Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes)

This week's EC Eye Candy is the oldest brother in the Staal family, Eric. Right now, he's on fire for the Carolina Hurricanes scoring 4 goals, 2 assists (6 points total) with a +4 in his last game against Tampa Bay - hot, hot, HOT!!

HOCKEY FACTOR:

• born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
• plays center, shoots left
• three younger brothers (Marc, Jordan, Jared) also play professional hockey
  
• named to CCHA First All-Star Team in 2002 and 2003
• drafted in the 1st round by Caroline in 2003 (2nd overall)
• top-rated North American skater in the NHL’s Central Scouting Registry for the 2003 Entry Draft
• played in 2004 NHL Young Stars game
  
• prior to missing one game due to injury on March 19, 2004, he had played in 254 consecutive regular-season games for Carolina
• nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2006 (NHL's MVP)
• won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006
• played in the NHL All-Star game in 2007 and 2008 (was the MVP in 2008)
  
• involved with Canada in international competition three times (a reserve for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, a member of the gold-medal-winning Canadian team at the 2007 IIHF World Championships and a member of the silver-medal-winning team at the 2008 IIHF World Championships)

HOTNESS FACTOR:

What isn't hot about Eric Staal??!!! He's 6'4 and weighs 205 pounds, so he's one of those big, solid hockey players!! He's the alternate captain of the Carolina Hurricanes AND he's married - August 3, 2007 to wife Tonya (which I think is totally sexy -- it's the commitment thing, I think!)!! Speaking of which, I'm sure you all remember that he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after his bachelor party in July 2007 (along with brother Jordan) -- BAD BOYS!!! He even looks hot in his mug shot!!

A few of his "favorites" are [food] Chinese, [place to visit] British Virgin Islands, [movie] The Dark Knight, [TV show] Lost, [video game] Call of Duty, [hockey team] Toronto, and [restaurant] The Cheesecake Factory (yummy!).

Eric wears the #12 because it was his dad's number. His most prize-possession is his Stanley Cup ring and, aside from hockey, Eric is pretty good at beach volleyball (he looks like a "beach bum" type, doesn't he?!).

His most memorable goal? the one he scored with three seconds left in Game 2 of the 2006 Conference Semifinals against New Jersey.