Jordan Staal is just now settling into summer mode in his hometown of Thunder Bay.
But the captain of the reigning Stanley Cup champions admits it’s still hard to fathom what exactly happened during a magical spring run to hockey’s holy grail.
Staal, the Carolina Hurricanes star and Conn Smythe playoff MVP, was a guest on an episode of the Netflix podcast, Spittlin’ Chiclets, on Tuesday. Speaking candidly with hosts and former NHLers-turned-media personalities Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette and Keith Yandle, Staal covered a variety of topics from the Hurricanes’ playoff success, family, his future in hockey and his impending Day with the Cup in Thunder Bay.
“Got into Thunder Bay (last week),” said Staal, who along with his brothers own lakefront property outside the city. “Just a place to turn my mind off.”
He has been laying low so far, only venturing out to local ice rinks with older brother Eric and his sons who are budding hockey players.
The 37-year-old Jordan Staal turned back the clock and then some as the Hurricanes finally got over the hump to reach the NHL final where they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Staal scored at least one goal in the first five games of the championship series — matching a record set by Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice (Rocket) Richard.
Staal finished with six goals and one assist in the final (eight goals, four assists in 19 playoff games overall) while maintaining his role as Carolina’s top defensive forward and face-off ace. It all culminated with the Conn Smythe trophy going to a Thunder Bay NHLer for the first time.
“Things were clicking. I was feeling it. It was an incredible ride,” Staal told the podcast. “I would never have dreamed of anything like that. . . . It still hasn’t sunk in. I’m sitting at the lake and getting it to sink in and I can’t.”
Staal said the recent shortcomings the Hurricanes experience in the playoffs had potential to be a distraction. Entering the 2026 postseason, Carolina had been swept out of the Eastern Conference finals in two of the previous three seasons by the Florida Panthers.
However, the Hurricanes kept building — kept improving by only adding pieces to a solid core that included Staal, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jacob Slavin, Jaden Chatfield, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Martinook and Frederik Andersen.
Notable additions that helped put them over the top were Taylor Hall, Nikolaj Ehlers, Logan Stankoven and minor-league goaltender Brandon Bussi, who took over for an injured Andersen midway through the championship series.
“Everyone wants a quick fix at it, which I get, but what I went through just gives me chills. The whole journey was incredible,” Staal said.
“There were ups and downs. There are ups and downs in everyone’s life. I learned so much about myself and my teammates.”
After the Hurricanes overcame the conference final barrier by defeating the Canadiens in five games, Staal and Co. fell behind 2-1 against Vegas after a furious rally in Game 3 that fell short with a 5-4 double-overtime loss. Carolina responded with three wins a row, including the series-capper in Las Vegas on June 14.
“We were kicking ourselves down four (goals in Game 3). We did have momentum. They had incredible bounce and we had incredible bounce,” he said.
“There’s a moment in any run where you feel you might lose it all. And we had that. We came back. That Game 4 (with Staal scoring two goals) was incredible and then we took over that series. We were the better team from then on out and more consistent in what we did.”
While the date for Staal’s Day with the Cup in Thunder Bay hasn’t been finalized, Staal is anticipating a busy day with friends, family and fans.
“My Cup day, I’m excited for,” said Staal, who brought the Cup home in 2009 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I’m excited to share it with them. My cousins, they all have kids. I have 40 cousins and they each have four kids. . . . Hopefully we have a massive bash with all of them.
“And I’d love to share it with Thunder Bay,” he added. “Love the city, love the people. I’d love to do something with them and then take it out to the lake and do something smaller.”
Staal, who will turn 38 years old during his 21st NHL training camp in September, knows the end of his career is getting closer. He has one more year remaining on his existing deal with the Hurricanes. But Staal — who has already suited up for 1,401 regular season games and 181 playoff contests — isn’t ruling out the idea of prolonging the run beyond 2027.
“I’m hurt but I feel fine at times. There’s definitely times where you’re thinking ‘What am I doing?’ You’ve got game 52 and it’s a back-to-back. You barely wake up for the bus for the game,” Staal said with a laugh. “For the most part my body feels great. My mind, I’m having so much fun. This team is so incredible. Raleigh is home, but now my kids call it home. . . . I’m on a team that can win every year. You can’t picture it at the end being any better. Enjoying the grind and I appreciate it.”