A True Leader Through and Through: What Teammates, Organization Have To Say About Carolina Hurricanes Captain Jordan Staal
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal is 20 years into his NHL career, but his impact has remained consistent every year he’s played.
The veteran centerman is a dominant two-way player, one of the physically strongest players in the league and on top of all of that, he’s also a Selke-caliber defensive stalwart.
Night in and night out, Staal gives maximum effort out on the ice and he’s a lead-by-example type that sets the tone for one of the league’s best and most consistent teams in the Carolina Hurricanes.
Recently, Staal set a few milestones, such as scoring his 300th career goal, but also setting the team record for games played as a Hurricane, surpassing his brother Eric.
So while we all know the kind of player Jordan Staal is, I decided to go around the Canes’ locker room and asked some of the guys who know him best to describe their captain.
Here’s what they had to say:
Frederik Andersen
“Just gritty and hard to play against. I knew of him before I got to the league during his Pittsburgh times and how important he was to the team that won there. Sneaky, like he’s been here a long time all of a sudden. I watched him in Pittsburgh and that’s what I really remembered and then I got to the NHL myself and I was thinking about everyone in the league the same way. Now, I see it up front and just see how powerful he is and just how committed he is to the game plan that’s been put on him. And he lives and breathes it. Just a great leader by example. A guy that loves to be in the mix with the boys and enjoys the times on the bus and the time on the plane and stuff. Just overall a great dude.”
And how much does he help you as a goalie with the way he plays?
“One of the best defenses is offense and hemming them in. His line with Marty, who’s been on his hip for most of the time I’ve been here, and it’s been interchanged a little bit with Nino [Niederreiter] and Quickie [Jesper Fast] and now Cares [William Carrier]. But they just put it on guys and I think they’re the definition of what makes it hard to come to Carolina and play and why a team knows they’re in for a hard night. He sets the standard there.”
Rod Brind’Amour
“I’ve known him forever it feels like and watched him grow up. We’ve shared a lot of time together so I just appreciate what he’s done for us and this organization, but more so what he’s done for me as a coach. What he does for our team, it’s almost hard to put into words. Certainly we don’t talk enough about him. Around here we do, but the hockey world doesn’t as much as they really should because he’s that valuable to our group.”
What do you admire most about Jordo?
“There’s a lot to admire. I think from a coach’s standpoint, there’s just a ton of things. It starts with consistency and that’s what he is. And the fact that he just does it right on and off the ice. That’s the kind of person you want representing your organization.”
“One thing about Jordan especially is that he appreciates every day. You can see it in the way he plays. Like, ‘This could be my last game.’ It feels like every time he goes out there, that’s how hard he plays. Because you just never know. That’s why, for me personally, that’s what I appreciate the most about him.”
The decision to make him captain?
“When you’re trying to think of a guy to lead your group, it has to be the guy who does it. He doesn’t just talk the talk, right? Like, this guy walks it every day and that’s why it was such an easy decision.”
“He’s our leader. We talk a lot about him and I can’t say enough great things. There’s a reason why he has the ‘C’ on his jersey.”
Do you expect number 11 to be retired one day?
“Not any time soon, but of course.”
William Carrier
“He’s a great leader. I think the biggest part is if he has a bad shift, he gets his frustration out and then he’s right back to it. He doesn’t lag and it doesn’t last any longer than that shift, which I think is something you can always take from him. When a shift isn’t going your way, you don’t want it to affect the next shift because then you start sliding. Sometimes it happens, but he gets back to the bench and he’s all easy-peasy. He’s played so many games, so he knows, but he gets back there and is like, ‘Well, alright. That was a bad one,’ and then is right back out there for the next.”
Shayne Gostisbehere
“I think he’s the ultimate example of longevity. The character of not only his family name and his brothers, but just the way he goes about his business. Professional. Quiet, but when he speaks up, everyone’s ears are open, for sure. It makes sense why he’s been in the league so long and had so much success. He has a good recipe going and it’s also good for these young guys to see too. Just the daily process. He’s maybe an old school player but in a modern day game. It’s pretty cool to still see him get it done.”
