Marc Staal’s eye will never be the same.
But the Thunder Bay native, a mainstay of the New York Rangers blue-line, vows he’ll be back as good as new this fall, his finals season before unrestricted free agency kicks in next fall.
He’s even hoping for an Olympic invite and the chance to play alongside older brother Eric, the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes and gold medallist from the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Four months ago, things were looking a lot bleaker for the veteran Rangers defender.
On March 5, in a game against the Philadelphia, Staal’s future in the game was cast into doubt, after a Kimmo Timonen slapshot was deflected by Flyers teammate Jakub Voracek and careened into Staal’s face, causing a small retinal tear and an orbital fracture.
Staal sat out the remainder of the regular season, returned for a single playoff game, then spent the rest of the season on the sidelines, his eye not ready for NHL action.
It was a horrifying moment, but one Staal, who’s also faced concussion problems in an injury-plagued NHL career, is ready to put in the past.
“It was a tough injury. It was scary, but it could have been a lot worse with the trauma that happened. Right now I’m just adapting to it and every day it feels like it’s getting better and becoming more natural,” Staal said.
“I’ll just start the season and won’t look back.”
He said he wasn’t willing to jeopardize his future, or New York’s playoff fate, after his one-game post-season return.
“The eye was causing problems after the game and I didn’t feel all that comfortable when I was on the ice. I just decided it would be best to not continue. I’ve got a lot more time throughout the summer to get prepared and ready to go. I don’t see any problems once the season starts.”
Staal says there’s no doubt he’ll be wearing a visor – brothers Eric and Jordan confirmed they’ll be wearing them too – when he returns to the ice.
“I’ve got to protect the other eye or I’m in trouble,” he said.
“It’s just blurred vision right now. The other eye has taken over. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it’s like if you have contacts and you take one out. When I’m looking straight ahead, everything’s clear. They say even up to a year the eye can keep on improving. Any improvement will be small, but time will tell. I’ve already come to terms with it not coming back to 100 per cent.”
On the night of the injury, Staal said he couldn’t see through it at all for the first week. His six-year career flashed before his face.
“You’re worried and concerned. But we had a great group of doctors and medical staff in New York and they were with me every step of the way and made it a lot easier on me. They were able to tell me that I would play again. From there I just tried to get back on the ice as quick as I can.”
It wasn’t easy watching the playoffs, and the Rangers second-round exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins, from the stands.
“It’s tough when you can’t do anything about it and you know what the guys are going through in the playoffs. Playoffs are the best time of the year. It’s a lot of fun and hopefully we don’t have too many more of those.”
Staal is looking forward to the arrival of Alain Vigneault behind the New York bench, a fresh voice and a new vision for a team that made the Eastern Conference final in 2012 under deposed coach John Tortorella.
Repeating that success won’t be easy, with realignment taking over this fall. Three teams in each division will make the playoffs, with two wild card spots allotted for each conference. It’ll be even tougher in the Eastern Conference, home to two more team’s than the west.
“It’s going to be harder on every team, but we’ll see how it shakes out the first year, anyway.”
Staal who had two goals and 11 assists in 21 games last season, on Monday received an invitation, along with brothers Jordan and?Eric, to attend the Canadian Olympic training camp.
It would be a dream come true, said Staal, who won a gold medal with Canada at the world juniors in 2006.
“It all depends on who is playing well during the year. Obviously there are a ton of guys they could pick from. But I think absolutely I would like the opportunity and I think I could do well over there.”
