One-on-one: Staal not surprised over Penguins' core's longevity

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Penguins' core trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang reached historic levels of longevity this season.

This season marked 18 seasons in which Crosby, Malkin and Letang have been on the Penguins' roster together. They surpassed the Yankees' Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada as the longest-tenured trio in the history of all North American professional sports.

For just one player to play at least 18 seasons -- let alone with only one team -- is impressive in today's game, and doesn't happen too often. For a player to do so is a testament to their work ethic, drive, and willingness to adapt their games as they get older. To do it that long and maintain a high level of play into their mid-30s the way that Crosby, Malkin and Letang have is a whole different level of feats. To do it together as a group of three is historic, and something we won't see again in hockey (or maybe any other sport) for a long, long time.

Jordan Staal, now captain of the Hurricanes, was once considered a member of the Penguins' "core" many years ago before he was traded to Carolina in 2012. He was teammates with Crosby, Malkin and Letang when they were young, and he said that he's not at all surprised to see them still together and playing at this level over a decade later.

"They're all superstars," Staal told me after the Hurricanes' morning skate Saturday here in Raleigh, N.C. "For them to accomplish what they have, it's amazing for them to still be playing together and doing what they're doing. It's quite remarkable, but not really that crazy surprising. They're incredible hockey players and it was a blast playing alongside of them."

Staal, now 35, broke into the league with the Penguins as an 18-year-old rookie in the 2006-07 season. It was Crosby's sophomore season and Malkin's first. Letang would play seven games with Pittsburgh that season but spent the bulk of the year in the QMJHL --- he wouldn't become an NHL regular until the following season.

Staal smiled reminiscing about those early years together. He remembers Malkin's English not being great, but one could still get a glimpse at Malkin's sense of humor with his occasional dry one-liners and his overall fun energy. He laughed remembering how Malkin being bad with knowing his teammates first names -- Malkin might not have known "Jordan" for a little while, but he certainly knew "Staal." Letang was a fitness freak then too -- "He went hard," Staal said. "There's no way you can play that long at a high level without being fully committed to everything, every aspect of the game."

Crosby was named the Penguins' captain at the end of Staal's rookie season. Though he's only a year older than Staal, he was someone that Staal was able to look up to and learn from as he was getting acclimated to the NHL himself.

"I just watched him," Staal said. "I mean, it was an easy thing for me just to step in and just watch. It made my life a lot easier. Just his day-to-day and how he carried himself, I just tried to kind of follow suit and just try to be the best player I could be for the team."

Staal saw the competitiveness that all three had within themselves back then, and that's why he's not at all surprised to see where they are together today.

"All three of them are uber-competitive," Staal said. "They want to be the best they can be, and you don't let guys like that go. Their skill level speaks for itself, but just their competitive nature and the way they carry themselves day to day, they're guys that you want in your room. It's shown."

They're really not slowing down, either. Crosby enters Saturday' game as the Penguins' leading scorer with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) through 15 games. Malkin's not far behind, with 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 15 games. Letang's eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 15 games ranks No. 2 among Penguins' blueliners behind Erik Karlsson.

With Crosby in particular, the NHL's new player- and puck-tracking data helps tell the story. His top skating speed of 22.88 miles per hour is better than 94% of all forwards this season, and already faster than last season's peak of 22.53 miles per hour. The average forward this season has had 18 bursts over 20 miles per hour, and Crosby has had 36 of those bursts -- better than 92% of the league.

It's been over a decade since Staal has shared a locker room with Crosby, Malkin and Letang. But he's able to see his former teammates pretty often in these Metropolitan Division matchups like the one the Penguins and Hurricanes have at 7:08 p.m. Saturday. He's enjoyed seeing the high level of play from those three -- but again, he's not that surprised by it. He's known for a long time about the drive they have.

"It speaks to how they treat their bodies and minds," Staal said. "They have a competitive nature to be the best -- all three of them have it. It's been fun to watch them do what they do."