Why Jordan Staal was always a believer in the Hurricanes
In today’s age of sports, loyalty seems to be an afterthought. Players seem to always be looking for their next big paycheck or a better chance to win a championship.
For Jordan Staal, he forwent that belief and stuck with one franchise for well over a decade before things finally paid off.
After experiencing early success in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, Staal was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, giving him the chance to play with his older brother, Eric. Since then, Jordan has played 14 seasons in Raleigh, which haven’t always been as glamorous. The Hurricanes had some pretty rough seasons, but have had a resurgence in the past several years, including winning the franchise’s second Stanley Cup this past spring, with Staal taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process.
On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Staal joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to explain why he stayed in Raleigh and believed things would pan out eventually.
Jordan Staal: I believe in Raleigh, I believe in the Hurricanes, and I kind of stuck with it.
Carter Hutton: I look back on it and…how quick it goes. Now, you’re 37. I’m 40. I’m sitting here interviewing you when I used to be getting ready to gear up to go play. You’re at over 1,400 games played…what does that mean to you as a person, as a player?
Jordan: It’s tough to pinch yourself at times because the beauty of this game is you’re only as good as your last game, and you’re always kind of pushing to be better and take it day by day. I remember signing that ten-year deal I had, and I remember just hoping I would get through it. I don’t want to get bought out. I wanted to complete that contract. I wanted to do it with Carolina, and I wanted to win. Those are my goals. I made it to the end of the ten-year deal…it felt like a blink of an eye. It really did. It’s just like, ‘Oh man, what now?’ I keep pushing. Obviously, we were trending the right way and things kept clicking… signed another deal and again you blink again, it’s over. It’s just like these years fly by…Some days feel long, but the years go by quick and I think even this year was the quickest one I’ve ever felt. It’s an incredible journey. You try to soak in as much as you can. My brain, I think I hit maybe one too many times and I can’t remember too much anymore, but they all blur together.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…
