Deep in the Heart of Texas

I love Texas.  Well, I should say I love Dallas.  I’ve not been to other parts of Texas to be able to say the same about the rest of the state.  I’ve been here a handful of times and each time, I am always amazed by so many things.

First and foremost, in case you’ve never been to Big D, it’s a very urban, cosmopolitan city.  So many people I speak with in Ohio, think Dallas is full of men wearing Stetsons and Cowboy boots, driving pickup trucks.  Well there are an awful lot of pickup trucks, but probably an equal amount of SUVs and BMWs.  The only people I saw wearing cowboy hats or boots were pretty much tourists.  I think you have to go further out into Texas to get taste of that cowboy lifestyle.

It’s a very wealthy city too.  That’s one thing that always intimidates me slightly.  It’s not exactly like I grew up in the hood or that Cincinnati is some hick town in the sticks.  I just think people in the Midwest are probably a bit more conservative in their spending habits.  Plus let’s face it, Ohio has one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation, along with Michigan and Indiana; while the Texas economy is booming.  Another thing that helps is that the cost of living is not as expensive here as other places I’ve been to such as Chicago, LA or Toronto.

There’s a lot of money here in Big D but there is also a lot of really nice, wonderful, hospitable people.  With all of this money, status and power swirling in the air, you might be inclined to think that the people here would be snobby or rude.  You would be dead wrong with that assumption.  The people here have all been so warm and friendly.  There is still a sense of southern hospitality that you don’t see in the North.  When you walk past a stranger and smile, he smiles back.  Men hold the door open for you and help you with your luggage instead of just glaring at you to move quicker through the security checkpoint.

My friends here were laughing because every time we were outside I would comment on how bright it is.  Maybe it’s because Texas is closer to the equator or that Cincinnati is stuck in a hazy river valley, but seriously the sun is stronger here.  I am half tempted to put my sunglasses on here in the airport, it’s so bright.  I think all of this sunshine helps keep people happy here.  Now I don’t mind winter so much but one thing that is horrible about winters in Cincinnati is that its usually so gray and cloudy.  Even in the summer, I think Cincinnati has a lot of hazy, cloudy days.  The sunshine is awesome.  There’s just something about it that lifts your spirits and raises your energy.

Another misconception I’ve heard some of my Ohio friends say is that Texans eat only Tex Mex or Mexican food.  I’m sure you can get some great Tex Mex food here but there are so many other great restaurants with amazing food.  I always eat BBQ when I am here.  This time I went to Riscky’s in Fort Worth.  For $5.99, I had an amazing chopped beef brisket sandwich and potato salad.  I also had the best ever Chocolate S’mores Cake at Hully & Mo Tap Room with Myra and her husband Dave.  The server heard it was my birthday and put a little candle in it for me, <– southern hospitality.  We sat right below an autographed Troy Aikman jersey that said “To Brett and Mike – don’t drink all of the profits.”  The restaurant is owned by former Dallas Stars players Brett Hull and Mike Modano.  Troy must be aware of how much those two boys enjoy an adult beverage or ten.   My entrée, chicken parmesan was good too.  Everything was very fresh, home made and piping hot!  They make a stiff drink there too.  The hotel I stayed in, the Hilton Anatole, even has a five star restaurant, Nana, that serves a variety of fish and steak entrees and an amazing tomato fennel soup.  I’m going to have to try to recreate that one.

There is so much to do and see here and I am sad to say I didn’t have time to do all that I wanted.  But I did do the important things, seeing two Dallas Stars games and attending a Stars practice.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about the Stars organization.  You know, professional athletes and sports teams can get a bad rap and a lot of them deserve it.  But I think hands down, no other pro league caters as much to its fans than the NHL.  How many other leagues have open practices.  Any person can just show up to the Dr. Pepper Center in Frisco, and watch the Stars practice.  You can take photos.  The players come out after to sign autographs and have their pictures taken with the fans.  The Stars interact with the fans too.  They thank them for coming out, ask the little kids questions and smile back at you.  I know Brad Richards tends to be a quiet guy, he doesn’t like being in the spot light.  But he came out and signed and talked to every person there.  His face lit up when a little girl took a picture of him with her younger sister.  It’s obvious how much he loves interacting with the kids.  It’s really heartwarming to see that.  Maybe other sports do this but I’ve never heard of the Cincinnati Reds or Bengals having open practices.  I know the NHL itself takes a beating from its fans, but I really think it does really try to make the game and the players as fan-accessible as possible.

