Division leader Carolina feeds off of Staal
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published November 20, 2005
To state that Eric Staal is having a great season is to say a mouthful.
Consider that after he was named the NHL's offensive player of the month for October, the Hurricanes center bought a catered lunch of roast beef and chicken parm for teammates to enjoy after practice. Kind of a culinary thank you for their support.
Then there was the cake.
Flight attendants on the team plane served it at midnight on Oct.29, Staal's 21st birthday - just hours after his first hat trick in a home win over the Flyers, and a good night's sleep before he had four assists in a road victory over the Penguins.
To say the least, Staal said, "It is a birthday I'll remember for a long time."
Staal already has much to remember about this season.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, has been a focal point of Carolina's rise to the top of the Southeast Division that was fueled by a franchise-best nine straight wins. He ended October as the league's leading scorer with nine goals and 22 points in 11 games. Entering Saturday, he was tied for fourth with 30 points on 13 goals and 17 assists. (He had another goal Saturday.)
Not bad for the Hurricanes' youngest player, who had just 31 points in 81 games as a rookie in 2003-04 and was pretty much overlooked during the preseason hype of the league's youngest stars.
"I didn't know what to expect coming into this year," Staal said by cell phone. "I just thought, "Whatever happens, happens.' The whole team is playing good hockey and everyone is benefiting from that."
The Lightning (9-9-3) gets a first-hand look tonight when it faces the Hurricanes (14-4-1) at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. It should be a vastly different view from opening night when Tampa Bay earned a 5-2 victory at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.
Carolina's goaltending tandem of Martin Gerber and Cam Ward has jelled and its .911 save percentage was seventh in the league. Staal's line, with wings Erik Cole and Cory Stillman, is considered one of the league's best.
And, as Lightning coach John Tortorella noted, the team is benefiting from the structured system of coach Peter Laviolette.
"It starts with their goaltending," Tortorella said. "But they're getting contributions from everybody and you can see they are playing with a lot of confidence. So their results are what they should be. They're a good hockey team. The results they're getting are not by fluke."
Neither are Staal's.
He spent the lockout with AHL Lowell and set franchise marks of 77 points, 51 assists, seven short-handed goals and plus-37. More important, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2003 draft added 20 pounds of muscle to what is now a 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame.
The extra strength boosted Staal's natural abilities; his nose for the net, his two-way sensibility and determination to skate with speed and energy. "I just got stronger," he said. "Playing a lot of minutes and putting up some good numbers also built my confidence."
Add the NHL's new anti-obstruction rules that gave added life to young, fresh legs, and you understand why Staal has flourished.
Just don't call him cocky.
Staal said the most important lesson he and his three younger brothers learned from their father, Henry, was to enjoy a job and work hard at it.
Staal embraced the substance-over-style message. He drives an Escalade but said it is not tricked out. He lives in a sparsely furnished townhouse. Tattoos? "No," he said, "I hate them."
He loves how the team has taken off and the way the fans have started to come back.
"Around the city there's a different buzz," Staal said. "It's been a lot of fun to be part of it. We have to continue to play well and make that even stronger."
As for beating the defending Stanley Cup champions? That would really say a mouthful.