Dallas Stars Podcast

And The Page Turns - thoughts from the Cheap Seats

2009-06-13T07:53:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-10T11:36:00.001-06:00

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

2008-10-23T10:09:00.001-06:00

... 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

2008-10-21T11:04:00.001-06:00

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)

2008-10-20T12:32:00.001-06:00

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

2008-10-14T16:02:00.001-06:00

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:

I do not approve of the taking of pleasure in someone else's injury.
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!

2008-10-13T19:54:00.001-06:00

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

2008-10-07T16:37:00.001-06:00

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

2008-09-19T13:44:00.001-06:00

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??

2008-09-18T16:33:00.001-06:00

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

2008-09-10T11:37:00.001-06:00

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?

2008-09-04T08:51:00.001-06:00

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

2008-09-03T09:21:00.001-06:00

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

2008-09-03T09:14:00.001-06:00

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)

2008-08-28T10:44:00.001-06:00

... 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

2008-08-22T08:32:00.001-06:00

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

2008-08-21T16:30:00.002-06:00

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?

Mid-summer System Reboot ...

2008-08-21T16:02:00.001-06:00

*AHEM* Does anyone still read this thing? Not sure why you would, but thanks if you do! Scott and I are going to be getting together in the coming month to begin planning for, what we hope to be, our best (and most complete) season yet.

Logistics will be more difficult as I now live more than 60 miles from where we have been recording over the past 2 years, but I have faith we'll come up with a solution you can be proud to listen to!

But really, as we get into our 3rd (4th overall) season of covering the Dallas Stars, and the NHL as a whole, I ask you, our dear dozen or so readers, what do you want from us?

Is consistency enough? Do you want specific interviews? Do you want us to cover more/less of the NHL? More/Less game details? More AHL news? A new host? One of us gone (too bad)? Do you have ideas that you could contribute regularly yourself? Would you like to be part of our news blogging team?

Tell us what would make the Dallas Stars Podcast something worth visiting more; what would get you to tell your friends about us; and we'll do our damn best to get it done!

Yours in Hockey

Jay 'The Wall' Leask

News in the Stars' Camp

2008-06-10T12:50:00.001-06:00

Hey, did you know the season is over? Of course you do, you don't use us for your weekly news breaks, you use us for random bits of knowledge and opinions. In continuing with that tradition, here's a bit of news from the Stars' camp:

Matias Norstrom officially Retires

"The last game against Detroit was my final one," Norstrom said, adding he now intends to focus on his family and get an ordinary job.

Norstrom told a Swedish news paper that he is officially out of the NHL, and out of professional hockey if the rumors of him saying it's Dallas or no where.

Stars sign Toby Peterson

Said Co-General Manager Les Jackson, “Toby is a consummate professional on and off the ice, and he played a key role for us during our playoff run this spring. We look forward to his continued contributions to our club.”

In a two year, one way contract worth $1.1 million dollars the Stars have shown that this boy has what it takes. Don't forget he played more post-season games then regular season: 16 vs 8. More importantly than his limited performance in Dallas is his time in Iowa this year: MVP of Iowa for 07/08 with 21 goals and 30 assists in 63 games.

Stars sign Dan Jancevski

Two years, two ways. Dan will spend much of his time in ~~Iowa~~ wherever Dallas has it's minor leaguers, but his 575,000 to 1.05 million dollar contact will give him plenty of money (and time) to develop into what the Stars see in him. As a reminder, Dan came back to Dallas in a trade for that red-headed step child Junior Lessard to Tampa; completely separate from the trade that lost us Smitty, Halpie and Jussi ... Dan has a terrific opportunity here - expect him to turn it on this year.

2008 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule Announced

2008-05-20T09:39:00.002-06:00

Not sure if you follow James Mirtle's blog (very good read, and it's hockey from around the world, not just the NHL), but if you don't you should check it out. Either way James Mirtle reports the finals schedule as follows.

Game 1: Saturday, May 24 - Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 2: Monday, May 26 - Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 3: Wednesday, May 28 - Detroit at Pittsburgh
Game 4: Saturday, May 31 - Detroit at Pittsburgh
Game 5: Monday, June 2 - Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 6: Wednesday, June 4 - Detroit at Pittsburgh
Game 7: Saturday, June 7 - Pittsburgh at Detroit

Should be an interesting series, though I'm not sure Pittsburgh can handle the Red Wings monster. Here's to a wonderful season of Hockey in the NHL!

