Jordan Staal once joked about leaving the New York Rangers out of NHL playoff plans if the season resumed.
And now? Staal, captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, had to do a little back-tracking Wednesday in media Zoom call.
Yes, he did tease brother Marc Staal, the veteran Rangers defenseman, during an NHL zoom call two weeks after the NHL suspended the season. Yes, his comments about playing out the season and playoff scenarios were along the lines of "screw the Rangers," who were out of playoff position when the long pause began March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I guess I shouldn't have said that," Staal said, smiling. "That's karma, I guess."
The NHL's return to play plan has 24 teams in the mix. It also has the Canes and Rangers matched up in a best-of-five opening qualifying round, and Jordan Staal is well aware that Marc Staal and the Rangers won all four games they've played against each other this season.
"Yeah, we've texted a few times here and there," Staal said Wednesday. "They're excited obviously about being part of the playoffs. It's a team that struggled with, so it's a great challenge for us, jumping right into it. Hopefully we can do our best to find a way to win that and we'll be feeling good.
"It'll be fun. I haven't played against a brother in the playoffs in a while. I know my parents hate it but I think we're going to enjoy it and have some fun with it. But it is what it is. If that's the way we've go to do it, that's hockey."
Staal just wants to play, as do his teammates. His oldest brother, Eric, also will be involved with the Minnesota Wild also involved in a Western Conference qualifying round against the Vancouver Canucks.
That last playoff matchup against a brother, Staal vs. Staal? It was 2009 and Jordan Staal a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins while Eric was the Canes' captain. The Pens swept the Eastern Conference Finals and won the Stanley Cup.
But these are unprecedented times. The pandemic presents an everyday health-and-safety danger, something that must be dealt with in any NHL return to play plan. As NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday, there will be testing and more testing, with the players being kept more or less in a "bubble" once at the playing site.
The NHL plans to use two "hub" cities, each hosting 12 teams. The top four teams in each conference will have a bye, competing against each other in a round-robin series while the other 16 face off in qualifying rounds to determine the 16-team Stanley Cup playoff bracket.
"It's going to be an unfortunate challenge, I guess, to be away from the families and all that other stuff that's going to come along with it," Staal said. "Obviously it's a different time. If we're going to want to play this game this is the way we're going to have to do it. Guys have to make some sacrifices and guys are willing to do it and ready to play."
Don Waddell, the Canes' president and general manager, said Wednesday that he would have preferred playing some regular-season games to resume the season, then the playoffs. That won't be the case, although Waddell said he anticipates the teams having a training camp of 17 to 20 days in Raleigh, then couple of exhibition games once at the hub sites as warmups.
No dates have been set for the start of training camps or start of game play. There's also the matter of having the NHL Players Association approve each of the phases' protocols and plans _ all the news Tuesday came from Bettman and the NHL.
Waddell said Wednesday that the Canes could be back at full strength, depending on the start of play. Defenseman Brett Pesce, who underwent shoulder surgery March 5, could be close to returning for the games, he said. Defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Sami Vatanen and goalie James Reimer all have recovered from their injuries and are ready to play.
The Canes ended a nine-year playoff drought in 2018-19, claiming a wild-card playoff spot and reaching the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Boston Bruins. They again were in the first wild-card position when the season stopped March 12, with games-in-hand on most teams in the Eastern Conference.
"We all want to play hockey, we all want to finish this season," Waddell said.
The NHL intends to play the 2020-21 season in its entirety and Bettman said the season could begin as late as early January. The Canes are scheduled to host a Stadium Series outdoor game on Feb. 21, 2021, and Waddell said Wednesday that nothing has happened to affect the playing of the game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
"We're moving forward right now that it's going to happen," he said. "Until someone tells us differently, we're going to continue to work to make sure we put this things together and showcase Raleigh and the Triangle area as best we can."