Anyway, all I can say is that if you ever have the chance to go to Dallas, definitely do it because you’ll have a fun time.  And to all of my friends in Big D and in Austin (I need to make it down to Austin at least once), I love you all so much.  If you’re ever in Cincinnati, let me know and I’ll certainly return the hospitality.  I haven’t even left yet but I miss you Dallas already.

A real Texas Longhorn

Cross #1 Off My List

Today, on October 29, 2010, I was finally able to cross the #1 item off of my Bucket List.  You know, that list of 100 things you want to do before you die.  Well today I crossed off item #1 – I met Joe Nieuwendyk, current GM of the Dallas Stars, future and should’ve been this year Hall of Famer, amazing all around player and now I can say the NICEST person EVER.  Seven hours later and I’m still shaking.

I’ve been a huge fan of Joe’s since about forever.  I remember way back when we first got ESPN on cable in the 80’s.  24 hour a day sports coverage?  Are you serious?  What could you possibly show at Midnight?  Well if you’re a fledgling sports network, you can show hockey games in Edmonton, Vancouver and yes, Calgary.  I used to sneak downstairs and watch the games.  I loved hockey even back then.  1980 had that affect on a few of us.  Everyone back then was all about Edmonton because of Gretzky of course.  Well there was this other player that I used to see play for Calgary.  He was tall and lanky and young.  But you could tell back then that there was something special about Joe Nieuwendyk.  It wasn’t just that he had an amazing wrist shot and always seemed to find a way to score a goal just when the Flames needed it, he made the players around him play better.  He did the little things that separate the good NHL players from the 20-year NHL Veterans who have three Stanley Cup rings, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year and an Olympic Gold Medal.  The scary thing, he was originally recruited by Cornell University to be a lacrosse player.  The hockey coach saw him and there are many of us who are very thankful to that coach.

When Joe was traded to Dallas back in 1995, I was so excited because now one of my favorite players to watch was on my favorite team.  Watching what he did in Dallas just made me love the guy even more.  With a one-two punch of the Modano line followed by the Nieuwendyk line, the Stars were one of the league’s most dominant teams from 1997 to 2001.

I’ve been following Joe since his rookie year in Calgary, back in 1988.  And today, on my birthday of all days, I finally had the chance to meet him and speak with him.  So I am not only writing this down so that you can all share in my joy but also so that when I am like 90 and senile I have documentation of this moment and I can have my nurse read it to me and look at the photo of Joe and me.

I am currently in Dallas to see the Stars play.  Well last night they lost, 5 – 2 to the LA Kings.  I HATE the Kings.  They sure have the Stars’ number.  But it was a total blast to be here in Dallas, rooting for the Stars with so many other Stars fans.  Usually I’m in Columbus getting pelted by Blue Jackets fans for rooting for the Stars and calling Spacek and Dorsett candyasses and other nasty names.

Today, the Stars had a practice at their facility in Frisco.  Which just in case I forget this, I thought I was about in Oklahoma I had to drive so far.  And it was worth every mile of it!  So I was at practice with my Texas friends, @TXStarsgirl and @Lafs2Loud, AKA D’Ann and Myra.  A few of my fellow Stars tweeps had told me that Joe frequently is out and about (say that the Canadian way, eh) during practice.  So, between watching the players do their drills and stretch, and stretch some more, I kept an eye out for Joe.  There are windows overlooking the practice rink so that people in the offices upstairs can see practice.  Through one of the windows, I saw the back of a man wearing a blue shirt and I thought it was Joe.  The fact that I can recognize Joe by the back of his head or by seeing only his skate does NOT make me a stalker.  It’s called RESEARCH people and I was always an excellent researcher in school.  Seriously, I was.

