Why Staal, Poehling wanted to join a Flyers rebuild originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
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VOORHEES, N.J. — Over 13 years later, Marc Staal hasn’t forgotten the loss.
He has played in 1,101 career NHL games and still remembers the shootout heartbreak from April 2010.
Staal was in his third NHL season and playing for John Tortorella’s Rangers. New York visited Philadelphia for a win-or-go-home regular-season finale. With a playoff berth on the line for both teams, the Flyers knocked out the Rangers, 2-1, in a hard-fought, pressure-filled game that was decided by a shootout.
Danny Briere had an assist and scored one of the Flyers’ two markers in the skills competition. Staal played a team-high 29:16 minutes.
The Flyers snuck into the postseason and then ran all the way to Stanley Cup Final in which they lost to the Blackhawks.
Two days ago, Briere was signing Staal to a one-year contract to play for Tortorella’s Flyers.
Hockey really is a small world.
As a Ranger for 13 years, Staal knows what it’s like to play in Philadelphia when the stakes are high. Now, he joins a Flyers team that is very much restarting and trying to win back fans over time.
“We lost to them the last game of the season in a shootout,” the 36-year-old Staal recalled Wednesday in a Zoom press conference. “Through those chunks of years there where we were right next to each other in the standings and the games were always super intense, the building was very loud and a very fun rink to play in.
“It hasn’t been the same obviously the last couple of years going in there. But I think with what’s going on, with the people I’ve talked to and the people like Danny and Torts and everyone running things now, what they’re trying to do, they’re going in the right direction. It’s a fun place to play, obviously very passionate fans. I look forward to be able to play in front of them every night.”
He’ll be doing so alongside Ryan Poehling, a center who also a signed a one-year deal with the Flyers.
As a younger player looking for opportunity, Poehling liked the fit with the rebuilding Flyers.
“I’ve always, throughout my life, just wanted to be a part of something special, being a big part of something that starts from the ground up,” he said Wednesday in a Zoom press conference. “I think this is an opportunity to do just that.
“I just want to prove myself. I think that’s the biggest thing, you can never bet on yourself too much. I’m excited for the challenge.”
Poehling knows a couple of Flyers forwards. In 2018-19, he had a storybook NHL debut with the Canadiens, putting up a hat trick and scoring a shootout winner. One of his linemates that game was Nicolas Deslauriers. He also grew up playing with Noah Cates. Both are 24 years old and from Minnesota.
With Tortorella as his head coach, Poehling won’t expect anything given to him.
“I heard he’s hard and he’s fair. That’s all you ask for out of a coach,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a sport and we get paid to do our jobs and you have to do your job and compete. … Going through all of those things makes winning so much sweeter, so I’m looking forward to that part of it.”
Staal, on the other hand, won’t need an introduction with Tortorella. The veteran defenseman played five years for him in New York.
The familiarity with Tortorella factored into his decision to join the Flyers. Along with that, he’ll be closer to his family in Connecticut and said Flyers players over the years had spoken highly of the organization.
“It just seemed right,” Staal said. “It wasn’t a very hard decision when the feeling was mutual. It came together pretty quick.”
Briere said his staff was pleasantly surprised when it learned Staal was interested in a Flyers team that is focused on the future. Staal just played all 82 regular-season games and 21 playoff games for a Panthers club that was crowned Eastern Conference champions. He has played 128 career postseason games and doesn’t have a Stanley Cup ring, having lost in the Final twice.
Staal is coming to Philadelphia to compete and push for minutes. But he does understand the Flyers’ situation. The team wants to get younger and support its youth with a veteran presence. Being a mentor of sorts will be a part of the package.
In New York, Staal appreciated having players like Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury and Michal Rozsival to rely on when he entered the NHL at 20 years old.
“I think sometimes the mentor thing gets a bit, I wouldn’t say overblown, but everyone that comes into the league has to figure out how they’re going to do it on their own,” Staal said. “Every player is unique and an individual in how they prepare and how they go about their day. I think leaning on older guys with questions for a variety of things that go on throughout the season is nice to have around.
“If I can provide that for some of these guys that are coming up and looking to stick around in the NHL, I look forward to doing that and lending as much help as I can.”
