Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. Congratulations Marc Staal.
On September 5th, 2024, almost a month to the date when his older brother of three-years, and former two-time teammate (2015-16 with the Rangers and 2022-23 with the Panthers), Eric Staal, announced his retirement, brother Marc followed suit.
While both brothers became NHL journeymen following their respective long tenures with their original teams; it’s highly unlikely that Marc will have his #18 retired by the Rangers, and as Eric’s #12 will be retired by the Carolina Hurricanes this season on January 12th, 2025.
And to squash any such talk – NO – Marc never held any resentment for his older bro following their nasty collision during a Rangers vs Hurricanes game from February 22nd, 2011, where afterwards, Marc suffered from post-concussion syndrome.
In fact, and as alluded to above, it was Marc who wooed Eric to the Rangers on February 28th, 2016 – but the less said about former coach Alain Vigneault’s employment (and deployment) of the eldest Staal brother, the better.
The two later reunited on veteran minimum deals in Sunrise, Florida for the 2022-23 season, where come the end of it, the brothers played in their last Stanley Cup Final of their respective careers.
And while the Staals’ weren’t in Florida a year later, when the Panthers returned to the Final and then won it – it was head coach Paul Maurice who thanked both brothers by name for their veteran presence the year before – and a bench boss who then explained how their experience helped mold a Stanley Cup winner.
For Eric, who won the Stanley Cup in 2006, Maurice’s words were touching. For brother Marc, it was somewhat a case of “what could’ve been” – where again the phrase “the less said the better” applies when referencing the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
I kind of said what I had to say about Marc Staal’s tenure with the Rangers when he was traded to Detroit back on September 26th, 2020.
For those who need such a reminder, then check out: https://bluecollarblueshirts.com/92720/
Following Staal’s impressive thirteen seasons with the Rangers, the 12th-overall pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft remained in Detroit for two-seasons, where he was tasked to lend his veteran leadership to a young Red Wing core.
After two seasons in MoTown without a playoff appearance, on July 13th, 2022, Marc Staal signed with the Panthers, and prior to the commencement of the season, brother Eric became a Cat too.
Both brothers, much closer to forty-years old than to thirty-years-old, played in all 21 postseason games during Florida’s race to the Stanley Cup Final – and where arguably – the Panthers may have prevailed had their star player, Matt Tkachuk, not been injured.
For Eric, who prior to joining Florida, had stints with the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final was the last game of his career.
For Marc, who played on a veteran minimum salary of $750K for the Panthers, the long-time veteran without a Stanley Cup to his resume curiously accepted a one-year deal worth $1.1M with the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers, where as a result, he was reunited with his former Ranger coach, John Tortorella.
As a result, the 2023 Stanley Cup Final was the last playoff series of Marc’s career.
Marc Staal, who usually and routinely played in 77+ games during 82-game seasons (and where he played in the majority of games during both lockout and pandemic-plagued seasons too), finished the 2023-24 season in Philadelphia with a career-low of 35 games.
It was also in the City of Brotherly Love where Marc, as a result of his one goal scored, scored the final goal of his career too – and where the defensive-defenseman totaled 53 red-lights during his illustrious career in all.
Arguably, Staal, and despite his injuries (particularly his eye), could’ve hung around for an eighteenth season – which would’ve matched the jersey number that every Ranger fan remembers him for.
Rather than worsening his long-term health, and perhaps not wanting to play at a level that would’ve been subpar for him; instead, Staal retired as an active player, where in turn, he was immediately hired by the Rangers as a player development assistant.
It’s expected that Staal will mainly hang around the AHL Wolfpack and help the prospects and aspiring NHL defensemen in Hartford. However, should he need to be a sounding board for the current rearguards of the varsity club, then his input will be heeded there too.
Again, congratulations to Marc Staal on his retirement – and a second kudos to him in his new venture.
And as a Ranger who fan who always appreciated #18 – it’s nice to see him return to the fold.
The following text originally appeared in “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden.”
(And yes, this text does read better in book form rather than on a website, so feel free to pick up a copy if you haven’t already done so!)
Enjoy!
— Marc Staal (2007-2020)
When it comes to the Henrik Lundqvist era of Rangers, no one played on the team with Lundqvist longer than Marc Staal. While Lundqvist started his career two years before Staal, Staal played in front of Lundqvist for thirteen seasons. In addition, while the off-season that followed the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs led the Rangers to cast away their last two pillars of an old era – like Lundqvist, Staal was there for both the recent highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows.
