After 1,106 NHL games, Eric Staal recorded his 400th career NHL goal on Saturday night in St. Louis, helping the Minnesota Wild to an easy 5-1 win over the Blues. Let’s take a look back on how Staal got to this historic milestone.
Eric Staal is no stranger to scoring goals. Whether that’s during the regular season, the playoffs, the All-Star game, or even in the Olympics; Staal has touched the twine. What’s most impressive is that he’s been consistent enough to do it 400 times at the world’s highest level; with that milestone goal coming in Minnesota Wild colours.
After being drafted second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, due to the league being in a lockout; Staal started his pro career in Lowell, Massachusetts for the Lowell Lock Monsters.
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There he set franchise records for points, assists, plus/minus and shorthanded goals in a season.
Those outstanding numbers sent Staal to the AHL All-Star Game, and Staal never looked back.
Fast forward just one year, and Eric Staal had his most impressive season in his NHL career, 2005-2006.
Tallying 45 goals and 100 points during the regular season and 28 points in the playoffs, Staal lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup.
Coincidence? I think not.
Staal’s time in Carolina was record-breaking, as he recorded four hat-tricks in one season, as well as playing in the franchise’s most consecutive games.
Not only has Eric Staal put the puck in the back of the net in the NHL, he’s done so on a world-wide stage, the Olympics. Staal was named to Team Canada in 2010 and with his line-mates, Jarome Iginla and Sidney Crosby; Staal put up 1 goal and 5 assist en-route to a gold medal.
Surprisingly enough, Staal’s second highest goal total for a season was in the 2017-2018 season with the Minnesota Wild. He has been a huge part of the team’s success since signing in 2016 and at age 34, Staal is showing no signs of slowing down.
With 400 goals under his belt and counting, the Minnesota Wild will look to Staal to be a big part of the team’s success moving forward.
Can he replicate a year like the last? Only time will tell, and all of Minnesota can only hope to see that 400 goal total climb.