Stargazing: The coaching staff takes shape in Dallas

by Brad Gardner on Aug 6, 2009 5:00 AM CDT in News Comment 0 comments

Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars news, as well as a look at what's happening around the Pacific division and the rest of the NHL. Stargazing will run on Mondays and Thursdays, becoming a daily feature once the preseason begins.

As Brandon said on Tuesday, the hiring of Charlie Huddy brings the completion of the sweeping changes instituted in the wake of the Joe Nieuwendyk hiring. The manifestation of this team expressed in terms of the roster is much the same, too much for the like of some when compared to last year. But the collective Dallas Stars monster has had its brain rewired for the 2009-2010 season.

Stars News and Notes:

Andrew's Stars Page spoke to Marc Crawford about the responsibilities of his new crew:

"Everybody is involved in all the aspects of our coaching staff, but there's an area of expertise for each. Charlie and Andy will be more on the defensive side and Stu will be more on the offensive side," Crawford said. "When it comes to special teams, defensemen will be Charlie's, the goaltender will be Andy's and the forwards will be Stu's. We haven't decided completely on how we'll divvy up the special teams (power play and penalty kill), but we'll all have input on that."

After the jump, more on Huddy, dallasstars.com talks to Toby Petersen, and notes from around the NHL. And who had a better mustache as a player? Charlie Huddy or Dave Tippett?

Mike Heika on Huddy:

Huddy, whose hiring was announced Tuesday by the Stars, has worked with young defensemen in Edmonton, teaching a system that encourages skating and puck movement.

...

Huddy has worked with young defensemen in Edmonton, including Ladislav Smid, Denis Grebeshkov, Tom Gilbert and Theo Peckham. He will also work with young defensemen in Dallas, including Matt Niskanen, Nicklas Grossman, Mark Fistric and Ivan Vishnevskiy.

Skating and puck movement from the Stars defense? We used to have a guy for that.

That's good news, however, for those of us who were frustrated by the Stars penchant for a good reset. A change of possession in favor of the Stars was often followed by a leisurely survey of the ice ahead, and a few backwards passes before they finally made the turn up ice to attack. I found myself in recent years, frequently jealous of the speed with which other teams could transition the other way with the puck. It will be fascinating to see if Huddy and Crawford can manage the inexperience of the defense, while also encouraging this rumored "skating and puck movement."

What else can Huddy bring to the team?

And he has a calm personality that balances Crawford's fiery temper.

I hope it's a "calm personality" like this:

Charlie Huddy vs Tim Coulis - SLASHING - CHEAPSHOT (via nhlfightclub)

Dallasstars.com catches up with Stars player-man Toby Petersen:

Have you played with any of the Stars’ free agent signings before?

Petersen: "I know defenseman Jeff Woywitka. We played together for the Edmonton Roadrunners of the AHL during the lockout year. He is a big, very strong kid and he can probably move mountains in front of the net. Jeff is a great guy though. The best way to describe him would be very jovial person and a great teammate."

Scott Glennie is on Canada's National Junior Team that began camp yesterday. Thanks to Andrew's for the tip on that one.

The official Hockey Canada site has Glennie in their media guide for the camp.

PERSONAL
Son of Don and Cris … Has one brother, Donnie … His brother,
Donnie, played in WHL with Tri-City (2005-06) and Chilliwack (2006-
07) … Favourite NHL player: Alexander Ovechkin … Has been the
Manitoba hit, run and throw champion three times (2002, 2000 and
1999)