hesitate, powering a forehand past goalie Pekka Rinne. Ball game. For the Canes (18-6-1), the 3-2 victory was their sixth straight win.
“I looked over and I didn’t see much for a pass,” Staal said after the game. “I thought I had a decent angle for getting a good shot. It went in, so I’m happy with it.”
That was Staal’s somewhat clinical assessment of a play and shot -- of his 235th career goal -- that had the 2,900 or so fans at PNC Arena on their feet and loud. They were happy with it, too.
Staal was mobbed on the ice by his teammates. Somewhere in the pile was a player who might be 32 but felt more like 22 at the moment, smiling, still something of a kid at heart although a father at home and a strong captain of his hockey team.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour appreciates the effort to be good, to be consistent. Brind’Amour once had the “C” as the Canes captain. He played center. He did a lot of the dirty work, scoring some big goals but also killing penalties and winning key faceoffs and making the smaller plays that can be vital in victory.
Asked Tuesday about Staal’s overtime winner, Brind’Amour mentioned “two or three unbelievable back-checks that will go unnoticed.” They were the kind of plays Brind’Amour made so often as a player and never fails to notice as a coach.
Last season, before the NHL suspended the regular season because of the pandemic, Staal had eight goals and 27 points in 68 games. He had two power-play goals and an assist.
COVID a setback for Staal
This season began with a setback. After the opener against Detroit, Staal tested positive for COVID-19 and went into quarantine. In his mind, he also was responsible for spreading the virus to other teammates.
Whatever his motivation or drive since his return, he now has 10 goals and 22 points in 23 games. Given more power-play time by Brind’Amour, Staal has five power-play goals and it was his second-period score Tuesday that began a Canes’ comeback.
“He’s got confidence,” Brind’Amour said. “I think he feels good about his game and that’s a big part of it. It’s just the nature of the game. You validate everything. You look at the stat sheet and say, ‘Oh, I’m playing good because I’m scoring goals.’ With him, it was tough to keep telling him ‘you’re playing great’ when he looks at the stat sheet the past couple of years and he’s not producing.
“But I don’t see a big difference in his game. I just see the puck going in for him and he feels great about it, which probably says enough.”
