- Eric Staal won the Cup with Carolina in 2006 and is now watching brother Jordan chase the same prize
- Jordan scored in Games 1 and 2 of the Final, the second-oldest player in NHL history to do it
- Read below for Eric’s take and where the series stands heading to Vegas
Eric Staal won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. Twenty years later, he’s back in the building watching his little brother chase the same thing.
Asked about how Jordan has played through the first two games of the Cup Final against Vegas, Eric didn’t bother with modesty. “He was a stud,” Eric said. “He was awesome in both games. He’s been awesome all year long, 20-goal season. The fact that he doesn’t have a Selke yet is crazy for how long he’s been doing this for.”
Jordan has found the back of the net in both games. He tied Game 1 at 3-3 on a shot from the slot, though Carolina dropped that one 5-4.
Game 2 went better. Jordan deflected a power-play shot to put the Canes ahead late, and they stormed back to even the series with a 4-3 overtime win.
The goals put Jordan in rare company. At 37 years and 267 days, he became the second-oldest player in NHL history to score in the first two games of a Cup Final, trailing only Larry Robinson, who did it for Montreal in 1989.
Carolina and Vegas are now tied 1-1, with Game 3 set for Saturday night in Las Vegas. Catch the Game 2 highlights here:
Eric set the tone before the puck even dropped in Game 1, cranking the team siren to fire up the Lenovo Center crowd. He was 21 when he led the 2006 playoffs in points and brought the Cup home. Jordan was 17 then, watching from the stands.
Jordan talked about that full-circle feeling at Media Day. “I was a kid when he won it,” he said. “Coming down to Carolina for 1 and 2, how crazy it was, and obviously to now be on the ice for Game 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, it’s going to be such a surreal moment.”
He won his own ring with Pittsburgh in 2009 before joining Eric in Carolina in 2012. Jordan stuck with the Hurricanes through six straight missed playoffs and three Eastern Conference Final losses to get here.
Eric talked about what finishing the job in Carolina would mean to his brother now. “He hasn’t been more driven or motivated to get this thing across the finish line than I’ve seen at any other time in his playing career,” Eric said.
Eric is hoping to be back in Carolina for Game 5 on Thursday, ideally with the Canes stealing one in Vegas first.