We walked outside for a bit to see if Brad, one of the Managing Editors at Defending Big D was there and I think also so D’Ann and Myra could warm up.  Why do people in TX keep saying it’s cold when it feels great to me?  Anyway because Myra is awesome, I got to meet Mike Heika, the Stars beat reporter for the Dallas Morning News; Mark Stepneski, who runs the very popular Andrew’s Stars page and is now with ESPN.com Dallas; and Ralph Strangis, the play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Stars, one of the absolute best in the league.  Now this is another cool part of today because I tweeted yesterday to Ralph that I was at the game and came in from Cincinnati just to see the Stars play for my birthday.  And he responded back on Twitter which was really cool until today, when he remembered me.  When Myra introduced us, he said my twitter name.  That was the ultimate moment of the day until I met Joe.  Sorry Ralph, you’re still a very close second.   I wish I’d gotten a picture with Ralph but I hate to make them feel obligated and I’m sure they get bothered with that all of the time.  But I got to talk to Ralph and also listen to three hockey and Stars experts talk about the Stars.  That was amazing. But still no Joe.

We went back in and watched some more drills.  Then as practice started to wind down, and still no Joe, Myra suggested that we check out the Stars Store and then go wait to see the players as they leave.  I bought two Stars shirts and was excited.  I met Ralph and Mike and Mark – very cool.  I got to see the Stars practice – very cool.  As we were walking out of the store, in walked … you know who, the guy in the blue shirt.  And I was so right, it was Joe Nieuwendyk.  I can recognize him by the back of his head.  He looks good in that shade of blue.

I was stunned.  I was speechless – which is quite a feat for me and not something that happens frequently.  Actually I can’t remember the last time I was speechless.  Here he was right in front of me and I couldn’t open my mouth to ask him to sign the my Stars jersey with his name and number on it.  Thankfully and seriously Thank God Myra took some time off work because she was able to speak to Joe.  He was so gracious and kind and I could barely talk at first.   Myra told him it was my birthday and I came in from Cincinnati to see the Stars play.  Then she asked if he would sign my jersey.  Meanwhile, I’m just standing there in awe, all I could think was that Joe was bigger in person than I expected.  I knew he was tall but he seemed broader, arms bigger, larger than life itself.

I was expecting him to just sign the jersey and continue on his way.  I think he was going to lunch.  Then he asked me my name.  I am sure I looked even more stupid because I had to stop and think about that one.  Finally, I was able to say Kris with a K.  And he signed my jersey.  And we had our picture taken, he put his arm around me.  I put my arm around him but I was afraid to touch him.  Finally I was able to find my voice when we started talking about hockey.  He asked me why I was a Stars fan.  We talked about college hockey, Cornell and Miami.  He said he played a game once in Cincinnati when he was with Calgary – yes I was there.  We probably chatted for about 15 minutes or so.  He wished me a happy birthday and then he left.

Seriously just typing this, I’m still shaking.  I was blushing the whole time – damn pale complexion.  You know when you meet someone important, you wonder maybe you’ve just built them up in your mind and they don’t live up to your expectations.  I’ve always said if Joe is really a horrible guy, please don’t ever let me see that.  And even though everyone I’ve ever spoken to who has met Joe has always said he’s so nice, there was that worry in my mind.  What would I ever do if my image of Joe Nieuwendyk was shattered?  Well now that I have met him, all I can say is he’s like a million times better in person than anything I ever imagined.

Here he is, probably on his way to grab some lunch, when we stop him.  A lot of players would’ve just signed, taken the photo and been on their way.  And I totally would’ve been happy with that.  But the fact that he talked to me and asked me questions was so unbelievably, mind-blowingly amazing.  He really is the most amazing person ever.  I wish I could be more like him.  When you meet him in person and see how down to earth and humble and personable he is, you really begin to understand why so many people love the guy.

