Hurricanes raise Eric Staal’s No. 12 to the rafters, rally for a point against the Ducks

The Carolina Hurricanes retired Eric Staal’s jersey Sunday, then put him to work.

Staal was the siren sounder at the Lenovo Center as the Canes took the ice to face the Anaheim Ducks. Batting leadoff, with former teammates Mike Commodore and Brandon Sutter to follow on the siren, Staal gave it a long, determined crank.

The Hurricanes tried to give Staal a victory on his big day, rallying in the third period, but the Ducks came away with a 3-2 overtime win on Cutter Gauthier’s second goal of the game at 1:52 of the OT.

The Canes (26-15-3) trailed 2-0 in the third and had a goal overturned by a goaltender interference call. But Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play and Seth Jarvis tied it 2-2 with 56 seconds left in regulation after the Canes pulled goalie Pyotr Kochetkov for a sixth attacker.

“We didn’t quit and found a way to tie it up,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Special night. Too bad it ended this way,”

The Canes players were seated at the bench area during the half-hour pregame ceremony as Staal’s No. 12 was raised to the rafters, making it a foursome of retired jerseys. Ron Francis, who wore No. 10, was the first to receive the honor, followed by Glen Wesley’s No. 2 and then Brind’Amour’s No. 17.

“There’s not a lot of ceremonies like that and the boys were willing to be a part of it and I appreciated it,” said Canes captain Jordan Staal, Eric’s younger brother. “It was a really cool moment and we tried to battle for a win tonight, but unfortunately didn’t get it.”

At one point during his remarks, Eric Staal glanced behind him at the players, later joking that some probably were saying, “Who is this guy, this old guy? We have to watch this?”

Not that Jarvis felt that way, saying the ceremony was “super cool” and adding, “I think one of my ultimate goals as a player is to have a legacy like that, and to affect not only the lives of the people in the organization but the fans, as well.”

Staal, whose legacy includes all of that, had a pertinent point to make to the players, one born of experience.

“Even when it’s your sixth game in nine days, and you’re sore and tired, there’s nothing better than competing with your teammates and being out on this ice in front of these great fans,” he said. “Cherish the moments and the memories because it really does go by in a blink of the eye.”

Brind’Amour, seated next to team owner Tom Dundon, nodded. He knows.

Brind’Amour was traded to the Canes from Philadelphia in 2000, won a Stanley Cup in 2006, served as captain, retired from playing, had his jersey retired and now is in his seventh season as Carolina’s head coach.

A blink of the eye.

For Staal, he said he didn’t know where Raleigh was located when he was drafted in 2003. He began his NHL career, won the Stanley Cup in 2006, played 12 seasons and more than 900 games for Carolina and set several franchise records.

After leaving the Canes, he competed for the Cup again with both the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers, then as the aging veteran center. Finally retiring after the 2022-23 season, his 18th in the NHL, he now lives in Edina, Minnesota, outside Minneapolis.

But like playing with the Canes, Staal cherishes his time in Raleigh. He said he became engaged to his wife, Tanya, in Raleigh. He said it’s where they bought their first home and where the couple brought each of their three sons — Parker, Levi and Finley — home from the hospital after being born in Raleigh.

Brind’Amour said Sunday that he had been able to chat with Staal a bit about what to expect in the ceremony, about seeing the jersey number go up.

“It’s a lot and I know in talking to Eric he’s feeling it a little bit,” Brind’Amour said before the ceremony. “There’s a lot of nerves, a lot of things. It’s a real special day.”

Staal handled Sunday’s ceremony well, with the grace and poise he often showed on the ice. He thanked his former teammates and coaches, plus so many from the Hurricanes organization who were on hand. Only in mentioning his family did he tear up a little.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Staal said after the ceremony. “I remember as a player being through some of these ceremonies and moments. But when it’s really focused on you, it’s kind of a weird feeling. It’s such a team sport and a collective thing that when you have a night where it’s totally narrowed in on you, it’s a little different.

“But it’s special, too, to have an opportunity and a platform to speak some truth about people that mean a lot to you, and that’s what I was excited to do. I tried to speak the right words that came from the heart and enjoy the moment.”

Staal’s parents, Henry and Linda, were there for the big moment. Next to them were two of Staal’s brothers, Marc and Jordan. The youngest brother, Jared, is coaching the Savannah Ghost Pirates in the ECHL and was unable to make the ceremony.

Growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the four Staal brothers were super-competitive with one another — forget the hockey part; their pillow fights were said to be pretty savage. Linda Staal often had to be the “referee” and keep the boys in line, and Eric’s mention of his mom Sunday caused him to lose his voice for a moment.

Soon after, No. 12 was slowly raised as Eric, Tanya and the kids beamed.

“It’ll be staring at me for a while,” Jordan Staal mused after the game. “It’s a great honor for sure and rightfully so for what he was for this organization and what he brought to Raleigh and Canes fans, and the way he carried himself in this room.”

Eric Staal, now 40, was asked how he spends his time in retirement. He smiled.

“Lots of Saturdays in a row,” he said, sounding the common retirement refrain.

Staal said he helps coach two of his sons in hockey after picking them up from school, grinning and saying: “When I’m coaching they probably don’t want me around sometimes..”