The Pittsburgh Penguins' Jordan Staal: A look at his 2010-2011 Regular and Playoff Season
The Pittsburgh Penguins might not have had the best season or playoff performance, but they certainly did not allow it to go to waste without proper recognition. Their young performer, Jordan Staal did a brilliant job as a forward for his team. The youngster's
contribution might not have taken them to the top, but it certainly did help him reach a milestone in his career as a professional hockey player.
The 22-year-old Canadian ice hockey player from Thunder Bay, Ontario, has been playing as a centre player for the Pittsburgh Penguins since being drafted in the 2006 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft as a second overall pick in the first round.
During his rookie years in Pittsburgh, Staal recorded and still maintains many records and ground breaking attempts. He became the youngest player in October 2006 to score twice shorthanded in a single game, including the most shorthanded goals overall,
during a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also became the youngest player to score on a penalty shot and achieve a hat-trick in 2007.
As the Penguins faced a tough time throughout the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jordan Staal remained a key player for his team. His performance was not in the form of scoring goals and assists, but making plays and opening up other opportunities
for his teammates was a key factor in them.
Staal scored his first post-season goal in game-six of the quarterfinals against Tampa Bay, which brought them closer to finally eliminating them in the third period when he leveled up the match. But they ultimately lost after Tampa Bay’s Steve Downie and
Ryan Malone scored twice to secure the match.
"There wasn't a whole lot of wrong," Penguins center Jordan Staal said after losing game-seven. "Maybe we made one mistake and they capitalized on it. Obviously our offense wasn't there, and Roli played pretty well. We got a lot of shots, battled hard and
it just wasn't our night. We all really thought that we had the series."
His family is all about hockey as all four brothers of the Staal family are professional hockey players. The eldest of them, Eric Staal is captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, who fought hard near the end of the season for a playoff position but failed to
secure one. Marc Staal of the New York Rangers was an unstoppable force until his team finally lost to the Washington Capitals in a 4-1 quarterfinal series. Finally, the youngest, Jared Staal has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes but still continues to play
for the Florida Everblades in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
The 2010-2011 season went well for Staal and the rest of the Penguins, however, due to unavoidable circumstances, the team had lost a number of players, which really depleted them of needed talent on the ice. Their All-Star captain, Sidney Crosby, was injured
early in the season and had not returned till the end. The injury to Evgeni Malkin, who was a big force on the line up, was also a big blow to the team. Had these players been present alongside Staal, things might have turned out differently for the Penguins,
which might have meant going deep into the playoffs and maybe even reaching the Stanley Cup finals.
Jordan Staal's career though, has just started and with time, Jordan Staal has proven himself of being a reliable and go-to player in the time of need.
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