I’m kind of mad at myself.  There were so many things I wanted to say to him, like what an inspiration he is to me – especially with everything he went through in the summer of 98; how I think he’s doing an awesome job as the Stars GM; why I think the HHoF committee should be shot for not inducting him this year; etc… And I wind up talking college hockey with him.  I think he liked that though.  I don’t think a lot of people talk to him about college hockey and Cornell.

As I sit here in my hotel room, looking at my signed jersey, I am still just freaking out, giddy with excitement and am overwhelmed with how awesome Joe Nieuwendyk is.  So to Joe Nieuwendyk, Ralph Strangis, Mike Heika, Mark Stepneski, the Dallas Stars and especially D’Ann and Myra – thank you so much for making this birthday my best birthday ever.

Now I’m going to go put my jersey on and do the happy dance in my hotel room one last time before the jersey gets framed.

Happy birthday to me!

UPDATE — I remembered something else Joe said that struck me as funny.  He said hopefully the weather will warm up soon.  All I could think was he’s been living in Dallas too long if he thinks this is cold.  I thought the weather here was great!  But it was sweet he wanted the weather to be better for my vacation.

A Chocolate Fountain Would Be Nice

So for hockey fans, the summer can be a long, boring, exercise in frustration, counting down the hot, humid days until training camp opens.  Oh sure, there’s the draft and UFA signing day and maybe even a few contracts that try to circumvent the CBA.  But you have to guess that even NHL officials get a little stir crazy, waiting for the players to hit the ice.

For example I have this image of  Gary “The Ladies Man” Bettman, your favorite NHL official, sitting on his porch over looking Cayuga Lake, sipping some Courvoisier, listening to Kenny G, the sun setting over the lake, pondering how he can attract more female fans to the NHL.  We have a great game but with Sarah Palin and her league of lipstick wearing, hockey moms ripe for the picking, I have got to capitalize on this.

Yes my fellow, female hockey fans, Gary Bettman and his illustrious associates in the NHL are reaching to us women to make hockey fun for us.  So what has The Ladies Man done to improve our NHL game experience?

Added more stalls in the ladies rooms at NHL arenas? – NO
Allowed players to be interviewed in the locker room in towels like before? – NO DAMMIT
Installed chocolate fountains at all NHL concession stands? – Yum but NO

The NHL has designed a line of hockey jerseys for YOU the lady fans.  And to be honest, I wouldn’t shred it and use it as cat litter.  Photo courtesy of Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy.

Seriously, I don’t know where the NHL gets their merchandise and I sure as hell don’t know what kind of woman sits in a focus group and says, “Oh I like that one. You betcha!”  But I have yet to find a hockey lovin’ woman who has anything nice to say about these monstrosities.

I don’t need a bedazzler or satin trim or special colors on my jersey.  Call me old fashioned, but I like my jerseys the old fashioned way, boxy, large enough to wear as a nightshirt, in my team’s colors with my favorite player’s name on my back.  (Excuse my poor photography.)

Now I have a line in my last will and testament stating that I will be buried in my Stars jersey, but if I had to wear one of these bedazzled jerseys, I’d probably die of embarrassment or be killed by one of my sister hockey fans.  Women have been buying and wearing sports jerseys for years without dog collars around the neck.  Just because I have ovaries and breast, I don’t need any special jeweled, logo merchandise.  I don’t even ask you for more restrooms Mr. Bettman.  What I ask from the NHL is that they treat me like the knowledgeable hockey fan that I am.

You have a great game Gary.  Quit screwing with it.  I don’t need bedazzled jerseys to buy more merchandise.  I don’t even need players in towels to watch more games.  What I need is improved TV coverage of your games.  What I need is more consistency with the wheel of fortune on discipline.  What I need is for Tom Hicks to sell the Stars so Joe Nieuwendyk can be a real GM.  What I need is for my Stars to make the playoffs.

So you can put the bedazzler down.  Drink some more Courvoisier and come up with some kind of acid washed jersey for our male fans or ball caps with built-in mullets.  I’ll keep rockin’ my Stars jersey old school style.

