The Staal Brother Experiment – Carolina Hurricanes

The Staal Brother Experiment – Carolina Hurricanes

The Staal Brother Experiment

Since the foundation of the NHL in 1917, 47 pairs of brothers have played together on the same team. These sibling pairs have been fairly successful; 10 of them have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. As of 2015, three pairs of brothers share a roster on an NHL team: The Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, are both the longest-tenured and the most famous, playing together for Vancouver since they were both drafted by the team in 1999, while Jamie and Jordie Benn have been playing together for the Dallas Stars for five years. When Jordan Staal’s contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins came up for free agency, he was vocal about his desire to play with his brother Eric, and in 2012 that wish became a reality when he moved to the Carolina Hurricanes. Whether that move has been successful on the ice, however, is up for debate.

Unlike the Sedin twins, who have played for the same team throughout their career, the Staal brothers came to fame and professional success on their own before joining forces. Eric Staal is the oldest brother and made the family’s NHL debut when he was drafted 2nd overall in the 2003 entry draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. Two seasons later, Eric Staal had his first 100-point season, scoring 45 goals and helping his Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup. As of 2010, Eric Staal became a member of the ‘Triple Gold Club’’ the elite collection of players to win a Stanley Cup championship, a World Championship gold metal, and an Olympic gold medal.

Jordan Staal, the third-oldest of the four Staal brothers, started his career in a remarkably similar way to his older brother. He was selected 2nd overall in 2006 by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and by 2009 had helped his team become Stanley Cup champions. Unlike Eric, however, who was the team’s leader, Staal was the Penguins’ third-line center and showed his greatest strength on the penalty kill. He recorded the most short-handed goals of a rookie in NHL history in 2006-07 (he had 7 short-handed goals that season) and is also the youngest player to score two short-handed goals in a single game (achieved October 21, 2006 against the Columbus Blue Jackets). Jordan was Eric’s teammate on the 2007 gold medal-winning Team Canada at the World Championship, though he’s an Olympic gold away from joining his brother in the Triple Gold Club.

There are four Staal brothers, in total, all of whom play in the NHL. The youngest brother, Jared Staal, started his professional career as part of the Hurricanes’ development system, though he played only two games with his older brothers and spent most of his time with the AHL Charlotte Checkers. Marc, the second-oldest brother, is a defenseman with the New York Rangers (the only defenseman of the four brothers). But while all four are outstanding hockey players, Eric and Jordan are arguably the most successful; putting them on a team together seemed like it would make magic happen.

Through their first three seasons utilizing a pair of Staals, the Hurricanes were not especially successful. To be fair, the Hurricanes were struggling before adding Jordan Staal to their line-up. Ironically, the last time the Carolina Hurricanes reached the playoffs was in 2008-09 when they were knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals—by the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Jordan Staal still played for them. The Hurricanes didn’t reach post-season play in the six seasons after this, three of which were with both Staals on their team. In his first three seasons with the Hurricanes, Jordan Staal did not score nearly up to the potential he showed while playing in Pittsburgh. Due to injury and the shortened 2012-13 season, he played only one full season in those three, in 2014-15; in that season, Jordan scored only 6 goals and 24 points, less than half his best year with the Penguins (25 goals and 50 points in 2011-12).

The Hurricanes organization has struggled across the board since their Stanley Cup win in 2006. The organization was no doubt hoping to achieve some Sedin-level magic by bringing Jordan Staal into the fold and having him play alongside his brother. But the Sedin twins haven’t yet managed to bring a Cup home to Vancouver, either. However great the chemistry may be between brothers, it’s not enough alone to turn a franchise around.