Staal settles into new hockey life with Wild following emotional exit from Hurricanes

Life was a whole lot different when Eric Staal last settled into a new hockey home more than 13 years ago.

Back then Staal was a green 18-year-old from Thunder Bay, Ont., and the prized No. 1 overall pick and future of the Carolina Hurricanes. Life was “hockey, hockey, hockey and not a lot else.”

These days it’s hockey, hockey, hockey and trips to the amusement park at the Mall of America with his family. Now 32 with a wife and three kids under 10, Staal is starting over with the Minnesota Wild, where he put down roots with a three-year contract worth US$10.5 million this summer.

Staal made his emotional exit from the Hurricanes in late February, dealt to the New York Rangers (where his brother Marc played) ahead of the trade deadline. It was a hard move for both team and their long-time captain. The face of the franchise for more than a decade, Staal’s image was plastered all over the PNC Arena. His stall in the team’s dressing room remains empty to this day and the Hurricanes have yet to replace him as captain.

The move was painful for Staal, too. Not only was he leaving behind the only NHL home he’d ever known for a temporary gig with the Rangers, but he was separating from his family for the first time.

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“I was away for over a month without seeing them,” he said. “That’s a long time, especially for little ones. They’re used to seeing you a lot more. So that part was difficult. But once we got them to come and spend the rest of the season in New York with me it was great.”

The experience prepared Staal, a pending unrestricted free agent, and his family for what lay ahead in the future. It made them realize that “we can make it work wherever as long as we’re together as a family”.

“But it didn’t make it any easier,” Staal said. “It was still difficult, but it definitely made it doable for sure.”

Hockey has probably been the simplest part of his adjustment to Minnesota. It’s life outside the rink that’s required more fine-tuning.

It’s getting his sons, Parker and Levi, settled into new schools and minor hockey teams. It’s getting to know a whole new set of teammates, coaches, trainers, management and surroundings in Minnesota, almost 2,000 kilometres northwest of Raleigh.

Two of his former Rangers teammates, Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh, have helped. Both Minnesota natives and summer residents, the pair and their wives have been a useful resource for Staal and his wife Tanya in getting accustomed to their new home.

“You learn where’s a good place to shop, where’s a good place for this, where’s a good place for that, and you kind of map it out as you go,” Staal said. “It’s been pretty smooth so far and it’s been good for everybody but you definitely need help from people around you for sure.”

A college town in the country with less than half-a-million people, Raleigh is quite a bit smaller than Minneapolis-St. Paul, which houses upwards of three million. But Stall said the vibe is similar, with friendly people and a laid-back family atmosphere.

Minnesota is quite a bit colder than the North Carolina capital though and really into hockey. Unlike the Hurricanes, who consistently struggle with attendance, the Wild rank as one of the NHL’s best draws. 

It was Staal’s declining performance as well as an emerging core of young players that made the Hurricanes and their fans comfortable to move forward without the player who ranks second behind only general manager Ron Francis in franchise scoring.

Staal produced just 13 goals and 39 points last year, his lowest marks since his first season with the Hurricanes.

He’s showing some signs of revival as Minnesota’s second line centre, posting eight points in 10 games, with strong underlying numbers over almost 19 minutes nightly for the current Central division-leaders. Barring injury, Staal, who’s rarely missed games since he entered the league in 2003, will also cross the 1,000-game plateau late this season.

Life in a new place, both on the ice and off it, has been agreeable for the Staals so far.

“It was about making things all fit and fortunately (we) found a great spot to make that happen,” he said. “It’s been great for everybody, for my family and for myself so far.”

Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press