Bob Sturm

Posted Apr 12, 2009, 7:32 PM CST

First things first. If last time I wrote about our favorite hockey team it appeared to be an homage to Mike Ribeiro, than allow some equal time to the other strong candidate for the Dallas Stars MVP of 2008-09, our lovable hero: Steve Ott.

Ott has been awesome this season, taking a gigantic step forward for this team, and if the Stars already didn’t have a near-perfect captain, then I would campaign for #29 to eventually wear the “C”. But, since the captain is ready to return the next time this team is ready to play a game, I guess we will all have to live with Ott being a fabulous 2nd in command.

Anyway, If Ott ever was captain, it might make him more boring. You know, more responsibility leads one to “lead by example” so he might feel compelled to “tone it down”. And if there is one thing we don’t want Ott to do – it is to change his game and tone it down. It is too much fun to see Ott being Ott.

If this gem doesn’t crack you up, I will stop trying:

Just brilliant. And the giggling of Ralph and Razor almost was as good as Ott. Love it.

OK. Now that the season is done, how about a little housecleaning, eh?

-- Unless I am missing something, and barring a lottery surprise, the Dallas Stars will pick #8 in the draft in June. So, let’s all become NHL Draft experts.

-- I am trying to decide what to do with the blog in the playoffs. One idea is to reprint my game reviews from last year’s playoff games on the corresponding day. If we do it, I better get started, as Game 2 against Anaheim was one year ago today. Let me know if this idea is the least bit intriguing to you.

-- One of the big stories in the NHL right now (not anywhere near as big as the playoffs, mind you) is the pursuit of Jonas Gustavsson, a Swedish goalie talent. And, you know that the Stars need a goalie talent. And, you know that last year, the Stars signed a Swede in the spring time. So, does 1 + 1 = 2? Not if Toronto can help it. But here is some reading for you on that front:

From the Toronto Star:

It's Fabian Brunnstrom all over again.

Well, not quite. But the pursuit of Farjestad goalie Jonas Gustavsson is causing quite the stir in NHL circles, with a host of clubs attracted by the 6-foot-3 goaltender's terrific play both this season and in the Swedish elite league playoffs.

Dallas, looking for a successor to Marty Turco, is right there, with Swedish scout Johan Garpenlov and goaltending coach Andy Moog having been in contract. The Stars won the Brunnstrom lottery last summer, so clearly the Les Jackson/Brett Hull duo has some expertise when it comes to luring Swedish free agents.

The pitch from the Stars will be that Turco, 34, has one more year left on his contract, and that Gustavsson will have a chance to be the club's No. 2 goalie next season and a shot at being the starter the following year.

The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are in this game as well, and possibly with a better pitch.

See, with the club having all but given up on Justin Pogge, they can offer the 24-year-old Gustavsson a shot at competing with Vesa Toskala next season. In theory, he could be the Leafs' starter if Toskala doesn't bounce back after hip surgery. Leaf goalie coach Corey Hirsch played in Sweden and has scouted Gustavsson extensively.

Jonas Gustavsson

And from the Boston Globe today…

The two hottest non-NHL free agents in the market last spring/summer were wingers Fabian Brunnstrom, who was nabbed by the Stars, and Blake Wheeler, Boston's resident rookie 20-goal scorer.

Brunnstrom finished a lackluster 17-12 -29 after potting a hat trick in his debut. However, with the Stars now postseason DNQs (first time since '02), Brunnstrom was at his best at season's end (five-game point streak, 4-2 -6).

As for this spring's hottest non-NHL free agent, expect a lot of talk about Swedish goalie Jonas Gustavsson, believed to be high on the shopping list of both the Maple Leafs and Stars, among others.

A Tuukka Rask-like 6 feet 3 inches, 180 pounds, Gustavsson blocked Farjestad to the SEL championship this season with a league-leading 1.96 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

Ex-Bruins netminder Andy Moog, now the Stars goalie consultant, has made the trip to Sweden to see the 24-year-old stopper. Ditto for Leafs goalie coach Corey Hirsch, who is a lasting part of Swedish folklore, if somewhat by unfortunate circumstance.