2007 & 2008 at a glance

2008-05-20T09:29:00.002-06:00

Before I actually get to the schedule, allow me to reflect a bit, in no great detail, about this years Dallas Stars:

Marty Turco continued to prove that he is a clutch goalie and that he has it in the playoffs. While he had a rough bout against the Wings, he not only pulled the team 3 rounds deep, he finally got his first win at the Joe ... ever ... in the playoffs.
The freshmen are AMAZING. Who would have expected a group SO chock full of rookies to make it as far as they did. Barch, Erikson, Grossman, Fistric, Niskanen, Peterson, Stephan ... I know we saw more guys, but these guys really impressed me this season. I can't wait to see what happens with our backup goalie situation next year - and how about Grossman with his first career NHL goal being in the Playoffs ... no ... in the Western Conference Finals??? Nuts I tell ya, nuts!
Oh captain, my Captain. When the "C" was abruptly and rudely taken from Mike Modano many people questioned the move, and also the choice of Brendan Morrow as the replacement. If there are ANY doubters left, allow us to reflect, without me digging up the stats, how well Morrow did this series. First and foremost, if we had made the finals, he would have, in this bloggers opinion, won the Conn Smyth this year. Second, was there a player with more heart, more drive, and better to model the rest of your team after this series? How about his injuries? (yeah, we'll get to that in a moment). I admit, when I first saw Morrow I questioned him as Captain. I knew there had to be a reason, but I wasn't sold. I will never question him again after this year.
Shoulder surgery, sports hernia, torn shoulder, bum leg, concussion. And this is just the list of players who PLAYED WITH THESE INJURIES this playoffs; for the Stars. We knew about Boucher, Zubov, Barnes & Fistric, but how about Morrow & Norstrom? That's right, for the entire Playoffs Norstrom did everything he could to ignore a sports hernia; and it was, in my opinion, the most alive he has been as a Dallas Star. As for our Captain, he was "basically laying on one leg" since the final game against the Sharks, not forget the partial tare in his shoulder.
Mike Smith was an amazing backup goalie; Jussie Jokinen a clutch on the breakaway/Shootout; Jeff Halpern a quiet leader; and we saw all of them leave this year. It was a sad day for everyone, not a single fan I know was happy to see all 3 of these players leave, and I'm certain the team had a rough time of it too. However, Brad Richards and 3 years of contract came to Dallas. This will be HUGE in the coming years as we see some of our vets retire. It was huge in the playoffs as he was tied for second in points and led the lines of not only Mike Modano but also the rookies at different times. B-Rich will be a major player next year, the year after, and going forward.
Brett Hull and Les Jackson were placed into the first ever co-GM experiment in the history of the NHL. They relieved an unspoken pressure between the players and their concern for job security; they relieved a similar unspoken pressure of Dave Tippet and his team of coaches, who just hadn't proven themselves in the playoffs (don't believe me? Look at San Jose's head coach; oh that's right, they don't have one anymore). They placed a few minor pickups in Iowa; and they tailored the deal that got us Brad Richards without giving up our entire future (can anyone say Marion Hossa to Pittsburgh?). Rumor has it that Tom Hicks is actually trying to convince the two to stick around together another year; wow.
Fabian Brunnstrom; this years hottest free agent; a supposed #5 overall draft pick, without the draft pick and without the ramp up time in Iowa. Need I say more about next year?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boy and Girls, it's time to look at 2008/2009. Hold your heads up high because the Dallas Stars were a team to be proud of in 2007/2008 and will be a team to reckon with next year.

GO STARS!
--j

Why yes - yes we do have ourselves a series

2008-05-18T18:48:00.002-06:00

What a beautiful goal from Trev. Back to front, with the nice pass from Richards and the emphatic finish from the young defenseman. WOW!

And then Marty, son. Well done! Way to be the guy we've grown to know as a true playoff-winning net-minder. The fact that you're starting to get into the Red Wings heads is phenomenal. (If you haven't read their comments about needing to keep the puck away from him, do so. Forcing Detroit to make adjustments to you is a beautiful thing.)

And Joel. Good on ya'! Way to take command of the situation, no fear, no hesitation and a bloodthirsty finish. That has to make Osgood question whether he can make the stops he needs to make when a young gun like that can gut him like a fish.

But really, it goes to the team as a whole. What a complete game - in some ways, a more complete game than we've seen them play much of this year, if at all. From minute 1 to minute 60, they were hustling, fighting, scrapping. Blocking pucks, checking, hitting. Doing all the little things that allow the Stars' talent to shine.

What a wonderful feeling.

[deep breath]

And now back to reality.

And the reality is this - we're still in a 3-2 hole. And if Detroit was not really worried about this series, they are now. You don't win in front of their fans without getting their attention. I would imagine that if they could, they would be saying, "That's it Biggs, we're going in, and we're going in full throttle. That ought to keep those fighters off our backs."

Knowing that they have the talent to run at the Stars, even in our own barn, should give them the confidence to just let fly.

Knowing that the Stars can't let that happen - and that the way we've kept them back on their heels has been scoring first - means that the Stars will probably try to come out with both barrels blazing again, too.

And that means that it could all be decided in the first period on Monday. Two heavyweights going for the knockout blow - 20 minutes to define the series. What a collision that would be.

On the other hand, one of the teams - or both - could try to play controlled hockey (or don't have enough left in the tank to go full speed ahead) and that could alter the dynamics.

Either way, it will be high drama on Monday.

