Rod Brind’Amour has full faith in Jordan Staal to have Hurricanes ready for Game 6

Rod Brind’Amour knows what it is like to wear the C on his chest during a pivotal time in a franchise’s history. The former center helped the Carolina Hurricanes win their first and presently only Stanley Cup championship in 2006, embodying the leadership the team and city needed during that landmark run. Now, as the squad approaches the 20th anniversary of its title victory, the Canes head coach is trusting Jordan Staal to fill the same role.

Staal is giving Brind’Amour no reason to doubt him whatsoever. He scored his seventh goal of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, evening the score in the first period and doing his part to boost Carolina to a 4-2 home victory. The Hurricanes are now only one win away from reaching hockey’s apex yet again. Composure and clutch excellence will be crucial heading into a Game 6 battle in Las Vegas, Nevada’s T-Mobile Arena.

“We’ve got to get that one more still, and (Staal) knows it, and he’ll have our group ready,” Brind’Amour told reporters after Game 5, per The North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette.

Besides having an obvious nose for the big moment, Staal is a revered leader in the dressing room. Like Rod Brind’Amour, the 37-year-old has celebrated a championship in his career (2009 with Pittsburgh Penguins). Staal learned from veterans during that surreal experience, and now he is the seasoned player who is expected to set an example on and off the ice.

No. 11 must use the next two days to get the Hurricanes mentally prepared for what awaits them in a potential championship-securing Game 6 on Sunday.

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