Hirsch was in the Canadian net when Peter Forsberg potted his gold-medal-winning goal in the '94 Olympic Games at Lillehammer, and both Hirsch and Foppa were immortalized on a Swedish postage stamp commemorating the shootout.

How many letters from Stockholm do you suppose were mailed to Hirsch's house? Answer: the same number that were stamped "return to sender." The US missed its chance in 1980 when it won the gold at Lake Placid. Imagine that stunned look on CCCP coach Viktor Tikhonov's face preserved for the ages on a first-class stamp?

Gustavsson reportedly is excited to continue his career over here next season, but is said to be looking for real playing time off the hop (similar to Brunnstrom's '08 demands).

If that's the case, he could have a better shot of getting that in Toronto, where Vesa Toskala struggled this season, than in Dallas, where Marty Turco had only five wins by Thanksgiving but again cracked the 30-win plateau before fizzling out in his last seven outings (1-6-0).

And, thanks to our good friends at YouTube, here is a Gustavsson highlight film or two:

 

Let’s get him.

OK. A mailbag will follow in the next few days…

Time for me to run. I am not positive that I will make a habit out of this, but for reasons I cannot quite understand, two of you felt compelled to send me some season ending poetry. (I cannot make this stuff up).

Since Poem Girl is in fact a Girl, let’s let her poem go first:

The end of the season is finally here,
And I really thought this would be our year!
In '08 they made it to the conference finals of the West,
This year I just knew that we would be the best.
But we got off to a terrible start...
A nasty germ got into our player's hearts.
Signing Sean Avery was a huge mistake,
Thank goodness we got rid of him before it was too late.
After he left our boys picked up the pace...
They really got themselves back in the race.
But one after one our players got hurt,
From injuries, the team could not divert!
Morrow and Zubov and Ott for a while,
And that was only the beginning of all our trials!
Richards was out and finally came back,
And in that same game, his other wrist he did crack!
Although many of our great players were sidelined,
We saw some new hope in some players who shined!
Louis Ericksson showed us his great skill,
And Ribeiro's play can sometimes give you chills!
Fabian Brunnstrom has a lot of appeal,
And how about the scores we got from James Neal!
Marty has got some reflecting to do,
On why this season, so many pucks got through!
Hopefully Modano won't hang up his skates,
He needs to end on a season that is really great!
So until the fall, my keyboard will be mute,
No playoff poems this year from my view!
I'll be rooting for my player in the East,
Go New Jersey Devils and Number 15!
Until next year when they drop the first puck,
And the Stars will again set their sights on the Stanley Cup!

GO STARS!!!!

Here is Garnell’s effort:

No Stars To Shine

My mood is dark just like the sky
Where Stars no longer shine
Dashed high hopes of CUP dreams
It was not “Our Team Our Time”

A fluke we thought it was
When we stumbled at the start
But we knew we should be worried
When the injury took our Heart

So we cheered without our Cap’n
We went on with new resolve
Then we lost our Lehts ‘n Zubie
The Season started to dissolve

We struggled with the long climb
But then we had no Ott
It seemed we couldn’t get there
So much harder than we’d thought

At last we seemed in Sync
And us fans began to party
We’d seen this guy so many times
It was our old last-season Marty.

The 2nd half of play had just begun
And oh the fun we had
But then the curse began again
And came and took our Brad

91 returned – but briefly
While Otter’s strength had grown
And still we played, Barch missing teeth
Down to skin, and Ribs, and bone

Then we lost our Warrior Robie
As we slid our downhill slide
We couldn’t seem to make it
Just on blood, and sweat and pride

So at our Final Home Game
With no more hope to go
All eyes were on our #9
Was this the last of Mo?

For our team there’s no more hockey
Guess we’ll have to get new toys
Just to get us through the summer
While we miss our Hockey Boys

And then we’ll start to feel it
That burning in our hearts
And you’ll hear us hum the goal song
As our hockey season starts

And so we go with our hearts heavy
Seeking this pain to relieve
Until we reach October
When we whisper “We Believe”

garnell

Like I said, there is a good chance that is the first and last edition of Puck Poetry, but perhaps you enjoyed that. Or not. Talk again soon.

