Google News Eric Staal is fighting for a place on the Florida Panthers team
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Eric Staal will fight for his place in the strongest hockey league in the world, the NHL. Staal is currently in Florida Panthers camp, and his goal is to prove himself at a tryout and become part of the team. "It's a great squad down there, a lot of really great players," Staal said for NHL.com "I'm just looking for that opportunity to get back in the League and be a piece of the puzzle down there.
I like the way they're stacked up, and I like the way that they look. They've obviously made some changes and now it's about building toward that and winning the Stanley Cup. That's their goal, and for me to have an opportunity to go to camp to see what I can do with those guys, it's incredibly special and I'm excited to have that chance."
Previous seasons
The previous season he was part of the Iowa team, but later he also performed at the Olympic Games.
"It was unique," Staal said. "I was by myself, losing the Stanley Cup Final in the middle of July. And then the next season started two months later and it just didn't work out there (in Montreal). And then it didn't work out anywhere else.
And it was just kind of like, all right, where do we head now? I stayed in shape, and the Olympics came about, so I've had so many unique experiences. You take the best of what's given in front of you daily and you prepare the way you need to, and that's what I've done.
And I'll continue to do the same for the rest of the summer. And now this opportunity in Florida is going to be great. So I'm excited about that." The Florida Panthers signed a contract with Marc Staal, who happens to be Eric's brother.
That is his motive more to prove himself. "That was a big reason why I'm doing what I'm doing, to go down there, having him and maybe having that opportunity to play with him," Staal said. "It's special, one, to play in the League, and then to be able to do that alongside your brother on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations is something that you can only dream about.
So I'm going to try and prepare myself the best I can to be able to contribute with that group and we'll see how it shakes out."