Staal grew up playing minor ice hockey for the Thunder Bay Kings AAA organization.

The nickname, a reference to a Marvel comic book supervillain, was given to him by former Penguins teammate Colby Armstrong, because of his strong on-ice presence.

[2] Staal won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins in 2009, scoring two goals and an assist in the seven-game series against the Detroit Red Wings.

The youngest and fourth brother, Jared, made his NHL debut on April 25, 2013, on a line together with Jordan and Eric before retiring in 2017.

[3] The second-eldest, Marc, played defence for the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers before retiring in 2024.

Staal was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Penguins on October 2, 2006,[5] and made the immediate jump from junior to the NHL in 2006–07 at the age of 18.

He scored his first NHL goal on October 12, a shorthanded breakaway marker against New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in a 6–5 win.

[6] Later that month, on October 21, Staal set a pair of NHL records with a two-goal effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In addition to becoming the youngest player to record a two-goal game since Bep Guidolin of the Boston Bruins did so at the age of 18 years and 12 days on December 21, 1943, Staal also scored both his goals on the penalty kill, becoming the youngest player to record two shorthanded goals in one game (surpassing Radek Dvořák of the Florida Panthers, who did so at 20 years and 278 days on December 12, 1997).

[9] Staal, along with fellow rookie Evgeni Malkin joined superstar Sidney Crosby, who had himself only entered his second NHL season, and goaltender Marc-André Fleury to form an effective young nucleus that revived the Penguins franchise.

In January 2007, Staal participated in the NHL YoungStars Game during the All-Star festivities, along with teammates Ryan Whitney and Malkin.

With the Penguins down by three goals in the third period, Staal notched his second career NHL hat trick to tie the game, then set up Ruslan Fedotenko's overtime winner to defeat the Red Wings 7–6.

On June 12, 2009, Staal and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2–1 at the Joe Louis Arena.

At the end of the regular season, Staal was named as one of the three finalists for the Selke Trophy along with Pavel Datsyuk and Ryan Kesler, awarded annually to the best defensive forward in the league.

[18] On April 30, 2010, Staal injured his right leg after his foot was sliced by Montreal Canadiens defenceman P. K. Subban's skate.

Then, on November 1, just two days before he was to make his season debut, he was struck by a puck in practice, fracturing his hand and sidelining him again for surgery.

[20] On April 18, 2012, Staal registered his first playoff hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 10–3 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

[31] On April 10, 2022, Staal scored three goals in a game against the Anaheim Ducks, registering his third regular-season hat trick in the NHL.

Born the third of four boys in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Staal grew up playing ice hockey with his three brothers on an outdoor rink built by their father Henry.

I made the NHL and won that Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, fulfilling all the dreams I could ever think of, but I remember waking up a week later and realizing, ‘that’s it?’... Hockey is an unbelievable sport and something that has obviously been a big part of my life, but it's not all me; it's not something I live for.