Email Bob at Sturm1310@aol.com

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Posted Apr 10, 2009, 9:54 AM CST

The man is an absolute genius. But you already knew that. When we vote Most Valuable Player for the Dallas Stars this season I will readily admit that A) it is likely silly to debate who the MVP is on a team that is going to miss the playoffs and B) beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But, how far down the MVP list must one go before he sees the magic of #63? The man is a genius on skates. No doubt, when he tries his moves of great skill, the second it doesn't work he is ridiculed by his coaches as being a hot-dog. I understand their views, because we see it all the time, someone is trying to make Sportscenter harder than they are trying to help the team.

Please don't misunderstand me. I don't want kids trying these Mike Ribeiro moves in their youth leagues on breakaways. I also don't want them trying to "show up" the competition.

At the same time, let's understand that part of the attraction of hockey is the beauty. The coaches don't worry about that because beauty can not be quantified on the scoreboard. They play it safe.

Does playing it safe steal the imagination of kids everywhere? Does playing it safe make good commercials for the game? Does playing it safe make kids want to go get a stick and try it on their driveway with their buddies?

No. But this does:

And this does, too:

And, this, too:

Sorry. I like my soccer from Brazil (Juega Bonito, Mi hijo) and my hockey from #63. Thanks for selling hockey to the unconverted, Mike. Let somebody else dump it in the corner.

What do you think of Ribeiro's moves? Let Bob know at Sturm1310@aol.com

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Posted Apr 6, 2009, 8:53 AM CST

It should be noted that in a season that did not have that many happy endings, Saturday night was a lot of fun. As I wrote on Friday, the game against Calgary on Thursday night had a real “pre-season” type feel to it that I thought was going to spill over into the home finale.

Then, when I got to the rink on Saturday night, I saw what appeared to be an absolute full-house. Hmmm. That is interesting. A capacity crowd on hand to see a team play out the string.

Well, I don’t know if Fan Appreciation night brought 18,532 out or if Saturday night was just a chance for the Stars faithful to have one last chance to say goodbye to their heroes for 6 months, but whatever was the case, the Stars put on a great show against the Blues, and won in overtime, 5-4.

I thought the moment of the night was the Steve Ott goal and then celebration that put his stamp on a year that moved him quickly up the popularity ranks of this organization. It almost gives me chills to ponder a left side of the offense that will have Morrow, Ott, and Neal for years to come.

Matt Climie was given his NHL debut start on Saturday night, which resulted in a moment he will tell his grand-kids. Good for him. It was a nice reward for a lot of hard work, but it was also an indication to me that Tobias Stephan is not in the Stars plans for next year.

Anyway, it was a really cool night, and if you were in the arena you know what I am talking about.

I don’t think any of us are ready to say goodbye, just yet, but these are the breaks of the sports. No promises. No guarantees. No refunds.

I thought this email sums things up from a Pierre LeBrun chat:

Bob,

Thought this was interesting, though certainly not an epiphany. (From a live ESPN.com chat, 1 April.)

James (Dallas,TX): What is your take on the Stars going from the Conference Finals to not making the post season?? Poor team management in the off season? Not replacing the void left by Nordstom and signing Sean Avery to a moronic four tear deal?? Tippet? I know they have been bitten by the injury bug pretty bad but, come on.. What is the deal in Dallas?

Pierre LeBrun:
1. Sergei Zubov injured
2. Brenden Morrow injured
3. Brad Richards injured
4. Jere Lehtinen injured
5. Steve Ott injured

You can't make the playoffs in this league when five of your core players miss significant time. Not sure how you can blame the coach or the GM for that.

(Fair comment, I think, and LeBrun didn’t even mention Petersen’s injury)

Sincerely,

Brian

I invite you to enjoy those final 3 games this week. Look for the future. It will be here in October.

Email Bob your thoughts at Sturm1310@aol.com

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Posted Apr 3, 2009, 10:53 AM CST

Well, another disappointing result last night as the Stars play out the string with a loss against Calgary. Honestly, last night's loss had all of the electricity of a pre-season game, and you can tell that fans, media, and maybe even team is mentally turning their attention to the 2009-10 Dallas Stars.

