Jordan Staal: Two Cups and a Faith That Speaks Up
Carolina's captain told the Sports Spectrum podcast how his faith in Jesus has grown and why he values Jaccob Slavin.
Jordan Staal won his second Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe in 2026. On the Sports Spectrum podcast, the Carolina captain talked about his faith in Jesus and about sharing it in the NHL.
The episode came out on October 30, 2026, and is hosted by Scott Linebrink. In the conversation, the Hurricanes center talked about how his faith has grown, about the second title, and about why he values a fellow believer like Jaccob Slavin as a teammate.
Twenty-One Seasons and Two Rings
Pittsburgh took him second overall in the 2006 draft. Since then he has played more than 1,500 games over 21 seasons and has more than 800 points. He lifted his first Cup with the Penguins in 2009 and the second with Carolina in 2026, the year he also took home the Conn Smythe as the playoffs' most valuable player.
«The trophy says what you did; faith says whom you belong to.»
The numbers explain why he is a captain. What he says when he sits in front of a microphone shows where he has placed his identity.
Lasting 21 seasons in the NHL takes more than good hands. It takes a good head, it takes patience and, in his case, it takes a trust that does not depend on the scoreboard. I think that is the point for anyone who dreams of going far: athletic success is real, it lasts a short time, and it does not answer the big questions.
A Teammate Who Also Believes
An NHL locker room brings together accents from half of Europe and a pressure you don't see on TV. In that setting, talking about Jesus is not the most comfortable thing. Staal doesn't hide it: the episode includes a conversation about how he shares his faith inside the league, and he also spends time on Jaccob Slavin, the believing teammate he values.
Slavin is no stranger to the topic: in 2025 he talked about his faith and his marriage on the same podcast, alongside Josh Manson.
You don't need a loudspeaker. It is enough to have someone next to you who understands why you give thanks before eating and why a certain joke doesn't make you laugh. That friendship sustains a long season. And it also sustains a semester, a first job, or a neighborhood team where nobody else believes.
Paul wrote to people who worked without applause: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23, ESV).
The Trophy Says What You Did
A trophy answers one question: what did you accomplish? It does not answer who you are, or what is left when your body no longer responds the same. The trophy says what you did; faith says whom you belong to.
That is why I pause on a captain who has just won and, in the same interview, talks about Christ. Faith is not paid for with victories: it holds up the same in the won final and in the lost season. The One who loves you does not love you more because of a ring.
Paul had credentials to boast about and still wrote that he counts everything as loss, "I count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8, ESV).
This week, make a list of your Cups: the grade that cost you, the job you landed, the followers that went up. Underneath, write one line: this does not define me. Then find someone from your church and ask how they live their own victories. And what if the best trophy is being able to talk about Jesus without lowering your voice?
