Wild's Masterton Trophy nomination goes to Eric Staal

NASHVILLE – Like they were still kids running around Thunder Bay, Ontario, looking for anywhere to play hockey, Eric Staal and his younger brothers, Marc, Jordan and Jared, would sneak in the back door of the local arena last summer and slip on the ice through the Zamboni entrance.

"My brothers and I would go out early, and the guy would let us skate as much as we wanted to," the Wild veteran said. "We did that a lot more often than we have in years past. I think that was good for me just to be on the ice consistently and kind of keep that good feeling instead of waiting for it to come."

Staal knows many around the NHL thought his best days were behind him. But Staal signed a three-year contract with the Wild last summer and has revamped his career.

His resurgence at age 32 includes a team-leading 27 goals. His 60 points rank second, and it's the ninth time in 13 seasons he has hit that figure. Off the ice, he is one of the team's most respected players, a pro's pro who is loving life in Minnesota and proudly helped start the Staal Family Foundation in Thunder Bay.

The Twin Cities' chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) has nominated Staal for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which annually goes to an NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.

"I can see so much of why he was the captain [in Carolina]," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He is positive. He's all about team. He's dedicated. He doesn't miss games. He doesn't take practices off. He works hard every time he's out there. I am so impressed with him. I'm even more impressed with him off the ice, and the stuff he does around the team than the stuff he does on the ice, and he does a lot [on the ice]."

Staal, who has missed 22 games in his entire career and on March 19 hit the 1,000-game plateau for which he will be honored before Tuesday's game against his old Hurricanes, was committed to showing everybody he still can play.

The Staal Family Foundation focuses on giving to local charities and children and families fighting cancer. It hits close to home for Eric and wife Tanya, whose sister, Tamara, died of liver cancer at 24. The foundation raised $250,000 last year. Its golf tournament, which is a PGA Tour Canada stop, is July 10-16 in Thunder Bay.

"It means a lot to all of us and our family just to be able to do something extra," Staal said. "To help out in anyway that we can is important to us. It always will be as we move on."

The Wild has two Masterton Trophy winners: Josh Harding in 2013 and Devan Dubnyk in 2015.

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