Born on January 13th, 1987, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Marc Staal is one of the four Staal brothers who made it to the NHL. In an odd piece of trivia, out of the four, Marc is the only defenseman of the siblings and the only one to have not played for the Carolina Hurricanes. (Older brother Eric and younger brothers Jordan and Jared all played together for the Hurricanes during the 2012-13 season. Of note, Eric would join the Rangers during the latter part of the 2015-16 season, making Marc and Eric Staal one of eight brother tandems to play together while with the team.)
From the ages of 16-20, Marc Staal played his formative years with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League, where Staal served time as team captain. During his time with the Wolves, Marc Staal was selected 12th overall by the Rangers during the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. It was a pretty good selection by the Rangers, in a draft that produced many future NHLers, including that Sidney Crosby guy!
As Staal developed, he won two gold medals at the IIHF Junior Hockey Championships. On May 7, 2007, the Ontario Hockey League announced that Staal was the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy, honoring Staal as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman for the 2006–07 season. In addition, Staal also won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award, which is the OHL’s version of the Conn Smythe Award, an award that honors the MVP of the OHL playoffs. Very quickly, Staal built a good buzz for himself.
Staal, who joined the Hartford Wolfpack for the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs, had a proverbial rocket on his back. Come the 2007-08 season, Staal’s rookie year, he immediately made the Rangers out of camp, so the idea of Staal playing in Hartford was nixed.
In Staal’s 13 seasons with the Rangers, he played under four different head coaches. Staal first played under Tom Renney for two seasons. Then, in a move that flipped the script, John Tortorella was brought in. Torts took a liking to Staal due to Staal’s ability to block shots and be a true stay-at-home defenseman. After Torts had worn out his welcome, Staal played under coach Alain Vigneault, where he enjoyed the best team success of his career. Staal would then finish up his Rangers years under coach David Quinn, a coach tasked with developing young talent during the most recent Rangers rebuild.
If there is anything impressive about Staal’s Rangers tenure in his thirteen seasons in New York (especially if you omit the last two rebuilding years where Rangers management said the playoffs weren’t the goal), he only missed the playoffs once. The 2009-10 season, after losing a 2-1 shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers in the final regular-season game of the schedule, was the exception here. Had the Rangers won that game, they would’ve made the playoffs that season. Regardless of that loss, Staal was always a perennial playoff player.
During the majority of Staal’s career, he regularly led all skaters in ice time. Staal was also a respected teammate with the “warrior” label affixed to him. Head coach John Tortorella was also a big fan of Staal. In October of 2010, and with Staal at the age of 23, the coach named Staal as one of the team’s alternate captains and Staal remained in that role for the next ten years.
While Staal was never known for scoring goals, in the 2010-11 season, he finished with 7 goals and 22 assists, good for 29 points overall. To this day, these numbers remain as Staal’s career-highs. Staal was also rewarded by the league by being named to the 2011 NHL All-Star team. However, an unfortunate incident that occurred during this season somewhat changed the trajectory of Staal’s career.
On February 22nd, 2011, the Rangers were playing the Hurricanes, a team featuring Marc’s brother, in Eric. During a play to get the puck and with Marc’s head down, Eric smashed his brother with a hard shoulder check. The hit was clean, but Marc looked groggy getting up. Marc went on to finish the season.
Come the start of the 2011-12 season, it was reported that Staal was suffering from post-concussion symptoms as a result of the hit from his brother. In turn, Staal made his 2011-12 season debut on January 2nd, 2012, during the NHL Winter Classic game against the Philadelphia Flyers. While Staal would have a slow and rough go of it, by the time the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs rolled around, Staal helped the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out after a series loss to the New Jersey Devils.
However, another injury would soon stunt Staal’s career.
In the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13, Staal, who made his return to action against the Flyers just a season prior, was on the ice against the Flyers again. On March 5th, 2013, in another accidental incident, Kimmo Timonen of the Flyers took a slap-shot. Jakub Voracek deflected the shot and the puck went straight into Staal’s right eye. Staal, as a result, crumpled up in a heap.
The result of this play saw Staal suffer a retinal tear in his right eye. In addition, Staal also received an orbital fracture. These injuries would effectively end Staal’s season, sans a return during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a return that lasted all of one game, as he felt unable to continue.
These two back-to-back injuries and in consecutive years at that, slowed down Staal considerably. While Staal remained effective throughout his career with the Rangers, for all intents and purposes, he was never the same player again. To his credit, there would be games where Staal’s defensive wizardry shone bright, but there were also many times when he was unable to keep up with his opponents.
