Former Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal speaks to the media after the Canes alumni game.
Show Transcript
What does it mean? Well, I think it just goes when you’re around these guys and uh spending this time together. It just really, really floods back memories of how much you love and care for these for these guys, uh, you know, to achieve Stanley Cup championship, it takes something pretty special, and we had that here with with this group, so, um, brings you back. Ton of memories, a lot of good vibes, a lot of good feelings. It’s so good to see everybody catch up and share some laughs and you know it’s just just a lot of gratefulness, you know, when you think about it and just great to see these guys. Well, I think first and foremost is we we we cared for each other. I think that’s you know you you. You start and you build over the course of a season, but deep down we had a group that was willing to do anything for each other and just a lot of care and love in all situations and just a special group of guys, really different kind of group. We had older guys, we had younger guys, we had veterans, we had rookies, we had just an array of different characters and you know that’s what makes it so cool. To think back on and then spend time together again because you have so much of that that comes right back to the front of your memory bank and you just grateful for this group. You your ceremony last year, got to experience the emotions of that. What do you think it will be like tomorrow celebrating with everybody? Yeah, I think that’ll be pretty awesome because it’s. It’s collective, right? It’s collective with our whole squad and our whole group of guys, and we get to share those memories, those emotions together, and then the fans. I mean they were a part of it too. I mean there’s so many people that you know rode that time, that playoff run every minute and so it’ll be cool for a lot of them and you know for probably a lot of them with their kids, grandkids, you know, to be able to share you know this that special time with them. Uh, for, for some that you know weren’t alive or weren’t around, uh, you know, when that time happened, but, um, it’ll be cool to come reminisce and um just kind of share it all together. What’s the story behind the Florida gear you’re rocking? I mean, I had a mishmash of uh gear that I just pieced together and this was the only undershirt I had left. In my bag and it’s from the last team I had so I haven’t opened my bag very often uh since I last had the skates on so that’s why why I still have it the 6 stuff might have expired, but it is long expired. I think it was in uh in tattered ratty uh form by the end of that run. Awesome man appreciate your time. Good luck tomorrow.