But a chocolate fountain would be nice.

Totally Tubular Hockeytown!

I am unabashedly a child of the Eighties.  I love the Eighties.  Many of my favorite movies – John Hughes – like totally Eighties.  A lot of my favorite bands – also Eighties for sure.  You know what else I miss about the Eighties – the Dead Things.  Oh yes my younger friends, there was a time, a bleak time in Hockeytown, when Detroit was burning and the Red Wings were going down faster than a hooker at a political convention.  About the only good thing hockey related to come out of Michigan in the Eighties is Mike Modano, the native of Westlake, MI.

Now two decades later, the fans in Hockeytown will get to see the hometown boy play for the home team.  So you would think there would be a lot of celebration and hoopla over this reunion but if you follow Modano on Twitter today or read any hockey blogs and/or message boards – you will find a whole lotta hate – from Wings fans and Stars fans.

Stars fans are pissed off at Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk for not re-signing Modano, among other reasons.  Some are also pissed that he didn’t retire.  While others are pissed that he signed with Detroit instead of Minnesota.  And a few even thought he should’ve stayed in Minny in 1993, when the team relocated to Dallas.

Wings fans are pissed off because Mike took his good, ole sweet time to come to this decision.  They are also pissed because it apparently stopped Detroit from signing two other players.  And finally, they are pissed because Mike back pedaled on his “it’s Detroit or retirement” statement when he entertained offers from MN and SJ.

I’ve been watching Modano play since 1989, when I was a freshman in college and young Mike played his rookie year for the Minnesota North Stars.  I mocked his brief appearance in “The Mighty Ducks,” while secretly watching that movie for years to come on TV just to see his cameo.  I also hate Detroit.  I despise the Red Wings.  I’d like to cut off Detroit and ship it over to Canada, except I like Canada too much to do that to them.  I hate the Joe Louis Arena.  I hate their stinky, smelly, dead octopi on the ice.  I hate Scotty Bowman and the left-wing lock.  I hate their annoying, obnoxious fans who I question if they were as loyal in the Dead Wing days.  Mostly I hate them because for a while in the mid 90s through well now, they have been a pretty dominant team.

And now one of my favorite players, someone who was absolutely inspiring to watch on the ice in the 90’s, is a Red Wing.  He’s gone over to the dark side.  He’s one of them – you know, players who sell out and go to Detroit on the down side of their careers for one last shot at glory.

I should be mad.  I should be furious.  I should feel the angst like all of those angry folks in cyber space.  But really, I am mostly relieved that Mike has made his decision.  This whole will he play, will he retire spectacle has been taxing this season – especially the last two games of the season – which ironically were in my humble opinion, Mike’s best two games of the season.  But it’s a question Mike has been contemplating I think for quite some time.  Back when he signed his last deal with the Stars, I am not sure anyone thought he would play out the contract let alone come back for another year.  But he did and now Stars fans are left with great memories and years to debate this decision by Nieuwy.

Well here are my two cents on this topic.  First, I don’t think Mike has been happy with the Stars for a few years.  There was the whole getting striped of the captaincy, the botched contract negotiations with Doug Armstrong, getting tossed early in the playoffs and finally not even making the playoffs for two straight years.  Mike has always been a player who preferred to play in the big game.  He had trouble getting motivated for games where it didn’t seem like anything was on the line.

Stars fans, if you’re honest, you’ve seen games where you question where Mike’s head was because it sure as heck wasn’t at on the ice.  As I said earlier, I think Mike had two good games this year – the last two – which were so emotional because of the fans send off in Dallas followed by the reception and send off he got in Minnesota.  Other than that, there were a lot of games last year I had to look at the stat sheet to make sure Mike played.

Finally, I don’t think Mike was happy with his role on the Stars, third or fourth liner and on the second PP unit.  It has to be difficult for a guy who was The Guy to see his role assumed by guys 15 – 20 years younger than he.  It’s one thing to be a fourth liner on a competitive team but on a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in two years, is playing with a payroll that just barely makes the league minimum and has ownership issues – that’s not the best position for someone who likes to play in the big games.