With that in mind, instead of breaking down the final week, I thought we would give you something pretty good to sink your teeth into.

Last night, we visited on the post game show with Les Jackson for almost a half-hour. I hope you get a chance to listen to it here.

Les Jackson - Stars Postgame 4.2.09

Lots of interesting things which I may break down in more depth this weekend. But check it out for yourself, and let me know what you think-

 

Email Bob your thoughts at Sturm1310@aol.com

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Posted Apr 1, 2009, 8:19 AM CST

I cannot imagine how great an experience Garrett Stafford had last night by playing a real NHL game in his hometown.

We all talk about those who have played 1,000 games in the NHL and have seen everything and been a part of everything, but how about the guy who is 29, and is playing the 3rd and 4th games of his career on this road trip?

And last night, in his hometown of Los Angeles, he played 19 minutes, and was voted the 3rd star of the game.  Cool.

Garrett Stafford vs Chicago - 10/2/08

Despite following Stars hockey with all of my might, I did not know a darn thing about Garrett Stafford, so I went to one of the great resources of our generation, His wikipedia page for more:

• December 9, 2003 - Signed as a free agent by the San Jose Sharks.
• July 16, 2007 - Signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings.
• July 3, 2008 - Signed as a free agent by the Dallas Stars.
• October 4, 2008 - Assigned to Grand Rapids Griffins by the Dallas Stars.

Stafford played his first NHL game on February 23, 2008 against the Vancouver Canucks. He was recalled by the Wings earlier that day due to injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Chris Chelios. He spent the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs on Detroit's practice roster. Garrett was included on the 2008 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup picture. He did not qualify to be inscribed on the cup, but he was awarded a Stanley Cup ring.

Last year he played two games with the Wings (at Edmonton and at Vancouver), so now with 4 games under his NHL belt, I guess Thursday will be the first time he has a chance to play a home game.

And, then I scrolled down and realized why his name seemed vaguely familiar:

On April 30, 2004 Stafford was playing for the Cleveland Barons against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Calder Cup playoffs when he got into an altercation with Hamilton's winger Alexander Perezhogin. Stafford cross-checked Perezhogin in the face resulting in them both falling to the ice and as they were getting up Stafford took another swing with his stick, this time making contact with the back of Perezhogin's helmet. In response, Perezhogin swung his stick into Stafford's face as he was getting up. The slash knocked Stafford unconscious resulting in a concussion and sending him into convulsions on the ice as well as causing severe facial wounds which required 20 stitches to repair.

Perezhogin was charged with assault causing bodily harm and was given a one year probation as well as being ordered to cover Stafford's medical expenses and donate a further $5000 to charity. Perezhogin was also suspended for the rest of the playoffs and the whole of the 2004–05 season, the longest suspension in AHL history. Stafford was also suspended for six games for his part in the incident.

Wow.  That was a truly ugly incident I have forgotten about since it happened.

Here, I would normally embed the video, but I do want to caution you.  It is not easy to see this incident. Click Here if you have a strong stomach.

Anyway, it once again proves that every player you see every night on that NHL ice got there a different way with a different story. 

Thanks to google, youtube, and wikipedia, it is easier to research these days than it used to be.

Mike Heika wrote that he should plan on being in the lineup against Calgary on Thursday:

Stafford... One of the rare hockey products from the Los Angeles area, he played his youth hockey as a member of the Junior Kings program. He had a group of 13 family members and friends in attendance and was named third star of the game after logging 18:59 in ice time.

"People talk about a dream coming true. Well, that was mine," said the 29-year-old defenseman who had played two NHL games with the Red Wings but was mostly a veteran minor leaguer when he signed with the Stars in the summer. "To play in this city like this, that’s everything I ever wanted when I was a kid."

Stafford, Jancevski and Hutchinson have been called into duty after injuries to Trevor Daley (lower body), Mark Fistric (upper body) and Stephane Robidas (lower body). While Tippett said he does not expect any of the three injured defensemen to be healthy on Thursday when the Stars host Calgary, he also said he probably wouldn’t take any of the new defensemen out.

"Why would I?" he asked. "I really felt we played as a team tonight."

Nice story from a nice win.

Email Bob at Sturm1310@aol.com

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