Dallas hockey fans experience ‘Stars treatment’

By David Mullen

When compared to the three other area major professional sports teams, Dallas Stars fans are spoiled. 

They have experienced a success rate that no other local team can claim. Call it “The Stars treatment.”

Since Dallas’ initial 1993-94 season, after 26 campaigns as the Minnesota North Stars, the Stars have only had three seasons below .500. The Stars have a regular season winning percentage of .500 or better in 28 of 31 seasons with 19 playoff appearances.

Stars home games are sold out. Only nine teams draw more fans and that is because they have bigger arenas. Dallas is a model franchise. GM Jim Nill was named the NHL’s Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award winner for the second consecutive year. More fans can watch the Stars broadcasts this year on the free streaming service Victory+. The Stars regular season opened October 10 in Nashville.

But with all of the team’s success, the reality is that the Stars have not won the Stanley Cup in the 21st century. It was in 1999 when Brett Hull scored an overtime winner in Game 6 in Buffalo and the Stars hoisted their first, and only, Cup. 

The 2023-24 Dallas Stars compiled the second-best regular season record in their history, reached the Western Conference Finals and had a 2-1 series lead against the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton Oilers before losing three straight games. The 113 regular season points were only eclipsed by the 114-point total amassed by the 1998-99 Stanley Cup Champion team.

In the last two seasons, under head coach Peter DeBoer, Dallas has reached the conference finals, only to lose to the Vegas Golden Knights and the Oilers. This year, the team is poised to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 25 years. They are that good.

Goalie Jake Oettinger is the key to a successful season. When healthy, he takes the Stars to the highest level and gives them a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Casey DeSmith has been brought in to replace Scott Wedgewood as back-up netminder. 

Balanced scoring is a Dallas and DeBoer trademark. The Stars had eight players last season with 20 goals or more, led by young stars Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston. Robertson is the recognized leader for now, but Stars fans have embraced Johnston. The Stars will miss the 27 goals from now retired Joe Pavelski, but there are plenty of shots to be shared. This team has three excellent front lines.           

Defense needed to be addressed in the offseason. Last year, the Stars had too few defenders that had earned the team’s confidence and, basically, relied on five defenseman for six positions in the playoffs. Dallas added a starting defender in Matt Dumba this offseason. 

Dallas’ toughest competitors in the Western Conference this year will be the Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars did not have an answer for Leon Draisaitl last season, and no team has an answer for Connor McDavid. The Oilers outskated the Stars, who will look to slow down Edmonton with better defensive pressure. The Avs are always a thorn in the Stars’ side. Last season, they had a lot of injuries preventing them from reaching the top level. They return to full strength this season.

The Nashville Predators are a serious contender, adding Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos to a line with Tommy Novak. The once mediocre Vancouver Canucks are emerging as a solid playoff pick, along with Vegas, the Los Angeles Kings and the Winnipeg Jets. 

In the Eastern Conference, the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers are well coached and have a slew of top performers that play well together. The New York Rangers, with the NHL’s top record last season after besting the Stars by one point, lost to Florida in the Eastern Conference Finals. They made very few roster moves in the offseason and will try again with a similar roster.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are bound to win another Stanley Cup at some point. Toronto has 13 championships; they just haven’t won one since 1967. The Boston Bruins remain a tough team to handicap in the Eastern Conference. They play great in the regular season and find an early exit in the playoffs. The Carolina Hurricanes lacked speed last season, so the added winger Jack Roslovic.

No sport plays with a shroud of secrecy regarding player status like the NHL. Dallas’ super scorer Robertson missed the preseason with a foot procedure. We won’t know if he begins the season fully healthy, let alone dance again. The Stars have two consecutive games in early November against the Stanley Cup Champion Panthers in Tampere, Finland. Overseas travel messes with players’ routines. And the team will look for locker room leadership now that Pavelski retired.

This Dallas Stars team has the look of a champion and is ready to bring home the Stanley Cup for the first time in 25 years. Then, fans can return the “Stars treatment” with a parade in downtown Dallas.