I think Mike is going to love Detroit.  I think he’s going to be happy on a team where he knows from training camp, that he could win the Cup.  Detroit is also an older team, 12 players on their roster currently are or will be at least 30 years old this season, including Lidsrom who’s 40 and Draper who is 39.  It’s more fun to be around a bunch of guys your age than a bunch of guys who grew up watching you play.  Plus he’s going to be playing in front of his family and friends in a building where he grew up idolizing hockey players such as Gordie Howe.  When he’s on the ice in May and not on a golf course, I think he will have a new found appreciation for Joe forcing his hand.

Nieuwendyk could’ve taken the easy route and signed Mike to a deal similar to what Jere Lehtonen received last year.  And Mike could’ve followed him down Easy Street and signed that deal.  But would either the Stars or Mike have benefited from that path?  I don’t think so and I think Joe had the guts to do what Brett Hull and Les Jackson NEVER would have done – put his friendship with Mike on the back burner to do what he believes is the best decision for the Dallas Stars and give our younger players a chance to show what they can do.  I think Joe too knew Mike well enough to see his dissatisfaction with his role on the Stars.  Joe made the hard choice that not even Mike could make until his hand was forced.

Say you do re-sign Mike, who do you take ice time away from?  Jamie Benn, the phenom rookie who looked very solid in the center position?  Brad Richards?  Mike Ribeiro?  Tom Wandell?  Steve Ott?  Modano doesn’t play well on the wing, so that wasn’t an option.  The Stars had a glut at center.  They couldn’t trade Ribeiro for the solid defenseman they need so Modano became even more expendable.

But he’s the FACE man, the face of or-gan-I-za-tion.  Yes he is and always will be without a doubt.  But in a cap environment, with an owner in a world of financial hurt, with a team that is undergoing a huge transition, you can’t make hockey decisions with your heart.  Joe Nieuwendyk has a big heart – you can ask anyone who’s ever played with him, they will tell you that.  But he’s also smart and he had to make this decision, just like with Marty Turco, his friend and former teammate, with his head because that is how you win championships.  So if you want to be angry at anyone, go flame on Tom Hicks because he’s the one who got the team into this financial Titanic.

So I wish you well Mike Modano.  I hope you find your passion for hockey again in Detroit.  I hope you enjoy this time on the ice.  I hope you play well – when you’re not playing against Dallas.  And just like Joe Nieuwendyk, you will always be a STAR to me and we will always have ‘99.

A Chelsea Dagger to the Net

After wallowing in obscurity for too many years, the Chicago Blackhawks turned the tide and won the Stanley Cup.  Their last Cup win, 1961, when my Mom was still in high school, ten years before I was born.  So how does this Original Six franchise, storied deep in tradition, celebrate this amazing achievement?  Well I suppose many Hawks fans wished that Stan Bowman went to Disney World.  Instead, Stan, son of the accomplished coach Scotty Bowman, held an estate sale.  He had to dismantle this team that could’ve achieved the accomplishments of other storied teams, like the Edmonton Oilers in the 80’s and the Montreal Canadiens in the 70’s and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the … OK well you get the picture.

In order to keep their stellar players like Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the Hawks have had to get rid of players such as Brent Stopel, Dustin Byfuglien and Adam Burish.  After contract negotiations with netminder Antii Niemi came to a stop, Niemi filed for arbitration.  This process awarded the young Niemi a contract of $2.75M.  As is their right, the Chicago Blackhawks opted to let the goalie become a free agent.  Instead the Hawks signed former Dallas Star goalie, Marty Turco for $1.3M for one year.  The 35-year-old goaltender had struggled in recent years with Dallas and Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk made the choice to go with the younger Kari Lehtonen.

The Hawks are hoping that their solid defensive corp, lead by Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson will give Turco more support than he received in Dallas with Stephane Robidas, Nick Grossman, Matt Niskanen and Trevor Dailey.  I am sure Turco is hoping for more support too.

