Eric Staal’s twenty-year NHL career is over.
A Canadian forward who belongs to the so-called three-gold club in ice hockey Eric Staal end his extensive and successful playing career. Staal, 39, made the announcement Tuesday, signing a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes to end his career with his longest-serving NHL club.
NHL said on his website, that the Hurricanes will hold Staal’s jersey retirement ceremony next season. Staal led Carolina to the Stanley Cup championship in the second season of his NHL career in 2006. The Canadian center served as Carolina’s captain from 2009 to 2016.
In his NHL career, Staal played 1,365 regular season games, in which the forward forged 1,063 power points (455+608). Staal, who won the world championship in 2007, joined the three-gold club already in 2010, when Canada celebrated Olympic gold at the Vancouver Games.
In his NHL career, Staal also represented the New York Rangers, Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal and Florida, where the Canadian played his last season in 2022-2023.