Marc Staal returns to Rangers in development role after retiring as NHL player
Marc Staal rejoined the New York Rangers organization Thursday, coinciding with his retirement as a player in the NHL.
The former Rangers defenseman will be a player development assistant. Per Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Staal’s role will be to work with defensemen at Hartford of the American Hockey League and throughout the organization.
Staal played 1,136 NHL games and 128 more in the Stanley Cup Playoffs over 17 seasons. The 37-year-old reunited with former Rangers coach John Tortorella with the Philadelphia Flyers last season and played 35 games to close out his NHL career.
Two seasons ago, Staal played all 82 games — and 21 in the postseason — to help the Florida Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was the second Cup Final in Staal’s career. He helped the Rangers reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings.
Staal is third among skaters in Rangers history, playing 107 postseason games. Along with the Cup Final appearance, he helped the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2012, 2014 and 2015, and win the Presidents’ Trophy in 2015.
Though known mostly for his stout defensive play, Staal scored a massive goal during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs in one of the most memorable playoff wins in franchise history.
Staal hammered a power-play slap shot past Braden Holtby 1:35 into overtime to cap a crazy Rangers comeback in a 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Brad Richards tied that game in the final seconds, also scoring on the power play off a scramble in front of Holtby’s net.
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Marc Staal played third most games by defenseman in Rangers history
Staal is the second oldest of four brothers who each played in the NHL. The eldest, Eric, won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and scored 455 goals in the League. Jordan, who won the Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and is currently the Hurricanes captain, is less than two years younger than Marc. And Jared, the youngest sibling, played two games in the NHL.
The Rangers selected Marc in the first round (No. 12) of the 2005 NHL Draft, and he was a lineup regular from 2007-20. His 892 regular-season games played are sixth most in Rangers history, fourth among defensemen, behind only Harry Howell (1,160), Brian Leetch (1,129) and Ron Greschner (981).
Staal battled back from a serious eye injury and also a concussion issue during his Rangers days. He averaged just under 21 minutes of ice time per game with the Rangers as a consistent top-four defenseman. He scored 43 goals with New York and had 188 points, and played in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.
Following the 2019-20 season, Staal’s last with the Rangers, Staal played two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings before his one-year stints with the Panthers and Flyers.
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