Dallas Stars Off-Season Series Part 5 : Lindy Ruff

              

By Sara Townley

Part 5 – Lindy Ruff

photo courtesy of nhl.com 

               

               Are the rumors of Ray “The Wizard” Whitney’s possible retirement true?  Which guys will be tested in trade waters?  Will Rich Peverley return?  How will last year’s rookies improve over the summer now that the first year is under their belts? – All questions that will soon be answered and could change the lineups we've come to love.  But before we leave this season in the past and place all of our focus onto the next, there’s one last thing I believe is worth mentioning.  Although there are plenty of other elements and people important to the Stars and their success this season, none made a better impression than Lindy Ruff.

                

               

photo by Sara Townley

               To say it simply, he’s a mastermind.  Witnessing him coaching the Stars for the first time in September at the Fort Worth Convention Center during pre-season practice was impressive to say the least. Sure, he made me laugh while running their drills when the only phrase you could hear him repeat was “Let’s Go Boys!” in between whistles – I can’t explain why I thought it was so funny, because every coach of every team runs drills similar to these and has to talk his team through them somehow.  It just had a certain charm to it and seemed almost iconic.  That phrase became a household saying on Stars game nights and a cheer my dad would use when the guys would prepare to take the first faceoff.  I soon realized that coach Ruff’s personality was perfect for these Stars and if you couldn’t tell by the guys’ interactions with him, you definitely noticed it in the way they played.

               

               Lindy obviously knows this game like the back of his hand and has the ability to read each player. He pushes them to achieve what he knows they are capable of, even if they do not know it themselves. He’s also gutsy and that’s something we haven’t seen around here in a while.  Line manipulation is a strength of his, along with his intelligence when it comes to choosing who to surround himself with, given that the rest of the coaching staff seemed to excel with him around.  If there is nothing else that impresses you about Lindy Ruff, as a Stars fan, let it be his decision making in the area of leadership.  Ruff assigned the Captain name to Jamie Benn at the start of the season, and I believe that set the tone for every single player.  Top notch choice and Lindy knew it.  He knew exactly how well it would work out for the Stars, just like he knew what Dallas needed in order to shine.

                

               It’s more than just experience as a player and coach that makes Lindy so great.  It’s a combination of passion, personality, drive, and real faith in his players that makes him spectacular.  He found his stride here in his Dallas and is now the father of the Stars family.  Although there are many others who deserve recognition for all of the hard work they've put in for this time, including Tom Gaglardi and Jim Nill, there’s no denying the impact Lindy Ruff had this year.

                

photo by Sara Townley

               With the NHL draft being just a couple short weeks away and the July 1^st free agency date looming near, the off-season is about to begin heating up – a sign the start of next season is approaching. Looking ahead, I see this Stars team picking up where they left off; at the start of something great with even more success to come.  I expect the atmosphere in the AAC to thrive, which could lead to creating an incredible home-ice advantage, one that every team dreams of, but none deserve more than these Dallas Stars. (Props to Jeff K. and Michael Gruber for rockin’ the house every home game – the fans love you and you make this atmosphere possible!)  With other integral elements ready to go for next season such as the Stars broadcast team in Razor & Ralph being signed long term, The Ticket coverage with Bruce LeVine and Josh Bogorad set to continue on, and fans thirsting for more excellent hockey from the guys like we've had a pleasure of watching all season long, it seems as though the stage is already set for next season.

This year “a new star was rising” and now it’s here to stay.   Victory Green looks good on you, boys, and we’ll continue to wear it with pride.

See y'all in October! 

Sara Townley covers the Dallas Stars for the Texas Sports Review Follow her on Twitter @TexSR_StarsTalk

Like us on FaceBook : www.facebook.com/TexasSportsReview

Dallas Stars Off-Season Series Part 4 : Goaltender Talk

By Sara Townley

Part 4 – Goaltender Talk

               

         

photo by Sara Townley

“Keep calm and Kari on,” “Leht-none-in,” and “The Big Finn” are just a few of the most common cheers for our starting goaltender that I've heard this season. There is no doubt that Kari has some serious backing here in Dallas, but there are plenty of doubters out there as well. The big question yet to be answered - is Kari THE guy?

                

          Chicago has Corey Crawford, Montreal has Carey Price, the Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist, and the one that impresses me most – Boston has Tuukka Rask. Those are just a handful of big name goaltenders in the league with skills and the save percentages to match the hype; all have proven themselves during both the season and post season, each has unwavering confidence , and all are faces of their franchises. When considering how much these goaltenders mean to their teams and the league itself, is Kari the same caliber for the boys in Victory Green?

                

          I thoroughly enjoy watching Tuukka Rask, partially for the temper tantrums he throws when he’s occasionally scored upon, but I enjoy watching him mostly for how smooth he is and how calm he remains under pressure. He never takes his eye off of the puck and that amount of focus is mesmerizing. He doesn't dare turn his back when resetting the puck behind the net until he’s certain a Bruin has it taken care of and the way he goes about controlling the puck in situations like that is unlike any other goalie in the league. He has his own style of angry and aggressive play that’s working for him. What I feel we need is a guy with qualities like this and more importantly, consistency, to net-mind for the Stars. If it isn't Kari, who is it? Someone yet to be discovered or perhaps someone we've seen before that, after some practice at the AHL level, is finally ready to man the big pipes?

          The Texas Stars have a few of goaltenders they have relied on for success this year (Nilstorp, Campbell, and Robinson), but their success at that level hasn't translated to the NHL and/or hasn't been game tested in the NHL yet. It’s tough to say what fate has in store for these goaltenders currently, but making it this far into the Calder Cup playoffs definitely isn't hurting their chances at a Dallas roster spot next season. Plus, the extra attention from Mike Valley during this playoff run is surely a step in the right direction. 

