Eric Staal
The Hockey News
Status: Carolina Hurricanes center
HT: 6-foot-4 WT: 205 pounds
DOB: Oct. 29, 1984 In: Thunder Bay, Ont.
Hockey Inspirations: “Probably my parents. My dad; just his love for the game, filtered through, I think, to myself and my other brothers. Their passion for the game kind of grew into us.”
First Hockey Memory: “Probably back in my hometown, my uncle (Gary) was my coach. I remember being out on the ice, I think I scored zero goals my first year (age 4), my second year I had six. Then my third year, I think I had 70 or 80. So, just those first three years were a lot of fun just being out there and playing with friends.”
Leisure Activities/Interests: “Play some golf in the summer and I like to play beach volleyball at the lake. And my brother owns a cabin right next door to mine and we have some pretty heated games of volleyball, so it's fun. A little bit of tennis, started to play last summer. Getting into that a little more. It's a little harder on my joints than some of the other sports, but it's a lot of fun, too.”
Nicknames: “Staaly, Staaler. Basically those are the main two that were the ones all the way through since I was really young.”
Favorite Movie: “Wedding Crashers, Dumb & Dumber, anything that's funny, good time, laughs.”
Favorite TV Show: “I like watching Lost and Prison Break.”
Musical Tastes: “I like everything. I like a lot of country music: Big & Rich, Tim McGraw, Linkin Park, Nickleback, Techno, Bob Sinclair.”
Last Book Read: “Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (the eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10).”
First Job: “I worked at my family's sod farm, my dad and my uncle were the two owners. Worked on that ever since I can remember.”
First Car: “1997 Pontiac Sunfire (bronze).”
Current Car: “Dodge Ram pickup truck (silver). I was fortunate enough to win from the All-Star Game (2008). And an '08 Maserati (black).”
Favorite Uniforms: “I like the original ones; Chicago's, the Leafs. Any of the Original Six.”
Pre-game Feeling: “Just excited. Usually get a little bit of something going on in the stomach, as far as butterflies or something. Just excited to get out there. Stick to the same routines and rituals. I try to get going right off the bat.”
Favorite Meal: “I'd say probably Chinese.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Anything, I love all ice cream. Anything from Cold Stones - 'All Lovin', No Oven.' (Say what?) Cold Stone Creamery – it's like an ice cream chain in the States (based in Westbury, N.Y.). It's like a thing on the menu (consists of cake batter, ice cream, cookie dough, fudge, whipped cream in a waffle base).”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the Stanley Cup (in 2006).”
Most Painful Moment: “Probably my third year in junior. We lost Game 7 (to Oshawa) in overtime. It ended up being my last game of junior (2003). And then last year missing the playoffs was pretty tough.”
Closest Hockey Friend(s): “Probably Cam Ward, Andrew Ladd, Erik Cole and Ryan Bayda.”
Funniest Player Encountered: “Ray Whitney. Chad LaRose. Those are two guys on our team that are pretty good.”
Toughest Competitors: “To play, probably Chara. Tough to play against.”
Favorite Players To Watch: “Joe Sakic. I like watching my brothers play. In Pittsburgh, (Jordan), Crosby and Malkin. They've got some good offensive players. Any of the offensive guys are fun to watch; see some goals and some neat plays.”
Funny Hockey Memory: “Ray Whitney has just got great one-liners for any situation. He's always got a quick something for any situation. And it’s usually bang on. I don't know, I don't know how he does it, but he's got a great memory.”
Embarrassing Hockey Memory: “Nothing too crazy or embarrassing, probably falling over the boards, coming over a couple of times. Look back and the whole bench is laughing at you.”
Last Vacation: “Went on a cruise throughout Italy and Europe.”
Most Memorable Goal: “Probably in the playoffs, second round against New Jersey. I scored with three seconds left to tie the game. And we went to overtime and ended-up winning. That was one of my bigger goals.”
Strangest Game: “Played back-to-back 9-1 losses in junior. That wasn't very fun. I think I was minus-8 in two games.”
Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Probably just honesty and loyalty. And then passion - for whatever it is you're passionate about.”
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