Joe Nieuwendyk is Saying All the Right Things Fans Don't Want to Hear
by Brad Gardner on Jun 29, 2010 2:11 PM CDT
in News
59 comments
This morning, Joe Nieuwendyk did his best to say all the right things and honor Mike Modano while at the same time taking the franchise in a different direction, away from the only face it's ever known in 17 years in Dallas. This has produced an understandable amount of venom and outrage on the internet, radio, and even in the work place as I'm finding out, but many feel as though it needed to be done.
GM Joe realizes the PR hit he's going to take on this, but maintains that his mission is clear. "My job is on the ice." Nieuwendyk said. "I realize the impact Mike has on this franchise from a selling point. You’re not going to replace Mike Modano. He's been a special person and a special player for so many years in Dallas. But like all great players, at some point you have to turn the page. I feel like it’s time we turn the page."
Immediately following the press conference (and before), radio and tv personalities could be heard speaking of why this needed to be done, likening Joe to a corporate head hunter sent to do the bidding of another in getting rid of Modnao. Money seems to be a popular topic amongst the talking heads, but to me what Joe said about the center position is the crux of the matter.
"That’s really the strength of our team with Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, Jamie Benn at center. Steve Ott can play there and the guy everyone forgets about, Tom Wandell. So that's a strength of our team," said Nieuwendyk.
It's not only a strength, but perhaps the primary area of development this year. We can hope these young d-men continue improving, but the big steps forward this season need to be taken by Jamie Benn and Tom Wandell. This is not a one year issue. Mike Modano was not sent packing maliciously because he can't contribute for one more season. He has been excluded from the plans because a decade of Jamie Benn's growth and accomplishment is at hand; Because at 23, Tom Wandell needs to be given the chance to flourish before it's too late and that time is wasted.
That, to me, is what is going on here. It is unfortunate, yes, but we need to look forward. Not behind.
As badly as I want to admonish the Stars, I can find no fault with this hockey decision. As much as I want to beg Mike Modano to ride off into the sunset, you can't deny that fire in him that wants to play. This situation is a "lose-lose" if ever there was one.
Read what others are saying out there on the interwebs...
The Morning News recounts Mike's amazing numbers as a Dallas Star
Tim Cowlishaw of the Morning News talks about the decision, and actually makes a kind of sense of it. A kind.
Puck Daddy takes note of the spin control that Joe Nieuwendyk is presently engaged in.
ESPN Dallas has these quotes from Ott and Richards, and more so check it out.
"The NHL is getting younger because of budgets and I would imagine if we were on the cusp of a Stanley Cup, things might be different," said Richards via text. Richards led the Stars with 91 points last season. "I think Joe needs to see what these young guys can do and with the ownership problems, he has tough decisions concerning the budget."
Ott said the Stars' roster is full of young players wanting a chance to shine. He included Jamie Benn, James Neal, Loui Eriksson and others in that group.
"It's up to management as to what to do with players," Ott said. "You have to see what they have and what they can do. It’s similar to when Mike was young, He was such a gifted player in his career and he got the chance to be on the power play and be in those roles."
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Good Article Brad!
Man, I am just really sad that it came to this…it just doesnt seem, or feel right. is it me…or is there just no loyalty to your franchise guys…like there used to be. Mike Modano made the North Stars/Stars. If it werent for him there probably wouldnt be the kind of Hockey presence we got here in Texas now, and to me…it just seems like that Organization Owes him something for all he has done for all of us. Remember….WE PAY THEIR SALARY….God this just sucks…..sorry
Mike
No, no, no, no, no.
We DO NOT “Pay their salary”. I’m just as upset that the Stars are letting Modano go without an offer, but the idea that the fans are the people who pay these guys is absurd. If anything, it’s the other way around. The more a team spends on its players, the more likely fans will spend on the team. And if fans stop showing up and the team spends less, it isn’t because they have less money to spend (with less fans), it’s because it makes less business sense to spend a lot on a team that isn’t making that money back at the gates (which, incidently, is what I’m afraid will happen to the Stars, and why I don’t think a new owner will make all the difference).
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Loyalty
If this is a loyalty issue, I’m sure the stars would offer Modano a minimum salary contract. If it was loyalty, he would accept that.
I can agree that the change in a new direction had to be made but.....
This was a completely classless way to handle this situation. These dealings should’ve been kept in private between Modano and the team and not made public or allow Modano to be the one to make it public. Can you imagine if Colorado had come out in the media and said "Sorry Joe Sakic we’re done with you’, or Detroit did the same with Yzerman?
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
I could see that more
if Mike wasn’t the one out in the media last week talking about it first.
He was at a luncheon or whatever, and ESPN radio was there, and he made the conscious decision to come out and say “You know, I think maybe I’m not in the Stars plans right now.”
