- Staal is five wins from a second Cup, 17 years after his first with Pittsburgh in 2009
- A Carolina title would push past Chris Chelios for the longest gap between Cup wins in NHL history
- Read below for the captain’s quote, Brind’Amour’s praise, and Game 4 video
Jordan Staal is five wins from finishing what he started 17 years ago.
The Hurricanes captain scored in Carolina’s 4-0 Game 4 win at Bell Centre on Wednesday, putting his club up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final and within touching distance of a return to the Cup Final. The last time Staal lifted the Stanley Cup, he was a 20-year-old third-line center skating behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh.
That was 2009. He turned 37 this year.
Staal was asked Wednesday what another Cup would mean after this long without one.
“It’s something I’ve been chasing and I want it really bad for this group for how hard it’s been and how much we’ve gone through,” he said.
Here’s the full Game 4 postgame video:
A Carolina win this year would do more than end a personal drought. Chris Chelios owns the NHL record for the longest gap between Cup wins, going 16 years between his 1986 title with Montreal and his 2002 ring with Detroit. Staal would push that mark to 17 if the Canes finish the job.
Rod Brind’Amour pinned Staal’s longevity on something basic.
“It’s 17 years ago he won and there hasn’t been a day that he hasn’t shown up here that he hasn’t played to win,” Brind’Amour said. “He never cheats a day.”
It’s been a captain-led run for Carolina. Staal called out his own team’s effort after the Game 1 loss at home, and three wins later the message has landed.
Eric Staal, who won the Cup in Carolina in 2006, has watched his younger brother carry the franchise the same way he once did.
“I left and he stayed and he kind of took the reins from the bottom up,” Eric said. “It’s his team. He’s the captain. He’s the leader.”
Watch the three-goal first period that broke open Game 4:
Carolina is 11-1 this postseason. Staal has two goals and three assists across 12 games. Game 5 goes Friday at Lenovo Center, with the Canes one win from their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006, the year Eric won his.
