'Right now there's Dallas and everybody else'
Growing up in Minnesota, I lived and died (mostly died) with my beloved North Stars (hence my screen name). For years, they were the Cincinnati Bengals of the NHL, inept but cute. Then, the evil Norm Green moved the team to Dallas (I still have the North Stars' last game on tape.). Ironically, I moved to Texas a few short years later. It is still difficult to root for a team based in Dallas, but the Stars are still my beloved North Stars minus the ineptitude.
In 1999, the Stars finally sipped from Lord Stanley's cup (Try explaining THAT to the fans in Buffalo.). This year, it's looking as if they could have a legitimate shot at reclaiming the Stanley Cup.
Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire measures his words very carefully in all situations, so his recent evaluation of the Dallas Stars was downright effusive with praise.
"That's a good team, a very good team. And they played well, real well," Lemaire said after Dallas took a 5-0 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday. "Their top two lines are as good as any in the league and their other two lines can hurt you, too."
When asked if it was the best performance against his team this season, Lemaire answered: "Oh, yeah."
Patrick Roy said the Stars were Colorado's toughest opponent this season. San Jose coach Darryl Sutter matter-of-factly said: "Right now there's Dallas and everybody else."
It appears the transformation the Stars were looking for in the offseason has taken place. By changing coaches and goalies and adding several key free agents, Dallas is a new team.
As an added bonus, this year the Stars are actually playing an offensive style that is exciting to watch. For years under Ken Hitchcock, they played a dull-as-dishwater defensive style of hockey that may have won games but made for some terribly uninspiring hockey. No more neutral zone traps, no more choking the life out of the other team at the expense of their own offense. The Stars are fun to watch, they're explosive, and they're solid defensively.
No, these definitely are NOT my old North Stars....