That was his call. Seems like he wants to get his name out there while teams are making decisions on their roster.
by Brad Gardner on Jun 29, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions
He said nothing definitive in the press at all even in that interview.
He was put on the spot and needed to answer it as generally as he could without tipping his hand either way. At least thats what I took away from those quotes. Its not like he ran to the media and outted this information.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
by GenericBrand on Jun 29, 2010 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions
He could have chosen to say
“We’re still talking with them and nothing definitive has been decided.”
Mind you, I don’t blame either side for this situation. But just because the press asks you about a question doesn’t mean you’re inclined to answer.
by Brandon Bibb on Jun 29, 2010 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Brett Hull was there with him too...
and supported what he was saying. I think it was just an easy way for both sides to go ahead and start preparing us for what happened today. We knew it might happen when the season ended, so It becoming public like this was going to happen eventually anyways. I’d rather hear it from Mike first instead of the Stars organization anyways
Hey, it's a business. They did the same thing with Marty, basically.
There really is no perfect way to handle separating from a team legend….and you don’t usually send out press releases and hold press conferences for every player, so this was another way of showing how special Mike is to the organization. But I’d rather they do it this way than just let him walk without saying anything or showing appreciation as he walks out the door.
Exactly
I am so tired of hearing about this Broke Ass Franchise, and how they cant even scrape up enough money to pay the Greatest American Born Player of All Time some money so he can go out a STAR. Now, some other team WITH MONEY is going to be able to give Mike his last Hurrah….This is total BS….Yah, like Colorado or Detroit would have did that to their Legends….
Personally
i’m not looking forward to seeing Modano flailing and being a shadow of himself with any team, including the Stars
Joe said in the press conference today
That he thought he did right by Mike by giving him as much time as they did. If Mike wanted to declare this or that, he had two months to do it. But he still isn’t sure.
And can you imagine how the Stars would get treated if they tried to do this and say nothing about it? My lord the bitching that would go on about cowardice and all of this and that…Heck I would probably be very willing to discuss stuff like that here on this site if that were the case. But as it is, the Stars decided it was best to face it head on.
I’m not trying to give them credit for it…I’m just saying the backlash would likely have been even worse if they didn’t get out in front of it and own the decision.
I just think the timing is off with this announcement.
I really think the best way to do it was let Mike decide whether he wanted to play again first, not necerarily for the Stars but just in general. If he comes back and says “I don’t want to play” then no problem send him off into the sunset. If he says “I want to play one more season” then you come out and discuss this with him, if you haven’t already, and make this announcement to the media.
Fact is by doing it that way it comes across with may more class and doesnt hold up anyones progress. Nieuwendyk couldve still been preparing the team without Modano and Mike could still sniff out interest of other teams if he wanted to because behind closed doors this will have already been handled.
Detroit let Yzerman decide first, Colorado let Sakic decide first, its just the much classier thing to do whether its a business or not and Nieuwendyk as a former player should’ve known better.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
by GenericBrand on Jun 29, 2010 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Seems like he has
More or less said that he wants to play somewhere else…especially after today.
Noticed that Joe didn’t say anything about loving to play with him or anything like that…
The reactionary comment "My job is on the ice." says it all doesn't it?
So far Nieuwendyks tenure has been a mess and its not so much this situation with Modano thats the PR issue the PR issue is how he handles it and he just didn’t do a very good job of it in my mind.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
by GenericBrand on Jun 29, 2010 2:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Wow, love the mentality. Joe’s been in charge one year and his tenure has been a mess? Maybe we should fire him like Tippet too.
Seriously people, we ALL knew Modano was gone after this year. Same with Turco, and Lehtinen. This is a young team now and we have to let the young players come in.
This takes time, we’re not winning the cup next year, but hopefully we will be closer.
No ones saying we didn't think Modano was gone.
No ones saying that he shouldnt be gone. All I’m saying is how it was handled was ridiculously classless.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
by GenericBrand on Jun 29, 2010 3:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Classless
Would be sending out a one line press release simply stating that Mike Modano will not be offered a contract without an acknowledging what Mike Modano has meant to this organization and this city, and without recognizing the gravity of the situation and what impact it would have on Stars fans.
Classless would also be not leaving the door open for Mike to have a position with this organization the day he does decide to hang them up.
Obviously, that’s not what Nieuwendyk did today.
by Brandon Bibb on Jun 29, 2010 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions
What kind of timing are you expecting?
Modano hasn’t made up his mind if he’s going to play yet, at least not officially. He becomes a free agent on July 1. Either the team makes a decision on his future now, or they just let him walk off and start fielding offers beyond their control.
