Jussi Jokinen making Dallas Stars fans proud

In playoff games so far, Jussi Jokinen has five goals and two assists. Not earth-shattering numbers, but admirable nonetheless.

He also has two overtime, game-winning goals, and two last minute game-tying goals. Now THAT is impressive.

Jokinen became a fan phenom in Dallas in the first season after the NHL lockout. He was incredible in the shootout and for most of the 2005-2006 season he was nearly unstoppable. He cooled down a bit in the next few seasons in the shootout, but was always Dave Tippett's go-to guy.

Unfortunately, he never turned that shootout success into regular season or playoff production. He was always a very popular player among Stars fans, but his goals declined each year until he was eventually traded to Tampa Bay in the deal that brought Brad Richards to Dallas.

Now he's found a niche in Carolina. It was a disappointing season so far for Jussi, but he has certainly made his mark on the postseason for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Every time I've seen Jokinen scoring a game-winning goal the past few weeks, I've felt genuine pride. It makes me feel good to see him succeeding now, on the biggest stage after several years of let-down.

Go get 'em, Jussi.