Eric Staal makes major career announcement ahead of the 2024-25 season
The Carolina Hurricanes announce that they have signed Eric Staal to a one-day contract, allowing him retire as a Hurricane, but that's not all.
The Hurricanes took to their Twitter account earlier today to make the major announcement that they would be signing their former captain to a one-day contract with the intention that he retires where he started his career. The official date has yet to be announced, but they will also be retiring his number "12" to the rafters sometime during the 2024-25 season.
Newly-minted general manager Eric Tulsky set up a virtual call with Staal and his family, where he let the Hurricanes legend know about the news. Tulsky also asked an emotional Staal to read aloud the details of his one-day contract. It was a truly touching moment.
The 18-year veteran was drafted by the Hurricanes with the 2nd overall pick during the vaunted 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 12 seasons with Carolina, where he scored 322 goals and 775 points in 909 games played, while also scoring 19 goals and 43 points in 43 post-season games that included 28 points en route their first and only Stanley Cup championship in 2006.
He went on to play for the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers before calling it a career. In total, Staal amassed 455 goals and 1,063 points in 1,365 games across 18 seasons. He would also add 25 goals and 64 points in 104 playoff games and was also a 1x All-Star.
Source for Eric Staal's statistics: Hockey-Reference
Eric Staal stats and bio
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JUILLET 30 | 1365 ANSWERS Eric Staal makes major career announcement ahead of the 2024-25 season Who is the best Carolina Hurricane of all-time? | ||
| Ron Francis | 946 | 69.3 % |
| Eric Staal | 286 | 21 % |
| Cam Ward | 75 | 5.5 % |
| Other | 58 | 4.2 % |
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