                

           I fully expect Tim Thomas to hang up the Dallas Stars uniform, although I feel like the trade for Thomas with Dan Ellis was an incredibly smart move by the Stars staff.  They absolutely don’t need me to tell them that; I guarantee you they already know. I’m not confident the Stars would've made it as far as they did if Ellis had stayed as the backup, so in my mind the trade was exactly the right move at the right time.

photo by Sara Townley

  

Looking back over the season, Kari, without a doubt, had numerous games where he was dominant and in absolute control. He had his hand in helping the Stars make it to the playoffs and had a fair amount of success in that series. He also gained Olympic experience this year and even brought home a bronze medal for his country’s effort in Sochi, which may be another reason why he has some pretty good support as a Star. What I believe it comes down to is how he truly feels and how lucky the Stars staff is at searching for goaltenders, both a starter and a backup, which may prove to be even more difficult than the search for an answer to the defensive issues.

          If Kari really wants to be here next year in Dallas, desires the training necessary to become a goaltender on par with those listed above, he just may prove to be THE guy the Stars need. 

                

         

          

Look for the wrap-up to this series next week!

Sara Townley covers the Dallas Stars for the Texas Sports Review Follow her on Twitter @TexSR_StarsTalk

Like us on FaceBook : www.facebook.com/TexasSportsReview

"Storybook" : Stars Shootout Win Over Boston 11/5/13

               We could sit here and talk about contracts, free agents, salary caps, trade rumors, etc, but don’t you get enough of that already? I mean, who wants to listen to someone (me) go on and on about something they really know nothing about? Well, at least not more than the other hundreds of articles out there about it. It’s all just a whole lot of “if/then” scenarios that get old after a while. Instead, I’d like to take a little walk down memory lane.  In these upcoming recaps, we will re-live some of my personal favorite moments of the past season. That sounds fun right?!?  So here we go, in chronological order.

 Let the good times roll : 1. Dallas Shootout win over Boston 11/5/13

BOSTON, MA - Jamie Benn #14 of the Dallas Stars celebrates his goal in the first period with his teammates against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on November 5, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

               Let me paint the scene for you: Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley get traded out of Boston. Two players who had helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Tyler leaves on a not-so-warm sendoff with stories of partying, irresponsibility-you’ve heard the rumors. It’s both guys first game against their old team. In Boston. In TD Garden. In front of ~18,000 of some of the most “colorful” fans in the league (see Bottle Throwing 101). Exciting isn't it?

               There’s just something about playing against your former team no matter on what terms you left. You can be professional about it and say all the right “PC” things, but it matters. It gets in your head. You want to prove them wrong. You want them to feel the pain of what they lost. And that’s exactly what Pevs and Segs did.

               But, they didn't do it alone. An early goal by Jamie Benn put the Stars up on the board first. They wouldn't score again until late in the third period. With less than 3 min left, Vern Fiddler scored the game-tying penalty shot goal that propelled the Stars into overtime. Although both teams showed moments of dominate puck possession, neither could produce that game winning goal, and after the 5 min OT it was time to settle it in a shootout.

               For those of you who don’t know, or for those that need a refresher, shootout rules are basically as follows. Each team initially selects three players to participate with the home team deciding which team shoots first. All three players from each team will be able to shoot unless the outcome is decided before the last player. After those six players, if the result is still a tie, the shootout will proceed to a sudden death format.

               Patrice Bergeron was elected to go first from the Bruins and he puts it in the net. Jamie Benn was up next for the Stars but his shot was blocked. Next up for the Bruins was Jarome Iginla but he couldn't get his shot by Kari Lehtonen. Cue Tyler Seguin. The fans had shown Tyler just what they thought of him all night by booing him every time he touched the puck. The shootout was no different. In a post-game interview Tyler said he was just trying to do something different against his former net minder teammate and it paid off. Tyler scored to keep the Stars hopes alive much to the dismay of the home crowd. 

Enter one of my favorite scenes of this season. After his shootout goal, Tyler proceeds to skate back to his bench for the ritual fist bumps. In doing so he has to pass his former bench. Tyler says he didn't do this on purpose, but as he skated by his former teammates it appeared to the TV audience that he was fake or “air” fist bumping all the Bruins players. On purpose or not, to me it sent a message. The proverbial middle finger, if you will (seriously, Google it).

               In a matter of seconds Tyler quieted the Boston faithful and exacted a little unspoken revenge. But it wasn’t over yet. There were still two shooters left. Lehtonen saves a wrist shot from former Star Loui Eriksson and Tuukka Rask answers with his own save on a shot from Alex Chiasson.

It was time for Sudden Death. The Bruins put their trust in David Krejci but he couldn't get it past Kari. Cue Rich Peverley. The stage is now set for Revenge Part Deux. A goal by Peverley here would win the game. It would allow Dallas to deliver Boston its first home loss to the Stars since January 2006. It would also help fuel the argument of “who won the trade.” A quick shot by Peverley ends it. #ThankYouBoston

Peverley and Seguin get their revenge, the Stars win against one of the best teams in the league, and fans get a glimpse into the potential of what the team could be and would go on to be. It was glorious. I couldn't have written a better ending myself.  

                To quote Razor’s in-game commentary, “Storybook!”

Kacy contributed this story for the Texas Sports Review

Follow her at @thatgirlKacy12

Follow Stars Talk @TexSR_StarsTalk