With his younger brother Jordan getting all the attention lately, Eric decided it was time to bring some of the fame back his way. After Jordan's thrilling third period hat trick and four point night against the Red Wings, Eric matched his younger brother by recording his fifth career hat trick last night during the teams 5-2 win against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Eric's first two goals tied the game at one and two respectively, but then he gave the 'Canes the lead for good when he put home his third goal of the night. "It's about burying your head, working hard, not changing your game, getting to those areas where goals are scored -- and for me, goals are scored in the front of the net and those traffic areas," Staal said. "Eventually, they were going to fall -- I knew that."

Eric's parents, Henry and Linda, were also in town for last night's game and their eldest son certainly put on a show for them to remember. Eric also commented on whether having Wayne Gretzky sitting behind the other team's bench served as extra motivation. "Any time the best player ever is watching and coaching against you it definitely adds a little bit more to the game, I wanted to show my stuff and be ready to play and ultimately help our team get a win."

Eric and the Hurricanes will look to build off of the good win as they will take on the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon at home.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

NBH would like to congratulate Eric Staal on his new contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal, who was drafted by the 'Canes second overall back in 2003, has reportedly signed a new seven year contract that will keep him in Carolina through the 2015-16 season.

The 23-year old center has become the face of the franchise and has led the team in goals, assists, and points in two of the last three seasons. Last season Eric finished with 38 goals and 44 assists for a total of 82 points.

Eric recently joined the NBH crew at the annual Athlete Event, and he expressed how excited he was about the upcoming season with the Hurricanes. The team will be looking to get back to playoffs and duplicate the Cup winning season they produced in 2005-06. Once again, congrats to Eric on the new contract, it will be great to watch him continue to mature and lead the Hurricanes throughout the season.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

On a night when the hockey world was interested in seeing a rematch of last year's Cup Finals, Jordan Staal stole the show and led the Penguins to victory by recording his second career hat trick.

What was even more impressive was the fashion in which Staal recorded the goals. Down 5-3 in the third period, Jordan then scored the Penguins next three goals to tie the game at 6. His game tying goal came with just 23 seconds left in the game. After tying the game and forcing overtime, Staal still wasn't done. With just over a minute to go in OT, Staal made a great defensive play by stealing the puck, and setting up the game winning goal with a great pass.

"It seemed like everything I touched went in", said Staal, who scored the three goals on five shots. "We have a lot of talent on this team and we have good heart."

Staal now has five goals and four assists on the season, as the Penguins are now 9-4-2 and are in second place in the Atlantic Division. Pittsburgh will open a three game homestand on Thursday night when the high scoring Flyers come into town.

Posted By: Luke Ventura