| |
NEWSMAKER: THE STAALSHockey's
next first family?
CBC Sports Online | Jan. 11, 2006
The Staal Boys: (pictured
left to right clockwise from the top) Eric, Marc, Jared and
Jordan. |
All Henry Staal needed to do was take one glance
at the mob scene on the ice at Vancouver's General Motors Place to
understand the fruits of his labour.
Standing amongst a group of 22 teenaged hockey players was his son
Marc, a big, stay-at-home defenceman. And now a gold medallist.
The sweat-soaked 18-year-old and his Canadian teammates defeated Russia
5-0 last week in the final game of the 2006 world junior championship.
Marc, who along with defence partner Ryan Parent successfully shut
down highly-skilled winger Evgeni Malkin, was named the tournament's
top blue-liner.
In a span of 11 days, Marc went from being Eric Staal's younger brother
to legitimate NHL prospect.
Eric, for the record, is enjoying a breakthrough season with the Carolina
Hurricanes.
The success of the Staal brothers – siblings Jared and Jordan
also are expected to follow in their footsteps – can be traced
back 10 years.
That's when Henry used scrapped sections of actual arenas to build
a 50-foot wide by 100-foot long outdoor rink at the family farm in
Thunder Bay, Ont., complete with boards and lights.
The sod farmer believed it was the least he could do for his boys.
A home rink saved Henry a 20-minute, one-way drive to the nearest
arena and kept Marc and his brothers away from the television.
"We do not push them," Henry told the Toronto Sun in January 2003.
"I'm a 'relax, it's just a game' parent."
Henry and his wife Linda have been rewarded for that approach, as
they watched Carolina select Eric second overall at the 2003 NHL Entry
Draft. Two years later, the New York Rangers chose Marc with the 12th
pick.
Seventeen-year-old Jordan has 43 points in 36 games in his second
season with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League and
is expected to be an NHL first-round pick in the June draft.
The Staals: Henry and
Linda |
Behind him is Jared, 15, who might be the best
of the Staal boys. He is playing triple-A midget in Thunder Bay, and
will enter the OHL draft this summer.
A year ago, talk of Marc's future as an NHLer was mixed. At best,
he was projected as a No. 1 or 2 blue-liner in the NHL, while other
scouts saw the six-foot-three-inch, 196-pounder as a fifth or sixth
man.
Marc's performance at the world juniors will no doubt cause some of
the naysayers to alter their thinking.
Despite collecting only one point in six games, Marc successfully
defended the opposition's biggest scoring threats, including Malkin
and American Phil Kessel, the consensus No. 1 pick for this summer's
NHL draft.
Of the six goals Canada allowed, only one was at even-strength.
"I kind of wasn't really expecting it before the game or even after
the game," Marc told reporters of receiving the award as top defenceman.
"It's a pretty big honour."
Perhaps it will serve as motivation when Marc returns to the OHL,
where he'll attempt to win a championship with the Sudbury Wolves.
|
 |
|
Family business:
With four boys destined for the NHL – Eric is already playing for the Carolina Hurricanes – the Staals have been called Ontario's version of the Sutter family.
Backyard babysitter:
"Rather than paying for a babysitter, I just built my own babysitter" - Henry
Staal on the backyard rink where his sons learned the game.
A family that plays together...
"We'd all skate together, but mostly it would be the four of them playing 2-on-2."
- Linda Staal on how her boys would spend hours playing hockey.
The Next One?
Colourful Hockey Night in Canada commentator Don Cherry raves about Eric Staal's skill, saying he'll eventually grow into an NHL superstar.
Leader of the Wolf pack:
Not only is the 6-foot-4, 196-pound Marc Staal an intimidating defensive presence, he's also capable of putting the puck in the net. He's currently one of the top-five scorers on the OHL's Sudbury Wolves.
Their time is gonna come:
Jordan, 17, is in his second season with Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League and leads the Petes in scoring. The six-foot-three-inch, 200-pounder is expected to be selected in this summer's NHL Entry Draft.
Fifteen-year-old Jared, who some say has the most potential of the Staal brothers, is playing triple-A midget in Thunder Bay, and will enter the OHL draft in the summer.
|
