DETROIT — Brothers Eric, Marc and Jordan Staal grew up playing each other for imaginary trophies on a backyard rink.
As they got older they battled in the minor and junior leagues for real silverware and next month the three siblings from northern Ontario could find themselves playing each other for hockey's ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.
Eric, the Carolina Hurricanes' leading scorer, Jordan, a centre with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Marc, a rookie defenceman with the New York Rangers, are poised to turn every Canadian boy's backyard fantasy into reality with all three teams heading towards the NHL post-season.
The Penguins have already clinched a berth while Carolina leads the Southeast division and the Rangers sit sixth in the Eastern conference standings.
"When we were younger, we picked a player that we wanted to be," Marc told reporters, during a Staal family conference call on Wednesday. "It usually varied but most of the time we picked the same guys.
"I mean, we never really had a trophy to play with, obviously, we played for the Stanley Cup.
"A mini series, two out of three or something like that. But it was always a lot of fun.
"You know, it's just exactly that, just a lot of fun for us. Growing up, doing that kind of stuff."
Should their clubs qualify for the playoffs, the Staals would become the first set of three brothers to compete in the NHL post-season since 1992 when the Brotens (Aaron, Neil and Paul) and the Sutters (Brent, Rich and Ron) all played in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Eric, at 23 the oldest of the three Staals, already has a Stanley Cup on his resume, leading all playoff scorers when the Hurricanes captured the Cup in 2006.
A Stanley Cup tradition allows each member of the winning team to have the cherished silverware for a day and after watching Eric celebrate, Marc and Jordan plotted to get their hands on Lord Stanley's famous trophy.
"I think once Eric won the Cup, personally, I just think if my brother can do it, why can't I?," said Jordan. "I kind of took that in my stride and worked really hard in the summer.
"I came into last year feeling good. Just being a part of the team, the team I have now, and knowing that we can make a push for it.
"You know, winning the Cup is the greatest prize a hockey player could ever want and it's something I want to be a part of."
With all three brothers taken in the first round of the NHL draft it seemed almost inevitable that their paths would one day intersect in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
They learned the game on a home-made rink constructed by their father Henry on the family's 500-acre farm near Thunder Bay and, along with those skills, picked up a work ethic they have taken to the NHL.
The Staal boys played hockey all winter and worked on the farm all summer, freed of that obligation only after signing their first NHL contracts.
Almost as important as claiming the Cup are the Staal family bragging rights, which could become even more competitive next year with a fourth brother Jared -- rated as perhaps the most talented of them all -- ready to make the jump from junior hockey to the NHL.
While reaching the playoffs is the main objective, all three brothers admit the idea of facing off against a family member will bring some added spice to the post-season.
"I think for me I'm just pretty excited to experience the playoffs in the NHL," said Marc. "Growing up watching it all the time, and now I'd love to get a chance to be in the playoffs.
"It's pretty exciting. But, if I go up against one of my brothers, that adds a whole other element to it, so that would be pretty cool as well."
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