A Milestone For The Staal Brothers
from Eric Duhatschek of The Athleti,
When Marc Staal suits up for Detroit against Calgary on Saturday, he’ll play his 1,000th NHL game, and become the third Staal brother to manage that feat, after Eric (1,293) and Jordan (1,070 and counting). Collectively, the Staals have carried themselves with an admirable level of class and professionalism, which is how you survive and thrive as long as they have.
Marc is actually 21 months older than Jordan — he was selected No. 12 in 2005, Jordan No. 2 in 2006 — but he started his NHL career a year later, playing two seasons of junior with Sudbury after his draft year, while Jordan went straight to the NHL.
An eye injury on Mar. 5, 2013, playing for New York against Philadelphia, limited Marc to 21 games that season, and he also missed time with a concussion. There have been lots of impactful families in hockey history, from the Richards and Howes to the Hulls, Sutters and Espositos, but no one has managed what the Staals have done – get three brothers to the 1,000-game threshold. If you were wondering about the Sutters, you’re not alone. Only two of the six that played in the NHL — Brent (1,111) and Ron (1,093) — played 1,000 games. Rich was next at 874, followed by Brian (775), Duane (731) and Darryl (406).
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