Making things tougher was that the Rangers were in the Metropolitan Division, arguably the best division in all of hockey. In recent years, Metropolitan teams have collected both Stanley Cups and Presidents’ Trophies. In turn, Staal, who usually was on the Rangers first or second defensive pair, was tasked with shutting down future Hall of Famers such as Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
By the time the 2013-14 regular season began, things had changed in Rangerstown. Out was John Tortorella, a loyal advocate of Staal’s. In was head coach Alain Vigneault. A slow start to the 2013-14 regular season drew complaints, but the team was able to rebound. In turn, the Rangers advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, which was Staal’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance. A season later, he would be part of the 2014-15 Presidents’ Trophy winning team. However, the Rangers were eliminated in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final, effectively closing their window to win the Stanley Cup.
In the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Rangers were laughed out of the first round, as the Pittsburgh Penguins dominated the Rangers, ousting the Blueshirts in five games. In the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, after the Rangers knocked off the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, the Rangers squandered a chance in the second round, as the heavily favored Rangers dropped a six-game series to the Ottawa Senators. The end was just around the corner.
While Captain Callahan had already been dealt three years prior; after the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Staal said goodbye to another long-time tenured teammate, this time in Dan Girardi. The Rangers had bought out Girardi’s contract, making him a free agent. Immediately after, Girardi joined Callahan in Tampa. But wait, there’s more!
In February of 2018, the Rangers, as an organization, knowing that their peak was the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, released “The Letter”, where they publicly announced their intentions to rebuild. Soon to be gone were players such as Rick Nash, JT Miller and of course, then-Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh. As the 2018 trade deadline passed, Staal watched three of his longest-tenured teammates, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, all skate with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Rangers, for the remainder of the 2017-18 regular season, were pretty much a lame-duck team, a team just waiting to get to the offseason. At season’s end, head coach Alain Vigneault was fired. New head coach David Quinn was in. As the second-longest tenured player on the team, second only to Henrik Lundqvist, Staal was no longer a priority. In fact, in a league dominated by the value of salary cap hits, Staal was a liability.
In the two seasons that followed, the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, David Quinn relied on his veteran. While there was a one-game healthy scratch mixed in there and some maintenance days in-between, at the end of the day, David Quinn routinely gave Staal major minutes.
Staal’s last season with the Rangers, where he was paired up with Tony DeAngelo, proved successful. With Marc Staal’s defensive prowess reinvigorated ever since the departures of Girardi and McDonagh, Tony DeAngelo was allowed to freewheel offensively. In turn, with Staal staying back, Tony DeAngelo became an offensive machine, and DeAngelo would become the fourth-highest scoring defenseman in the NHL of the 2019-20 season.
In an era where social media is all the rage, I often found younger fans disrespectful of Marc Staal. I don’t know whether they didn’t understand his injuries or that not every defenseman needs to be an offensive threat. What I do know is that Staal had a great career in New York, a career that, yes, was stalled (pun intended) by injuries.
In Staal’s peak years with the Rangers, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh got the bulk of the headlines when it came to the Rangers blue line. However, when the Rangers moved on from those two and Staal became the “Last of the Mohicans” in New York, I thought Staal turned the clock back a bit.
While it is tough to argue that the Rangers should pull the #18 jersey out of circulation, what can’t be argued is Staal’s contributions to the Rangers.
On September 26, 2020, the Rangers traded Marc Staal to the Detroit Red Wings in what was basically a salary cap dump trade. Essentially, the Rangers traded the last year of Staal’s contract, worth $5.7M to Detroit, and in exchange, received $5.7M of savings on their salary cap. For what it’s worth, Detroit sent back “future considerations”, which meant anything, such as a seventh-round draft pick or a busted prospect. As of this writing, it was never revealed what the Rangers received in return, outside of salary cap relief.
Staal said he was surprised in the days that followed the trade but also said that he looked forward to having a good season with Detroit. While Staal traded in one iconic jersey for another, Staal will always be remembered for his work with the New York Rangers.
If you haven’t already, then check out my Frank Boucher piece from earlier this weekend:
Open Letter To The New York Rangers From the Granddaughter of Frank Boucher – It’s Time To Finally Honor The First #7 in Franchise History! Plus: Complete Boucher Bio From “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and The Rafters of Madison Square Garden.”
I’ll be back later this weekend with my 2024-25 NHL Season Preview.
Thanks for reading.
LET’S GO RANGERS!
Sean McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com
@NYCTHEMIC on the Tweeter machine
