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Hurricanes Center Named Second Star of Week

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to get the most from their captain.

Jon Alfano

Dec 23, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Dec 23, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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On Sunday afternoon, the Carolina Hurricanes honored franchise icon Eric Staal with an emotional jersey retirement ceremony before their game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Staal, the No. 2 overall pick in the legendary 2003 NHL Draft, spent nearly 12 seasons in Raleigh, and his impact on the franchise is second to none. In 909 games with the Hurricanes, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native scored 322 goals and 453 assists for 775 points. He ranks second in franchise history in all three categories, but Ron Francis, who ranks first in all of them, scored most of his points when the franchise was still the Hartford Whalers.

As a result, Staal could very well be the most-influential player in Hurricanes history, especially with him helping the team win its first and so far only Stanley Cup in 2006.

While Staal hasn't played for Carolina in almost a decade now, his younger brother Jordan Staal is still excelling as the team's captain. Jordan may be more of a defensive player than his brother, but even at 36 years old, he's still a very capable scorer.

Case in point, he's been on a hot streak as of late. Just in the last week, Jordan scored five goals and two assists for seven points in just four games played. He scored a goal and an assist against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, and a goal and an assist against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. He was held off the scoreboard against the Ducks, but it was still a week to remember for the veteran leader.

Just one day after his brother's jersey retirement, Jordan earned the honor of being the NHL's second star of the week, his first time earning such an award.

Jordan is now up to nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points on the season, and his defensive play is still excellent. With his on-ice play matching his leadership, it's no surprise why he became the Hurricanes captain following his brother's departure.

Eric is the eldest of four brothers, while Jordan is the second-youngest. Marc Staal, the second-eldest brother, has played 1,136 NHL games, primarily with the New York Rangers. Jared Staal, the youngest brother, played just two NHL games with the Hurricanes in 2012-13. Jordan is the only one still playing in the NHL.

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was named the league's first star of the week, while Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane was named the third star.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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