‘We’ll kiss and make up after it’: Staal brothers to battle in Eastern Conference final

The way the story goes, it was a big fight between Jordan and Eric Staal, both claiming to be the winner.

Eric Staal has always liked to say he got in the bigger blows and had Jordan in a headlock. Jordan Staal has always said Eric was the one left with a bloody nose.

By all accounts, it was quite the pillow fight back home in Thunder Bay, Ontario, years ago.

“A lot of feathers were flying,” as Jordan Staal described it.

It will be a little different the next few weeks. The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers will decide the Eastern Conference championship in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the play will be intense and the traditional team handshakes at the end of the series figures to be bittersweet for Jordan, Eric and Marc Staal.

Jordan Staal is the captain of the Hurricanes. Eric Staal, once the Canes captain, centers a line for Florida, and Marc Staal will be on the Panthers’ back end in the best-of-seven series that starts Thursday at PNC Arena.

“That’s got to be tough, when the stakes are as high as they are,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Somebody’s going to be happy and somebody’s not. One way to look at it is that somebody’s going to the (Stanley Cup) finals, and that’s pretty good.”

All are in their 30s now — Eric the oldest at 38 and Jordan the youngest at 34. Eric and Jordan each have won a Stanley Cup and taken it back to Thunder Bay to show it off. Marc, 36, has not, and realizes this might be his last, best chance to do it.

If there is brotherly love — and there is — it will be put on hold.

“We’ll kiss and make up after it,” Jordan Staal joked.

In truth, a playoff handshake was one of Jordan Staal’s toughest moments in hockey. In 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins swept the Hurricanes in the Eastern final, beating the Canes in Game 4 in Raleigh to finish it off.

Jordan Staal was a 20-year-old center for the Penguins, playing in the shadow of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin but finding different ways to help his team win, much as he does now for the Canes. Eric, a big part of the Canes claiming the Cup in 2006, was a 40-goal scorer for Carolina in 2009.

In the handshake line, the two shook hands, quickly bumped chests and exchanged a couple of words, then moved on.

“It’s not easy.” Jordan Staal said. “Obviously, I wanted to be on the right side of that, so it is what it is. It’s never easy ending a brother’s season but somebody’s got to win. I don’t want to be the one on the other side of it, so I’m going to do everything I can not to be.

“It’s a part of playoff hockey. Somebody’s got to win and somebody’s got to lose.”

In 2009, the Pens beat the Canes, then claimed the Cup. Three years later, Jordan was traded to the Hurricanes and joined Eric, in pursuit of another Cup.

Jordan Staal gave the Canes another big center — “He’s Eric on steroids, figuratively speaking,” former defenseman Joe Corvo said — but the two could not lead the Canes into the playoffs.

Now, here they are, combatants again. And Marc Staal, after 13 years with the New York Rangers and two in Detroit, has made it a threesome in this playoff showdown.

There’s a chance all three could be on the ice at the same time in the series, depending on the matchups and situations, battling and banging bodies in what Jordan calls the “free for all” that are playoff games.

“It’ll be fun. It’s all good stuff,” Jordan Staal said.

Staal said his parents, Henry and Linda, probably would not be at the games, quipping they’ll be in Thunder Bay, “hiding from you guys” — that is, the media. Who needs the constant scrutiny of the cameras?

The fourth Staal brother, Jared, is an assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ AHL affiliate. He should be at the games in PNC Arena, Jordan said.

It will be the first time since 1992 that three siblings will play against each other in a Stanley Cup playoff series. Brent, Rich and Ron Sutter faced off in ‘92 when the Chicago Blackhawks played the St. Louis Blues.

“It’s something we’ll never forget,” Jordan said “It’s memories we’ll always have. All of our kids are getting older and they’re making memories.

“It’s going to be a really cool experience. We’re really blessed to be where we’re at as a family and we’re excited to be a part of the conference finals. Just a really cool thing.”

The Panthers, coached by Paul Maurice, are peaking at the right time and likely broke the hearts of some TV execs by knocking the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs out of the playoffs. So much for two of the NHL’s Original Six.

“They’ve got great goaltending and they’re able to score quickly off turnovers and have guys with skill who can make you pay quick,” Staal said. “They can change it very quickly. It should be a great battle.”

No feathers flying, but good playoff hockey.