Jordan Staal Brings Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophies to Thunder Bay!
by Scott A. Sumner
It's great seeing a Thunder Bay resident do so well on the world stage- Jordan Staal. Jordan brought both the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies to Thunder Bay- quite an accomplishment. Local media asked him some questions about his season.
This is your second Stanley Cup!
“ It's pretty wild being 17 years since my first Stanley Cup win in 2009. I have some distant memories of that and they are coming back just talking to you guys today. It was a lot of work to bring it back home again and share with you guys.”
“ It was great getting the cup handed to me as the captain and then cast it off. It was incredible. Both wins were amazing. The first win was with my brothers and parents and this time with my wife and kids as well. It was all the years of ups and downs in Carolina and those feelings of finally getting it done.”
“ My kids come to a fair amount of games and they felt the playoff run.”
Thunder Bay seems to be a hockey town judging from the line up outside?
“ The line around the building is incredible and I want to see as many people as I can and be able to share it. It takes an army to win the Stanley Cup and I know I have Thunder Bay behind me and feel the support.”
It must have been great to win the Conn Smythe trophy as well?
“ The Conn Smythe trophy was the cherry on the top of everything and something I wasn't really thinking about.”
How does it look for the Hurricanes this upcoming season?
“ This upcoming season is another season with pretty much the same group and is a very good team. We are always looking to get better, but we have a group that can pull it off again and it is exciting times in Carolina. Many of our best players are young and signed up for a long time, so can be good for a long time. I'm going to hang on for as long as I can and enjoy it with them, keep battling, keep pushing and make sure we can hoist that thing again.”
“ I kinda of go one year at a time and give it my all. The body has held up and I am fortunate with no injuries. I just work hard and make sure I give it everything I have and everything is going alright.” “ If my body is willing and my wife is good with it, I'm going to keep going as long as I can. I love the game, enjoy the battle and the day to day grind. I'm very fortunate to be still here doing this.”
How has it been this off season?
“ I remember growing up and enjoying the game outdoors with my brothers and friends. Now it is the lake and enjoy the swimming, boating and fishing.”
“ I'm heading back next week which is hard to think about, but I enjoy the grind part of it, getting in the gym and working out with the guys, being around them and pushing each other. That's what it is all about and will start all over again when I get back to Raleigh. It is what I love. To be able to play at an elite level at my age, I'm proud of that and there's no question I had to go through a lot of work to get there.”