The Hawks are also banking on a new trend in the NHL that stellar goaltending is NOT necessary to win the Stanley Cup.  In year’s past, a goaltender would make or break the series.  Brodeur, Roy, Giguerre, Belfour, Hasek – these were the names held in highest esteem.  Mike Leighton and Antii Niemi – yeah not so much.  In this era of run and gun hockey – if you can score and can score last – you will win.  The trap, the left wing lock, playing the system, are all passe just like your Dad’s 8-tracks.

The Stars are placing their hopes on a often-injured, potentially brilliant, netminder who has called himself the “hamburglar,” due to his unabashed love of McDonald’s.  The Stars are hoping that with proper conditioning, training and support from the team, Lehtonen will blossom into the goalie that he was projected to be and showed moments of being with the Atlanta Thrashers.  Lehtonen is hoping a fresh start and improved attitude will prove his doubters wrong.

So who wins here?

I think both players will benefit from a change of scenery.  Niemi has the opportunity to get a long-term deal with his choice of at least 5 different teams.  Unlike the other goalies on the free agent market, Niemi has a Cup win under his belt which in my opinion still makes a goaltender better than the rest of the pack.  Turco has the chance to prove that his “decline” in Dallas had more to do with the Stars overall abysmal defense than any decline in his athleticism or the damn trapezoid rule.

The front office winner is a different story.  We have two GM’s in two very different positions.  One needs to cut budget to get under the cap.  The other is playing pretty much to the floor minimum.  One is the son of the beloved, Stanley Cup winning coach, Scotty Bowman.  The other is three years removed from being an exceptional player on the ice.  Yet both are taking risks in net that will define their careers – good or bad.

Only time will tell which GM made the best choice.  Obviously, I hope it’s the Stars GM.  With that said, I do wish Turco success in Chicago, well except when he plays against Dallas and as much as I can wish any former Wolverine success.  I hope he improves his game in the Joe where he’s historically not played well.  But that’s the sentimental part of me.  The hockey fan wants to see Kari Lehtonen really turn it on this year and show people that he’s capable of excellence and finally put that Hamburglar moniker to rest.   I hope I come to feel sentimental 10 years from now when Dallas is moving on without Lehtonen for a younger goalie.

As for the Hawks fans, I feel your pain.  Winning back-to-back Cups is hard, it’s very hard, which is why it doesn’t happen often.  To watch your team get dismantled so soon after winning has to be even harder than defending a Cup.  But that’s hockey in the cap environment.  Speaking of difficult, the Stars are going to win in 2011! Go Stars Go!

Pull It Quickly So It Doesn’t Hurt As Badly

Today is the day that the Dallas Stars said good bye to Mike Modano.  We had plenty of indications that this day could be coming sooner than a lot of us would like.  And it sucks and it hurts.  But like a band-aid, ripping it off quickly is the best way to do it.  Since Mike hadn’t made a decision in the past two months on if he was retiring or not, Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk ripped off the band-aid.  Ouch!

I am not going to wax poetic about Modano’s achievements.  Quite honestly, just watch him in videos of his games on YouTube.  His talent speaks more eloquently than words could ever capture.  Simply put, he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game – regardless of nationality.

But the past few years, he’s been a shadow of his former self – like so many players who continue to play in their late 30’s/early 40’s.  Mark Recchi just signed a new deal in Boston at the age of 42.  But the Stars are not the Boston Bruins.  The Stars have many serious problems other than a soft, young defense.  The Stars have a glut at the center position.  It was that same problem that sent Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner to the New Jersey Devils for Jason Arnott and, uh, yeah, Randy MacKay.  Remember him?   The Stars also haven’t made the playoffs two straight years in a row.  Finally, the Stars have a payroll that is about $10M under the cap, competing in a conference that has the Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, who are dumping players to get UNDER the cap.

So do you have the money and minutes to keep Mike Modano?  Would he be happy playing on the fourth line?  Are you hurting the development of Jamie Benn and Tom Wandel by limiting their minutes to put Modano on the PP?  These are the questions that Joe Nieuwendyk had to answer.

