One Staal brother already has a Stanley Cup ring.

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Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 18, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Photograph by : Getty Images

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Two more are hoping for the same fate this National Hockey League playoff season.

When the post-season begins April 9, there could be three brothers playing for hockey's ultimate prize - the first time that has occurred since 1992, when the Brotens (Aaron, Neal and Paul) and Sutters (Brent, Rich and Ron) competed.

As of today, only Jordan Staal's Pittsburgh Penguins have secured a playoff berth.

Eric and the Carolina Hurricanes are in a tight battle for the Southeast Division title and currently occupy the third spot in the Eastern Conference, while Marc's New York Rangers are sitting in sixth in the East. If the regular season ended today, the two oldest Staal brothers, Eric and Marc, would meet in the opening round.

For the 21-year-old Marc, just being a part of a playoff team in his rookie season would be a thrill.

"I'm just pretty excited to experience the playoffs in the NHL," said the Rangers defenceman. "Growing up watching it all the time, and now I'd love to get a chance to be in the playoffs. 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."

The last time Staal siblings squared off in the post-season, it wasn't such a memorable experience for Marc.

During the Ontario Hockey League playoffs in the 2005-06 season, Marc's Sudbury Wolves were swept in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal by Jordan's Peterborough Petes, the eventual OHL champions.

Marc did, however, take one thing away from the series.

"He came through centre ice and I caught him (with a hit), that was pretty good," recalled Marc.

Said Jordan: "I got one goal (in Game 2) and that obviously stuck out for me. It wasn't the biggest goal or anything like that, but our team did pretty well in that series, so I guess it was just nice to sweep the brother."

Ultimately, the two younger siblings - three if you count Jared, a 17-year-old forward with the Wolves who's NHL draft eligible this June - would like to follow in the footsteps of Eric, the eldest of the four boys who've helped put Thunder Bay, Ont., on the map. He led all playoff scorers when the Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup in 2006.  

Carolina wasn't able to defend its title, however, as the team missed the playoffs last year by four points.

"There has been some pretty good teams the last couple of years come out of our division (the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Cup in 2003-04, the year before the lockout)," said Eric, 23. "But right now for us, we're just focused on getting back into the playoffs, getting back to where we should be and where we expect to be. We're just focused on these last five games."

Only one member of the Staal family could potentially hoist Lord Stanley's mug this season. Jordan, 19, hopes it's his turn.

"Once Eric won the Cup, personally, I just think if my brother can do it, why can't I?" said the Penguins forward, who got his first taste of the playoffs last season when Pittsburgh was beaten out by the Stanley Cup finalist Ottawa Senators in the conference quarter-finals last season. "And I kind of took that in stride and worked really hard in the summer.

"Winning the Cup is the greatest prize a hockey player could ever want. "And it's something I want to be a part of."