Taylor Hall
“Playing against Jordo was difficult. Obviously he’s so big and rangy, but he moves so well for his size and that’s really what’s unique for him. That he’s such a good athlete for such a big man. There are some guys who look big on the ice and it’s just sort of the way their equipment looks or whatever and so you see them off the ice and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay. It’s a normal sized guy.’ But Jordan’s just a big dude. So that’s the first thing I noticed when I came here. Like, man, he’s really graceful for being that size. Just consistent too. You knew he was always going to be in the right spot, always going to be on the right side of the puck when you were playing against him. There was never really going to be a shift off.”
Seth Jarvis
“He’s someone who’s extremely consistent. I think he’s kind of the pinnacle of consistency for our team. Every night, you know what to expect and I think he delivers and that’s something our team really leans on. That’s probably also a big reason why he’s captain. Around the rink, he’s definitely serious. He takes his job seriously, he makes sure everyone is pushing themselves and expects the best out of everyone, but away from the rink, he’s full of jokes and doesn’t stop laughing. He’s just awesome to be around.”
What about him do you admire most?
“The way he’s been able to play at the same level for so long and just be such a big part of our team and be able to just contribute in all different ways, whether that’s scoring, defense, faceoffs, it’s really incredible how he can impact a game.”
What do you like about playing on a line with him?
“Whoever gets to play with him, it’s a blast. I think you just know what him and Marty are going to do all the time. You know what to expect, so it’s easy to read off of him and I think they let me play a little more offensively and think offense a little more because I know I have two guys back there that are going to bail me out if I do mess up. It’s definitely fun to be on that line.”
Any favorite memory of Jordo?
“My favorite memory was probably finding out he went to jail. That was a fun one. that was a nice one to hang over his head. I mean, he’s a felon so it’s fun.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
“He’s a great leader on and off the ice. When your captain works that hard every night, it’s kind of easy to hop on that bus. I think he just leads by example every night. He brings it every night and there’s no days off for him. It’s always easy to follow him. .. He looks pretty tired every morning when he walks in. Couple kids, probably running around the house. But he’s sneaky funny. Low key.”
Jordan Martinook
“He’s turned into one of my best friends since my time being here. We’ve done family vacations with him and we just enjoy each others company. Obviously everybody sees the serious side of him, but he’s just a lot of fun to be around. I enjoy him as a person more than a teammate and that’s pretty hard to say since I’ve been riding shotgun with him for however many years now. With him breaking the record, I’ve been thinking about my time and I just thought about him calling me when I was a free agent, saying, ‘Don’t leave!’ and Roddy calls me saying, ‘You’re going to play with him for the next X years,’ and that was a big part of why I… I always wanted to stay, but that was another reason. Knowing that I was going to be on his line and play with him. It makes my job easier and I like to think that I help him a little bit too. But he’s just the model of consistency and the way the Hurricanes want to play. I’ve said it many times. You could put a picture up on the wall of him for the way Roddy wants everybody to play. It’s a testament to what he’s done over his career.”
K’Andre Miller
“It always sucked playing against Jordo. He does such a good job of just playing simple and playing to his strengths and playing a 200-foot game. Obviously the big body and big frame has a lot to do with his style of play and the skills that he has. I think he does a great job of protecting the puck, working it down low and just being hard to play against. But yeah, I hated it.”
Logan Stankoven
“Just a great leader. A calming presence, for me at least. Like, he just doesn’t get too high or too low. I’m fortunate enough to sit next to him in the room, so we’re always chatting. He’s always there for me. I was talking with him the other night and it’s just so hard to get to this league and to now be the team leader in games played, that’s unbelievable. You can’t ask for a better career than that. Really happy for him. He’s the heart and soul of our team and the reason we have the success that we do.”
Andrei Svechnikov
“He leads by example and that means that he plays hard every game and leads us everywhere. He’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. He’s always working hard on the ice, off the ice. And if you take the hockey away, just an unbelievable person and an unbelievable family. It’s fun to be around him”
Eric Tulsky
“He’s unbelievable. He’s the heart and soul of this team and our approach. He epitomizes the way we want to carry ourselves, the way we want to play on the ice. Just every single shift, you know what you’re going to get out of him. He’s going to play as hard as he can and he’s going to make it hard for the opponent. He’s going to get the best out of his game and there are not a lot of people that stay as effective as he is as late into their career as he has. Part of that is because of that attitude that he brings on and off the ice. Every single day he’s working to make sure that he doesn’t lose a step, doesn’t miss a beat, doesn’t pass up a chance to make himself and his teammates better.”
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