What he does best is a detailed list, making the decision to name him captain that much easier.
Staal is a workhorse on the ice, eating up space and minutes as one of the top two-way centers in the game. His leadership qualities are indisputable. Staal (and Faulk) had the unenviable task of deftly navigating the choppy waters of a co-captaincy two seasons ago, and night after night, Staal was more than willing to face the music and try to reason why the Canes were trudging their way through another playoff-less season, all while dealing with
unimaginable heartache away from the rink
.
That's leadership personified.
"Jordan has always been a leader. The way he plays every night, that's the ultimate and most important thing, but he's such a great person," Brind'Amour said. "He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he's going to give you everything he's got every night. That's what a captain has to do. It's an easy choice. Everyone is going to look up to him. That's the important thing."
"He's a guy who everybody, when you see him out there, you just naturally want to follow him," said Martinook, who sat just to the right of Staal until Sunday's news. "He works so hard. He goes about his business in such a mature, professional way. That's definitely somebody you can look up to. He's going to be the guy that leads us into it, and I think everybody is pretty excited about that."
Though who would lead the way was a straightforward decision, it was initially a decision Brind'Amour wondered if he would even make. Training camp helped settle that.
"I felt the last few games in watching our group and how we were going through everyday business, that it wasn't quite right. It just didn't feel right," he said. "I just felt like we needed to have somebody in charge of the room. We need to appoint a leader."
Brind'Amour consulted another trusted teammate, friend and leader:
Williams
.
"He gave me his 100 percent approval on [Staal] is the guy and you need to do it," Brind'Amour said.
That was all the confirmation the head coach needed.
"Roddy more or less said, 'Do you want to be captain?'" Staal smiled. "I'm excited and honored. Those were the two words that came out of my mouth."
Staal has totaled 510 points (217g, 293a) in 893 career NHL games, including 262 points (97g, 165a) in 462 games with the Hurricanes. Last season, the now 31-year-old veteran helped the Canes snap a 10-year playoff drought and added 10 points (4g, 6a) in 15 playoff games, including the game-tying goal in the third period of Game 7 in the First Round.
"[You see] how much he cares. You can tell in how he plays. You see it every night," Brind'Amour said. "He wants us to win as much as anybody, and he'll do whatever it takes whenever he can to come every night and do it right. That's the message we preach. As a coach, you want your captain to preach what you're throwing out there, and that's what he does."
Filling out the team's designated leadership core are Martinook and Slavin, diametric complements to one another as the Canes' alternate captains. Slavin is the more reserved of the bunch, while Martinook is very much energy forward.
"I can't say enough about those two guys. Slavo has been here for a while now. His day-to-day is so consistent, and his play is what you want to see on the back-end. He brings it every game," Staal said. "Marty is absolutely no different. He's a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and shows up to work. Those are guys you want to follow and be around."