The truth is he wasn’t happy this year playing on the fourth line.  By moving on to another team, Mike might be able to get more minutes.   It will be hard to see him in another jersey, but maybe he goes on like Ray Bourque and wins another Cup – just please don’t let it be with the Redwings.  From what we saw from Benn and Wandel, you can’t justify giving Modano more minutes than they get.  Wandel is probably our strongest defensive forward next to Jere Lehtinen.  Perhaps if the Stars had been able to move Ribeiro during the draft, we don’t have this conversation.

But today, Joe Nieuwendyk ripped off the band-aid.  He’s been called just about everything under the sun.  He even admitted he knew it would hurt the fans but he was hired to make the difficult choices, the choices that will make the Dallas Stars a competitive team again.  I wonder if the Co-GM’s Brett Hull and Les Jackson would’ve been able to make this choice.  I doubt Hully would have.  Would Jackson have stood up to Hull on this?  That’s a question which we will never know the answer.

Mike Modano has played his last game as a Dallas Star.  He now has the big question to answer on if he has played his last hockey game.  I imagine he’ll see what offers come his way on July 1.  Have no doubt, the offers will come but will they be attractive to Mike?

So I wish you well Mike Modano where ever life may take you.  Just please, seriously, don’t let it take you to the Red Wings.

Anne of Green Stars?

According to a report in The Charlottetown Guardian, the Dallas Stars might hold part of their 2010 training camp in Charlottetown, PEI.  For the past few years, the Stars have held their training camp in the Dallas area; however, they used to hold their camp in Colorado.

Now I know a lot of Stars fans are very upset by this news and rightfully so.  Training camp provides the chance for fans to see the team and prospects in a very intimate setting.  The players are fairly accessible and training camp photos are plentiful as are autographs.  Plus, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation in training camp for both players and fans as the team prepares for a brand new season.  It’s disappointing to lose out on this opportunity.

However, I am a fan of moving training camp out of town.  On the road, players simply don’t have the distractions that they do at home.  They don’t have family or friends taking their time.  They can focus completely on hockey.  This is why in some playoff series’, a team will “sequester” the players in a hotel even for home games.  Everyone takes their personal lives to work – hockey players are no different.  If you’re having problems with your wife or your kids are sick, it affects your performance on the ice.

By removing the distractions, the team can devote their time and energy to preparing for the upcoming season.  For a team that is learning a new way to play and looked very lost and confused on the ice last year, the more they can learn and adjust in training camp – the better they will be on the ice.

But this isn’t the only change the Stars will experience.  The 2010-11 team will be a different team than in years past.  The Marty Turco era has come to an end as will more than likely the Tom Hicks era.  Will this also be the end of the Mike Modano and/or Jere Lehtinen eras?

This is a team in transition, leading scorers are now GMs and third and fourth liners or possible owners.  Rookies are being moved to new positions and excelling.  A team that was known for its solid defense is sorely lacking a true number one defenseman and is woefully soft and young.  Moving your camp out of town won’t free up enough cap space for a Drew Doughty or Duncan Keith, but it could improve the chemistry.

By taking everyone out of their comfort zones, well except for PEI natives Brad Richards and Steve Ott, the team will be forced to depend on each other more.  This can only help to build a sense of camaraderie that was not a factor last year.  Hockey is a war, an 82 game war that if you win, you get to move on to an even harder war for the Stanley Cup.  If you want to win the Stanley Cup, you have to be able to depend on your teammates.  You have to trust your teammates.  You have to be willing to sacrifice your body for the ultimate prize.  It’s not the hardest trophy in all of sports for nothing.  Teams that win Stanley Cups have remarkable chemistry – just as the Stars did in 1999.  That chemistry was visible in 2007, when that team reunited for the All Star Game in Dallas.  As they posed for photos, it was clear this was as group of men who genuinely loved each other.

So pack your bags, update your passports and bring on Avonlea and all of the potatoes PEI has to offer.  The Dallas Stars could be coming to town and we’re hungry for another drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup.