Another season, another missed opportunity, but different

Dallas has been spoiled rotten by hockey.

Get a team in the early 1990s, learn to love them, and by the end of the decade, they are Stanley Cup Champions with a whole host of awards and tradition. Sellout after sellout, amazing atmosphere in the playoffs - the whole bit.

And then sports happens. Players get older, coaches move on for whatever reason.

We had a bit of a resurgence a few years back, but we've all seen that this club has been struggling for some time to get back to its heyday.

And this season was - for the most part - no different. Now that the team is officially not going to make the playoffs, its time to take a quick look at 2011-2012 and see what is around the corner.

The loss of Brad Richards was big, but surprisingly not nearly as negative as expected by many. The new coach and new players made for a team that was much more competitive than the pundits led us to believe last August.

This team still needs leadership, especially on the blue line. But we know we're in good hands in goal and there is still talent and fight in this team.

The biggest addition this season was not in the lineup or locker-room, but in the corner office. For the first time in what seems like forever, the Dallas Stars have an owner that wants to be the owner and has the resources to do it well. Obviously, there were things Tom Hicks did well - but we all saw how his sports empire crumbled, from the Texas Rangers to Liverpool FC to our beloved Stars.

Enter Tom Gaglardi - a Canadian who owns a hotel enterprise as well as a minor league hockey franchise in Kamloops, with a mother from Texas.

He probably spent the last five months evaluating the team, so this could be a very active off-season. Where he chooses to make changes, add resources and otherwise put his stamp on things will be interesting to watch.

This town loves the intensity of top end sports. With the right resources, the Dallas Stars can once again be one of those teams - and with all the recent success by the Rangers, Mavericks and FC Dallas, added to the continuous expectations that the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl (no matter how realistic that expectation might be), that could take the DFW MetroPlex to a plane of existence that will be the envy of the whole sporting world.

What do you expect to see from Gaglardi? What do you WANT to see from Gaglardi? Nieuwendyk (GM for those not following along recently)? Gulutzan (Coach for those not following along even more recently)?

Personally, give me an evaluation of what wins in the NHL, then how do we get the Stars to either be that or be the next generation after what is currently working, then provide the resources to get it done.

The thing is, the bar has been raised in DFW - better be tops in the league or you just aren't carrying your weight 'round hea'. Here is hoping the Stars can keep pace!

Stars season starts with a bang

The NHL is back, and so are the Dallas Stars.

With an opening night win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the newfangled Stars began the 2011-2012 season on the right foot. No more of the greatness of Brad Richards, but that salary opens up the ability to sign and develop other players. And we get to see what new coach Gary Gulutzan can bring to the table. That's a LOT of changes, and in some ways, steps back, for a team that didn't make the playoffs again last year.

So a 2-1 win was just what the doctor ordered to settle the nervousness of Stars fanatics across the MetroPlex. All Chicago could mount - despite a number of penalty plays - was a late goal with a sixth attacker, thanks in large part to good effort on the part of the Stars and another solid outing by Kari Lehtonen.

So Stars fans, what are your thoughts about this year's team? Excited to see what Gulutzan can do? Glad we once again have a great goalkeeper to lean on? Worried about what this team lost when it probably needs to add players to get back into the playoffs - or are you seeing this team being set up for a good foundation in the long run?

For me, I like the following:

Stars won (duh)
Stars did a good job on the kill
Stars almost had a 2-1 ratio in hits
Stars did an ok job in the circle

Share your thoughts below!

A Bit More

See HERE for my take on NHL realignment for next year. With Winnipeg in the "Southeast", you know it is coming. Question for Stars fans - can it bring a better balance of schedule so we can see every team every year, and can it get us the **** out of the Pacific? I don't know about you, but I'm tired of so many 9:00 start times!

Is it time?

Is it time for Marc Crawford to put the hammer down?

That is his history, his style. He is the uber-Ken Hitchcock, the younger, more aggressive guy who puts his foot down on the pedal and stays there.

But since it didn't pan out as well in Vancouver as it had at Colorado, and then failed miserably with Los Angeles, Crawford has tried to step back and be less aggressive here with the Stars.

The thing is, though, that the Dallas Stars Hockey Club has been given more than enough time to show that they don't need that kind of oversight, and have failed to do so.

How many times this season have you been aggravated by these guys? Seen the potential and watched them throw it away? Lose a lead and lose the overtime or shootout? Lose to a team they shouldn't lose to? Play WAY below their obvious abilities?

For me, I put up with it early in the season because of the change in style. Crawford brought in a more open game, one that involves the defense-men in the attack more and is more fluid. It requires a change in mentality and adjustments on how the team plays as a whole.

Part of my thought process was "this is what succeeds in the NHL now, so it is best to make this change and get it over with." The Stars had shown they had ability, but while I'm not entirely sure that Tippett couldn't continue to improve, I completely get that the new GM wanted to put his stamp on the team. Pair that with the style of play issue, and it made sense.

But I'm fairly certain we're beyond the window needed to adjust to this new style. (If I'm off on that, feel free to let me know in the comments section below!)

I'm thinking that at this point, it is now about the focus of the team, and that the team leadership has been given more than enough opportunity to show they can handle it on their own.

And it is clear that they haven't so far, and can we really wait much longer?

So enter the Old Marc Crawford, please. Bring on the heavy guns. Show me that lead-foot. Kick some butt, chew out some players, let it be know that this current lack of focus is completely unacceptable.

Because it is.

And The Page Turns - thoughts from the Cheap Seats

So now we have a new GM and a new coach.

What do we think about that?

Here are some general thoughts and points - let us know what you think below.

Obviously, there is a lot unknown. Would Tippett have been able to continue to have success in the regular season? Probably. Would he have been able to have success in the playoffs? Maybe. Maybe even probably. I think the conventional wisdom after Joe Nieuwendyk was brought in to be the lone GM in place of Les and Brett was that Tippett would be allowed at least a pre-season and a fair run in the relguar season to prove himself.

Didn't happen.

Earlier this week, Marc Crawford was named as the new gaffer for the Dallas Hockey Club, and now the questions are about his goals - how does he want to play, who does he want to play, how is he going to manage all the personalities.

Publicly he has said he wants a more offensive system, and it sounds like he wants to roll three - not the Dallas Stars traditional four - lines.

Crawford comes in with some significant skins on the wall.

Then again, those skins aren't hot off the presses, either.

Fair or not, some are going to look at this as "Marc had better win in the playoffs" - i.e., had better than Tip had been with his very consistent regular season success. Are you in that camp? I'm not sure I am, but I certainly see the validity of it.

Me? I like the fact that GM Joe is reputed to be smart, Bob Gainey-like. Obviously, that is a name that is well respected not only in Dallas, but throughout the game.

And I want to see GM Joe do with the Stars what we've (probably....) seen with the other Hicks team, the Texas Rangers - build the kind of foundation that is set for success for a long period of time.

And as we know, the Stars aren't - or, weren't - that far two seasons ago. How much of that was lost last season? Hard to tell.

But from my cheap seat, if GM Joe thinks we need to take a slight step back to redirect and have a more successful road ahead, and that means that Crawford takes a season to instill a new philosophy, management sees who gets on board and then fills the gaps, then I'm willing to give them the space to do that.

Now, I'll admit some trepidation - obviously, it is scary to walk away from what we knew was in all likelihood another solid regular season and, most likely, a good playoff push. There is a queasiness even as I write this. But the intellectual side of me is the stronger - at least in this discussion.

But enough about me and my egg-head. Where are you?

Sean Avery returns to New York-ish

Sean Avery has resurfaced as top news with his return from banishment.  He recently completed his NHL-Mandated anger management therapy and was added back to the Dallas Roster, forcing Dallas to send Chris Conner back to the minors.

Yesterday was an eventful day for Sean, starting with a plane trip to Dallas where he spent about 6 hours in town for a visit with the Stars team doctors to clear a medical release so he could play in the minors.  Concurrently the Stars announced that Sean had cleared waivers and rumors resumed regarding his placement in the AHL, where it was assumed he would join the Hartford Wolfpack to prove he was ready to play again.

This morning the rumors were confirmed that New York wanted Sean back as his first practice with the Wolfpack began and quotes were released from GM Glen Sather, Sean Avery, and Rangers coach Tom Renny:

"I would like to thank Glen Sather and the Rangers organization for giving me the chance to resume my hockey career by affording me this opportunity with the Hartford Wolf Pack. I am looking forward to getting back on the ice, working my way back to the NHL and playing the game I love. While I appreciate the many interview requests, at this point in time, I would like to focus on hockey and will not be making any further statements while with the Wolf Pack." - Sean Avery

"Sean and the Dallas Stars approached me looking for an American Hockey League team for him to resume playing, and I am happy to provide him with the opportunity to continue his career. Sean was a good player for the Rangers during his time here and has worked extremely hard off the ice over the last two months. He remains under contract to and property of the Stars, therefore, any further comment would be inappropriate." - Glen Sather

"Sean's a good hockey player. He can help anybody he plays for, there's no question about that.  This is a guy who could play and was a great teammate, and was always there for his teammates and laid it on the line every single night. How could you not admire that?" - Tom Renny

I know Avery did well in New York the past 2 years, but doesn't it sound a bit too much like Renny is hoping Sean is the Rangers' love child?  During his time in the AHL, then Detroit, then the LA Kings and finally here in Dallas the only person to speak so highly of Sean was Brett Hull, and you can see how that worked out for him.  Doesn't this make you wonder, exactly what kind of "anger management" therapy do the Rangers' front office actually think he went through?

One last thing to remember, New York, this is not a done deal.  When they decide they are ready for him he has to go back through recall waivers, which is where they are expected to claim him and will assume half his salary.  Before they can claim him, however, EVERY TEAM in the league that is lower in the standings then them will have an opportunity to claim him.  Les Jackson is rumored to have stated other teams have an interest in Sean.

The question is, which team has the balls to actually take him on?

Remarks from a Rangers fan - after the Stars dramatic loss to Martin Broduer and John Madden

... because really, those are the two guys that owned the game!  After a game like last night it's hard to find anything worth talking about - I think most fans want to take our referee chants (like A rope, a tree, lets hang the referee) and reword them for ... well ... ANYONE on the Stars.

But as I skimmed through the blogs and news articles on the web I found this great one from the perspective of a Rangers fan who wanted to follow the Avery Circus around the New York area:

What resulted was a clinical dissection of Dallas by Jersey's regimented offense in front of maybe, maybe 7,000 fans. The Dallas Stars that beat the Rangers on Monday were nowhere to be found, as were the Devil fans, who stayed away in droves. On the ice, the Marty Turco that was there to stop every Blueshirt break through the Star defense didn't show up. The Turco who made it to Newark pulled himself grossly out of position twice to allow a pair of amateurish goals on his way to being yanked for a Swedish kid who had 110 minutes of NHL time before taking the Rock ice.

To be fair, Scotty Hockey, the blogger responsible for this well-written description of our boys' (yes, last night they were truly boys) foul attempt to play AHL level hockey, was as mean to the Devils as he was to the Stars; the difference was it seemed his hatred towards the Devils was of a rivalry, and his distasteful words for the Stars were purely driven by their untoward play.

They looked so awkward on the ice last night that each and every one of the contracts should be nullified.  In fact, I have a new way to pay them - purely based on their performance each game:

• Their first goal of the game, a player earns $10,000.  Each goal there-after earns double the previous payment, thus, goal 2 is worth $20,000, goal 3 is worth $40,000 and goal 5 would then be worth $160,000.
• First Assists are worth 25% of that goal's value, second Assists are worth 50% of that.  However, this amount comes out of the player's check who scores the goal.  Thus, the player who scores his 5th goal in a game must pay $40,000 to whomever got the First Assist and $20,000 for the Second Assist.  This still earns the goal scorer $100,000 for that goal; nevermind how much they earned for their first 4.
• Hits would also be worth something, lets say $500 to start, thereafter they can grow exponentially as well.

Goalies are a bit more difficult, they don't make hits, usually don't make assists, and almost never make goals.  Goalies could get paid by ...

• The saves.  Let's say a goalie blocks 30 shots in a game: $1,500 per blocked shot would earn them $45,000 for that game (which, by the way, is worth $3.7mil per year).
• Not all saves are equal though - lets say a save based on a turnover which gives the offense a 2-on-1 advantage: $1,750; 3-on-1 $2,000.  Penalty shot?  $3,000 - and the extra $1,500 comes from the player who is serving the penalty!

This is BY NO MEANS an exact or fully-thought out system, but something like this is SURE to force players to work smarter, not harder; not only that but it will force players who play as abysmal as our boys did last night leave the league if they can't begin to perform - for it's those players who would be paying the other players' salaries.

Do I think this would actually work?  Not likely, but it's something to think about.  Do I want this to happen to the Stars?  No, but I'm at a loss what else could make them pull their heads out of those cavities they've found themselves in and begin playing like the skilled TEAM that they truly are.

Scotty Hockey, thanks for the inspiration to write this column today.  I really wasn't in the mood but the minute I read your post I became filled with such rage at my boys that the above filth just started pouring out.

Hey Stars, how about tonight against the Islanders you actually show up, as the proud NHL players that you are, and just ENJOY yourselves.  We go through this every season - you forget to ENJOY hockey and you go on a skid.  Last March, you forgot, but the minute you remembered you actually made it to the Western Conference Finals.  This October you've forgotten, and now you're risking your chances of ... well ... they say you can't make the playoffs in October, but you can sure make it difficult to do so if you keep this up.

Avery after Rangers game

I'm actually really impressed with Avery's post game with the MSG Network.  I've always thought of him as a meat-head for the other teams and I said here he needs to prove he can control himself and he needs to prove he can be more than a big hitter.

I was pleasantly surprised when, in preparation for the visit to NY the Stars (or Avery directly, I'm not sure which) released this message to the NY media:

Thank you all for your inquires and requests for interviews. I also wanted to thank you guys for the great work you did in the coverage while I was here; I appreciate your enthusiasm about the team and the game in general. In my effort to focus on the game at hand, I would prefer not to do a lot of interviews so please accept this statement in lieu of full court press.
I extremely enjoyed my time in NY playing for the Rangers. Jim Dolan runs a first-class organization, the fans are as passionate and as tough as they come, and they make MSG a very special place to play and call home. I wish the Rangers all the best and I hope that they have a great season. I have no animosity towards anyone in this organization for not bringing me back; that is sometimes how things work out. On the other side of the coin, however, I am very happy to now be a member of the Dallas Stars organization. This team is one any player would be lucky to be a part of, and I think we have a very exciting and positive season ahead of us.

Then, I was more pleased upon seeing how he reacted to the Rangers' choice of himself as one of their main targets.  Although he was involved in a couple of good hits he kept to himself and did his best for his team.  No goals, no assists, but no major penalties, no game misconduct, no loud mouthing and this well spoken interview where he even talked decently about some of the more vocal Rangers who recently talked about him:

ok, maybe he didn't talk decently about Vliquette ... hah!

Brunnstrom proves Star Qualities (and receives NHL Star of the Week honors)

Hyped all summer as the "Next Big Thing" Brunnstrom overcomes what many expected to be a wash and provides the NHL with enough ammunition to name him Third Star of the Week.

Just before his debut I was watching Brunnstrom warm up during the pregame from the first row on the glass.  I leaned over to my girlfriend and asked if she knew why I was excited about the kid.  The answer is simple, "in a couple years this kid will be a superstar" I explained to her; to which she shrugged with interest but not the gut feeling I had.  I don't know if you've had a chance to see this kid on the ice yet, NHL ice that is, but he really does have what it takes.

In the Traverse City rookie tournament (this thing really needs a contest name, is "Rookie Tournament" widely accepted as that?) he was described as "less than stellar" by himself and many critics agreed as he posted only four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in four games.  You read that right, with four points in four games he and the critics have described his performance there as sloppy and under whelming.  If only all our players were judged that way!

Not wanting to rush Brunnstrom before he was ready Tippet sat him for the first two games of the season.  When the Stars couldn't make the grade he was put into the line up.  That's the night I described above, a foretelling of the future for this player, directly before his first ever point, goal and subsequently hat trick as an NHL player.

Maybe the European ice did him good - IIHF & Olympic standards, which are used in Europe, define the ice as approximately 95 feet wide by 197 feet long; the NHL uses a rink size of 85 feet wide and 200 feet long.  While ten feet sounds small to us who don't play everyone I talk to describes the size difference as huge.  As I sit here considering the possibilities it makes sense: when driving on the highway you have to pay attention to as many as 6 lanes, watching cars weave in and out of their lanes, many without turn signals; now put yourself on a small 2 way road with one lane in each direction and consider how much easier it is to focus on the road with the fewer amount of lanes.  Of course, the argument could be turned around when consider the same amount of players are on the road - errr - ice.

So here he stands, in 3 games the rookie has tallied 4 goals in 10 shots with line-mates of Morrow, Richards, Avery, Peterson ... I won't suggest what NHL awards he'll get or which NHL superstar he'll be "the next", but does anyone else consider perhaps this is our next "go to" offensive offenseman?

Know who else thinks I may be on the right track?  James Mirtle, while discussing this years early candidates for the Calder Trophey suggest Fabian's debut, which included that slick little hat track was an eye-opener in what was supposed to be a given for Steven Stamkos.

Jason Arnott to miss Wednesday's game

For those of you who care to remember game #2 for the Stars you'll recall a certain fan favorite showing us what we're missing ... yes, I'm talking about Jason Arnott.

Allow me to first say the following two disclaimers:

1. I do not approve of the taking of pleasure in someone else's injury.
2. I do not approve of basking in a win over a competitor who is missing their top player(s)

That said, Jason Arnott will THANKFULLY not be on the ice Wednesday night due to a fracture in one of the fingers on his right hand [ Tennessean ].  I enjoy seeing Jason on the ice as much as the next guy (more likely girl, he always had a way with the ladies!) but he absolutely kept us in our place on Saturday night.

The Stars need this win: mentally for themselves and physically for their fans.  There is no two ways about it, we need to win.  I know it's only game 3 of 82 before the playoffs, but it's not healthy to be where we are right now - these are hard points to make up in the points racing leading up to the playoffs, and a losing skid is not a good way to start the season, especially not for a team being touted as Stanley Cup contenders [ Hockey News ].

Jason, you're welcome back later in the season, after we've gotten our feet under us again - and please, get better soon, just not by Wednesday!

At least we're not the Canucks!

AKA: YAY!  CENTER ICE!!

To start off, my girlfriend let me buy Center Ice.  This may not be profound to you young, single guys but to you married types I'm sure you understand.  So much thanks to the Best Girlfriend in the World^TM!  It does help that she loves hockey; Stars hockey!

On to the title I chose to use.  The stars are off to a rough season.  The more I think about it the more I feel like we've lost our chemistry (except Ribs).  I was talking to one of my coworkers the other day and I described it as this: "It looks like a bunch of skilled hockey players who were just put together for the first time ... All Star Game, slightly less skill."

I'm sure different people will argue it differently, and when it comes down to it, there are different thoughts on each player, but as an overall explanation, I think that's what it comes down to.

I did comment on one specific player - and it's not totally his fault.  We're only two games in so far but Mike Ribeiro has been billed as "the play maker".  Forgive me if I add "the Five Million Dollar play maker".  I'm all about giving players the chance to have a slump, the chance to be over-billed ... I'm not the kind of guy who normally holds on to things like this - but WHERE ARE You RIBS!

The Fanatics LOVE Ribs.  We chant for him, we cheer for him, we hold inappropriate signs for him.  But in the 2 games plus the pre-season I've seen NOTHING spectacular from him.  Not a single thing.

On the positive side, here's a player whose name you don't hear me chanting very often ... Trevor Daley.  After two games Daley has the most points on the team - with one goal per game.  DALEY!  TWO GOALS!  TWO GAMES!  That's not an average, ladies and gentlemen, that's a statistic!  Think he'll come anywhere near keeping it up?

As for the title of the post?  In jumping around Center Ice tonight I watched the final 10 minutes of the Capitals hosting the Canucks ... who had 10 shots on goal for the night.  Yes, 10 shots FOR THE NIGHT.  Come on Stars fans, we're off to a slow start, but when is the last time you said that about your team?

Allow me to make a prediction - this slow start sucks, but it won't last.  The boys are building confidence and chemistry ... while we, as fans, don't see why the chemistry and confidence were gone, it was.  Another week of practice, playing and Tippett's foot up their ass ... you'll see the Stars you thought you'd see on opening night.

Stars Fanatics Rally Scarf

Download Order Form Here

The time has come for the Stars Fanatics Rally Scarf ... Thanks to Mohawk Andy and the countless hours he and a handful of other fanatics spent creating the AWESOME design that is our new 2008/09 Rally Scarf it's finally time to order it! Presale is going on now, with current delivery scheduled before the New Years Eve game (just in time for that Dallas Winter!) - but order quick before pricing goes up!!

WHAT: Stars Fanatics Rally Scarf Presale
WHEN: Oct 1 - Oct 31
WHO: Any Stars Fan can buy them
HOW: Payment with cash or through PayPal - Download Order Form Here

SPONSOR A STAR How cool would it be to see one of these on the players? Ralph & Razor? Coaches? Maybe even Brett Hull? Help us get one of these on each of them and Sponsor A Star today! On the order form is a place to put how many scarves you are buying for the Stars.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS With these coming just in time for Christmas be sure to remember all your favorite Stars fans when purchasing your scarf - buy one for everyone on your list! And nothing says "I hate you" more than buying a Red Wings fan than buying them a "DALLAS 'TILL I DIE" Rally scarf! These will be here just in time for Christmas so be sure you remember them when buying too!

Download Order Form Here

ESPN choo-choo-chooses Barnaby

Ok - this isn't an official announcement, yet, but the rumor from Buffalo News is that in the next few days everyone's favorite (in recent times) instigator Matthew Barnaby (everyone loves Matthew Barnaby) will be announced as ESPN's replacement for Barry Melrose, who left ESPN to return to coaching for Tampa Bay.

This isn't the first news suggesting this WONDERFUL information, as back at the end of June Puck Daddy on Yahoo! had this bit of information on the subject including some links proving the leak.

While Wyshynski is right that ESPN could still screw this up, Barnaby has an excellent opportunity to help the NHL find it's way back to the biggest sports network in the US.  It's not that he'll be organizing the return, but his personality and lack of smug holier-than-thou attitude (can't stand Melrose, sorry) allow him the opportunity to really get people who have forgotten the NHL since the lockout thinking about the sport again.

While I don't personally care about those people, it's THEM that can demand ESPN return the NHL back to it's TV glory - them and HD camera systems!

Prospects Win; Zubie & Bouch ... again??

Allow me to start off with the best greeting possible: Happy Last Day of Summer before Hockey Begins!

Stars prospects squad just won the Prospects Tourney in Traverse City, Mi - major props to them.  James Neal came away with most points in the tourney (expect to see him a lot in Dallas) with 9 and Brunnstrom, although he started slow, really showed that he has potential to shine.

But what really made me post today was this bit of news posted by both Heika and Keeli over at the Star Telegram:

Sergei Zubov underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Also, Philippe Boucher is day-to-day with a sore foot.

-- Keeli Garza, Five For Fighting

I'm sorry, what?  Heika reports Zubbie could be out 6-8 weeks on the procedure.  Can anyone tell me exactly what is going on here?  I know, they're both old; I know, this is bound to happen; I know, we'll be fine.  This is not me paniking; this is me being pissed off they waited so long to get on the ice that they both just realized they have issues.

Puck Daddy on Stars, Class of 08-09

Yahoo's Puck Daddy has been doing a great spin on the yearly previews of the NHL, following the high-school "Superlatives" styles in looking at each team.  Today they released, by Sean Leahy, their preview of the Stars.  Not a bad writeup:

With stiff competition always getting better in the Western Conference, it might seems like the Stars will be in a dogfight for a playoff spot at times this year, but in the end, they'll qualify with ease and if healthy, can put together a deep run, similar to what we saw last spring.

Check it out ... and while you are at it check out some other season previews of our Stars:

Dallas has transformed itself from an aging team dependent on the same few veterans to one that has a new core of young stars in seamless fashion, much like their nemesis Detroit Red Wings. There’s room for individual growth, and that will translate into more team success. The Stars are very much among the elite in the West, and that means they are a contender for the Cup. - Yahoo Sports - Ross McKeon

For Dallas, the sky is the limit—and all the hard work begins now, in preseason workouts and training camp. - Bleacher Report - Ken Armer

It’s time to take a closer look into one of the NHL’s most popular markets. That habitual hotbed of hockey, the first team below the Mason Dixon line to take home a Stanley Cup. Home to big hair, toddler beauty pageants, steers, queers, high school football, and Dawson’s famous “I don’t want your life.” The jewel of the Lone Star state, Dallas Texas. - Melt Your Face Off - user MNHLE

The Stars will continue to have strong goaltending from Marty Turco, who finally took his team deep into the playoffs. Turco handles the puck better than any other goaltender and is effective as any of his defensemen on the blue line. - MVN Outsider - Karen Francis

There's even a video preview ... actually a well done inspirational video by conman1188 on YouTube.com.

Avery to help pick "Hockey Night in Canada" theme?

First, if you didn't know about it, Hockey Night in Canada lost it's rights to the theme that they have used for many, many years at the end of last season.  Earlier this summer they opened a contest to allow user submissions for the new theme [ CBC ].

Second, they have over 12,000 submissions [ AnthemChallenge.com ] to date, with the voting to begin October 4th.  Point worth noting, they actually have close to 15,000 entries, if you count the total number displayed in their Anthem Gallery.

Third, they have announced, so says the Detroit Free Press, some of the judges; well, at least three of them: Dan Cleary of the Wings, Jason Priestly of the original "Beverly Hills 90210", and Sean Avery ... yes, yes, I said Sean Avery.  I had no idea the Canadians loved him so much ...

Stars Announce TV Schedule

I've always wondered when reading these articles, doesn't the NHL announce the TV schedule?

Worth noting: FSN will have 62 regular season games; Versus will exclusively carry 4 games including Detroit, San Jose, Phoenix (why??) and Minnesota; NBC has option on one game agaist Nashville (again ... why?); and lastly WBAP will continue to be the home of Stars games on the radio.  The full schedule is available as a PDF document.

Also, this did effect some game times, so be wary of these game changes:

• Sunday October 18 vs Colorado: 1pm start
• Tuesday, December 2 @ Calgary: 8:30pm start
• Saturday, January 17 vs LA: 1pm start
• Saturday February 21 vs Chicago: 1pm start
• Wednesday March 18 @ Calgary: 8pm start

Note that the Saturday start time, for you locals, means breakfast with the Fanatics in our usual spot, 3 hours before the puck drops!

Dallas All Sports Association Awards

Yeah, I've never heard of it either, but the DASA is *ahem* a philanthropic organization founded in 1965 by Dallas businessman Field Scovell whose love of sports was only exceeded by his love of the Dallas community [ DASA ]*cough*.

Anyway, the reason they are important is they honored [ DMN ] two of our boys last night: Mike Modano with the Emmitt Smith End Zone Award and coach Dave Tippett with the Tom Landry Award.  Modano won his award for, I believe, being an all around great player over the years.  Tippett's award, a bit more timely, was the Dallas Area Coach of the Year.  Of course, I can't find the descriptions for these anywhere, so I could be wrong.

Before presenting the award of his name-sake, Smith commented on Modano and was rather humorous:

"As far as hockey goes, he's the best," Smith said.

But where does Modano rank alongside Cowboys legends like Smith and Troy Aikman?

"It's hard to compare apples and oranges," Smith said. "They both taste good."

There ya go boys ... congrats!

Stuuuuuu no more (and other coaching changes)

... at least not in game.

While I'm certainly not the first to report this, I wouldn't be living up to my new claim that I'm going to be a better news blog for the Stars if I didn't report it: Stu is officially retiring.

I know, we've all been expecting it (even though I can't imagine many of us wanted it).  The Stars moved on as if it were going to happen this summer (did you see the youngsters we signed this summer?); a vacancy in coaching suddenly appeared, conveniently; and Stu really never recovered from that season-ending concussion:

Barnes says he is clear of concussion symptoms that ended his season, but that he really hasn't pushed himself to get his heart rate where it needed to be for him to play again. He said he will probably push harder during the season just to see if the symptoms come back. [ Dallas Morning News ]

Everyone reporting on this has a slightly different angle as those "real" news people actually get a chance to talk to people not just read what's been announced on the internet, so in a poor attempt to keep you from having to read every article out there, here are some other things worth reading on the subject:

He and his family love it here (they all live here in season, and the kids just started school a few days ago), and he said his kids were thrilled when he told them of the coaching opportunity.  All in all, Barnes is very excited about his chance. [ Five for Fighting Blog ]

The modest Barnes never saw himself as a “player-coach,” but the effort he brought to every game and every practice spoke volumes to his teammates.
“I’m not sure if I ever had coaching qualities as a player. I just feel like you are who you are,” Barnes said. “I went out and played the best I could every night, and tried to learn all the time, in every situation. I was pretty fortunate to play as long as I did and learn from all the great people, and I look forward to passing some of that along in this new role.” [ Official Stars Release ]

 

Barnes played in 1,136 regular season games and had 261 goals — 50 of which were game winners. He was tied for 10th among active players with 11 game-winning goals in the playoffs. [ James Mirtle ]

Stu will be missed on the ice, but expect him to become more and more vocal in the years to come.  He's a fantastic player, always learning, and well respected by the rest of the team.  While he is expected to stay in the press box most of the time, I think we'll see him become more and more valuable as an assistant coach, once he learns how to not be on the ice!

And yes, I apologize for continuing the disservice to the following gentlemen by putting their news below a post title for Stu Barnes, but it does make sense.  Rick Wilson (Associate Coach) and Mark Lamb (Assistant Coach) have each been given extensions of 2 years, lengthening their contracts to the end of the 2010-2011 season.  They each have 6 years coaching with he Stars and are both well respected.  Congratulations gentlemen!  [ Official Stars Release ]

Minors details

In an attempt to actually keep our 13 readers up to date I'm going to start posting more of the details without sounding too much like all I do is copy Heika at the DMN, Myers at the Star Telegram and Stepneski at Andrew's Stars Page ... but it's going to happen from time to time, especially as I get into the habbit.

But the subject of this blog isn't really about that; that was just an admittance that I know I'm going to sound like a repeater for a little while.  The subject about this blog is about news of some of our minor leaguers ... news we knew would be coming soon.

With the dissolution of the Stars' minor league team in Iowa the major question is what would happen with our little minor leaguers?  Hull and Jackson narrowed down our pickings this past year by trading away some of the extras without totally destroying our talent pool, and that's something to be commended for sure, but now we wait to see where the boys will go.  We also wait, this time a few years, to see how this effects their chemistry ...

So, with more than enough introduction allow me to get to the point: 2 of our guys are off to Europe immediately.  At least that's what I'm hearing in the blogosphere.  The Stars don't have an official announcement on their site nor does the NHL, but Heika said it so it's got to be true, right?  :)

For an in depth look at the move check out Heika's blog, but in summation both boys are going back to their home countries: Lauri Tukonen will be playing in Finland's top league with Ilves Tampere and Tom Wandell will be playing in the Swedish Elite League with Timra.

I'll let you know as soon as I see more information on the other guys.

Avery to play for TIFF Festival Cup

Like him or not Avery brings LOTS of media attention to the Stars; so much so that Mark Stepneski over at Andrew's Stars Page has been tracking him this summer with a series he calls Searching for Sean Avery. Now maybe he is driven to this due to the lack of hockey (oh how we loathe the summer months), but it has led to some interesting tidbits.

I'll say this, I don't have the same google search pattern Mark does, but in my DALLAS+STARS search that I track the information listed in the subject came up from the Tornoto Sun:

The inaugural Festival Cup will see hockey stars such as the Ottawa Senators' Jason Spezza, Dallas Stars' Sean Avery, Joe Thornton from the San Jose Sharks, goaltender Curtis Joseph and fellow Maple Leafs player Matt Stajan among others playing in the event with proceeds going to the international humanitarian organization Right To Play, a group which uses sports as a means of promoting health, education and development in children around the world.

The Festival Cup is being put on by the Toronto International Film Festival (get it? festival?) and Right To Play on Sept. 5th at the Air Canada Centre. Mark Brender, deputy directory of Right To Play's Canadian office, is hoping to make this an annual fund raising event.

Interestingly enough I just read something about Celebrity Games over at Yahoo's Puck Daddy as part of their summer filler "5 ways" where they ask both fans and league members alike to come up with new ways to improve the league. What a fantastic idea ... and really, who wouldn't want to watch Tim Robbins take a slapshot at Martin Brodeur?

NOTE: I just realized that Wyshynski actually linked from the post that included celebrity games to the TIFF link I'm talking about ... guess I should more carefully read my blogs, eh?