BLOG: ERIC STAAL NAMED THE NHL'S FIRST STAR OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY
Staal Finally Receives Some National Recognition
Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau summed it up perfectly:
“If he was playing in Toronto, he’d be up for the MVP. I’ll just tell you that right now."
The harsh, but true reality of playing in a smaller market team.
But at a crisp 33 years of age, Eric Staal is currently sitting in 3rd place for goals scored in the entire NHL, tied with names like Kucherov and Karlsson, while sitting just behind superstars Ovechkin and Malkin.
Wow.
Staal has scored 13 goals in his last 13 games. A return that has led Minnesota to a 9-2-2 record in February and catapulted them into third place in the Central Division. Bruce Boudreau, take a bow.
“Everything he’s touched has turned to gold.”
He scored at least a point in 11 of these 13 games last month and capped it with a hat trick in Tuesday’s 8-3 rout of the St Louis Blues.
Fans raining their hats down on the ice prematurely against the Blues was just too good!
“It’s an honour. This is a great league with a lot of great players, so to be recognized in that respect is nice, for sure. It says a lot about the guys that I’m playing with. We have a great team and a good thing going, especially over this last month. You want to continue to carry that and hopefully continue it here heading into March.”
“I always believed in my ability to be an offensive contributor. I have my whole life, since I was 8 years old. It was difficult, no question, for a little bit there. I knew coming here was gong to be a good fit for me. Obviously, it had to play out once I got here. It’s been everything I could’ve imagined coming to this team.”
“At this point in my career, it’s about trying to help this team win. I want to get another shot at having success in the playoffs, and I’m going to do what I can to help contribute. We will continue to push down the stretch and put ourselves in a good position and try to enjoy going after another run.”
Just a fantastic story for a fantastic human being.
Long may Staal's run continue!
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Definitely well deserved!
Couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving guy.
That guy is crazy
He's such a good story man!
Good for him!
Many people thought he was done when he left Carolina, now he's on pace to have his best season since his scored 100 points in 05-06.
It's great, isn't it :)
As a hockey man and human being, no matter who you support, you can't help but be happy for Staal.