My hope is this - that the Stars don't think about Game Seven. We got here by playing one shift at a time, one period at a time, one game at a time. I expect - one way or the other - that we will get the best Detroit has at this time, and that is going to be pretty darn good. Dallas is pretty darn good, too, but to win, we have to maintain that hunger, that belief and that aggression.

Go get 'em, boys.

Do we have a series?

2008-05-16T18:51:00.002-06:00

So the Stars showed that they could play with Detroit.

And it felt really good to watch the boys take it to Detroit and have their effort pay off. Beating Detroit is never a bad feeling, especially in the playoffs - even if it was just excising some demons and showing some spine.

Seeing the Stars go after it and have success with that style filled me with conflicting emotions. Was that just showing pride for one game - "not on our ice" - kind of thing? What if they had thrown that kind of effort out earlier? Was it just Detroit not having the killer instinct enough to finish it in four?

But here is what we know - it was a win. It gave the boys some confidence. Question is - how far can they take it?

Can they get into Detroit's head by winning Game Five? Make no mistake, if the Stars win in Detroit Saturday, the question will arise - barring it being some fluke goal whereas Detroit was clearly the better team, of course. But if the Stars win in any solid fashion, we'll have ourselves a series for the first time.

Of course, win Game Six, and we're making them sweat, and setting up the mother of all sporting events - an NHL Game Seven. Of course, a lot will depend on what happens on the way to that Game Seven, but I just can't see Detroit completely falling apart and I would think a Dallas-Detroit Game Seven would be a monster.

But the reality is this - winning Game Five in and of itself is a major challenge, no matter how much confidence the Stars might take from Game Four.

So let's watch as the boys try to batten down the hatches and go full speed ahead. Now more than ever, it is every shift, every pass, every face-off, every hit.

Go get 'em, guys. Make 'em earn everything.

___________________________________________________________________

Side note - For what its worth, I'm sure there are classy Detroit fans. I really do. In any large fanbase, you have a bell curve - going from saints to simpletons. And Detroit has reason to have a huge fan-base outside Michigan - their team's tradition of success is most impressive.

But seeing the numerous octopus throws in Game Four was insulting and offensive - especially the idiot who tried it from the second level, BEHIND the screens. Surely you weren't dumb enough to think you could make it OVER the screen, were you? Especially considering it only made it to the fifth row in the lower bowl..... I would have loved to see the person who that hit have a few minutes with the jerk who threw it.

Folks, if you want to throw the octopus on your own ice, go right ahead. That's your thing and all. Great. But don't show off to everyone how much of a classless punk you are in our barn.

Well, that sucked

2008-05-08T21:08:00.002-06:00

Not much else to say after that one, huh?

At least it wasn't a Marty meltdown - I think we can safely say that if the team in front of Marty starts playing like they did in the previous series, he'll be just fine.

But we can't take penalties like that and we can't play scared like we did. The kids need to remember that when they play like men, they can play with anyone.

Tip has had the answer for steering this ship so far - I guess we find out if he, Morrow and Marty can get this train back on track.

What was so frustrating was seeing the way we played in spells - the same kind of incredible play that won us two series. We can play with these guys.

But for looooong stretches, we played like we were the ones who had never played well at The Joe.

Game Two isn't a must win, but it sure wouldn't hurt.

On the other hand, we can't have Game One all over again. We have to make them earn it.

Stars get #5 Overall Draft Pick - without the draft?

2008-05-08T14:42:00.002-06:00

It looks like the Stars have signed Fabian Brunnstrom to start with us next year. Speculated at a $2mil entry-level contract Fabian comes with plenty of press, as many as 15 NHL teams were making offer sheets, and only a month ago he was rumored to have signed with Vancouver, a deal that fell apart because of the firing of management.

Fabian, another Swede (the balance has shifted, yes?), is a forward, a winger, and a play-maker. Last year in the Swedish Elite leagues Fabian had 39 points in 57 games. His speed has been compared to Daniel Alfredson, his play-making abilities to what was expected of Louis Erikson, and his grit to that of Brendan Morrow. He has also been said, had he gone through the NHL Entry Draft, to be a #5 overall pick. To a team with who's #1 pick is non-existent, and who wouldn't be better than 26 in this year draft, that's a damn good pick up.

The question is how will he fit in? With contracts for Hagman and Norstrom coming to a close, and the hefty pickup of Brad Richards this year, it looks like it's time to start thinking about that salary cap, which is expected to go up $4mil+ this next season. Will the two headed Jack-Hull beast bring back Hagman, a depth player who had a breakout year? Is Norstrom going to play in the NHL next year? Will Mittens & Daley become part of a trade package next year to further clean up what inconstancies still lie in the Dallas lineup? All questions that our interim GM's have to answer in the coming months - heck, will the 2-headed interim GM experiment continue into next year ... and lets not forget the small matter of the Western Conference Championship & Stanley Cup Finals (we can only hope)!

What do you think? Assuming it's a 3 year US$2mil/yr contract, was Fabian a good pickup? Should we keep Hagman? Norstrom? Holmqvist (the rental goalie backup that was packaged with Richards)?