If the team just ignored the situation, come Thursday he would have been getting offers from teams. Imagine if the Stars just ignored it, or “waited” for him to make a decision. Modano might have decided to play, for another team for a higher contract than Dallas was willing to pay, and then fans would be pissed the Stars just let him go.
And this is not a matter of the team having to “be loyal” to Modano, and just give him a contract just because. At some point the team has to move on, and Modano has been given ample time to decide if he’s returning next season.
This is the definition of “lose-lose”.
ProHockeyTalk: General NHL news, rumors and analysis, from the best hockey mind at NBCSports.com.
by Brandon Worley on Jun 29, 2010 4:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, Modano made up his mind.
They would have never handled it this way if he hadn’t told them he wanted to play. It has been clear for many months that they were just hoping Mike would publicly say it’s over and prevent this sort of mess. Doesn’t necessarily mean Mike will play someplace else … he probably will, time will tell. But you can be sure he wanted to play another year with the Stars.
Why is everyone shocked
Seriously, when the organization plans a huge celebration for your career at the end of the season, with an expiring contract, and no formal retirement announcement….
That means they are not going to offer you a new contract.
It’s not rocket science. So why is everyone surprised when they didn’t offer him a new contract?
I'm not surprised
But as several people have said, it’s not exactly the classiest way to go about it. Then again, it IS more honest.
I think the reason they went ahead and did it
was to give Mike as much time as possible in Free Agency. He hadn’t decided if he was coming back yet or not, but they had already made the decision to move forward with the franchise….Also, it’s not like this wqas the first that Mike heard of it…. They’ve been talking over the course of the summer, and he knew that this was the result. It wasn’t an announcement for him — it was an announcement for those of us still clinging to the hope that he would eb signed.
Sad stuff
but it had to happen. Look, if we’re being honest, there’s no way we’re going to compete with the likes of the Blackhawks next year. 2011-12 seems like a more reasonable possibility, especially considering there will be an owner who can spend money during the full free agency period. If anything, it makes far more sense to give playing time to Wandell and Benn at center rather than an aging Modano, who’s not going to be around much longer. I wish he would retire, but seeing as guys like Finley and Emmitt have already left before, it wouldn’t shock me at all to see him play another year.
I'm just wondering why we should totally trust Nieuwendyk's decisons...
Outside of “Well, he was Conn Smythe the year we won the Cup”- which while no one has said, it just seems like the basic reason for people being happy to have him as GM is his background as a player with the Stars.
But what has he done as GM to earn that? Has he truly had a “Great” move? I’m not one to say he’s been terrible- most of his extensions have been fine, but I wouldn’t call any of them tremendous, even the Ott one (which I did, and still mostly do, like). However, at its most basic form his job is to improve the team…and I don’t think he has, and even if he has, it hasn’t been enough to completely trust him. We still have no real defensive depth, only relying on the question marks we drafted in rounds 2 and up, and are newest draft pick is a goaltender, a position with a notorious reputation for being hard to develop (though admittedly, the development of Al Montoya or any of his ilk has no effect on Campbell- but a trend exists for a reason).
It seems we are all relying on hope. Our current defensive crop just has to improve. Our current offensive guys just have to keep doing their thing. We just need more money. As if it’s a given any of that will happen. But it’s not. There’s no reason to just assume the owner will spend more money, and even if that, that Nieuwendyk will use it smartly. And there’s no reason to just assume our current team will improve on last year.
And yes, there’s no reason to assume any of that just can’t happen either, but I just feel more people are assuming the former than they are the latter, and I like to play Devil’s Advocate. Feel free to question my own assumptions- it’s the only way we learn. All I intend to say is not that I think Nieuwendyk is an absolute bust and should be fired…i’m just thinking that as of now, this team isn’t on the right track, and, while certainly not the biggest reason for this (that’d be Hicks), Nieuwendyk shares some blame for this, and can’t be entirely trusted to be capable of getting the Stars back on track. (Yeah, I know I write too much)
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 2:52 PM CDT reply actions
How can we expect to judge someone based one year of the job? Free agency and the off-season aren’t even over yet, we don’t know what else is going to happen this summer and you guys are already to throw this team away?
Patience guys, it takes time to build a team.
I suppose.
Jon Daniels was pretty bad at first, and now the Rangers are on the way up, mainly because of him.
So, yeah, Niewendyk could get better. But there are plenty of cases where they don’t. You’re right, it’s too early to be anything but presumptuous.
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions
It's not that Joe has been absolutely fantastic...
My point of view is if there was any other man that was GM for the Stars besides him, could they possibly have done any better given the restrictions he’s under? I doubt it.
I'll admit that I'm proably jumping the gun on this.
I just had a jumble of ideas in my head that I figured I’d write down while I could. Frankly, it’d be better to wait until after free-agency and training camp before really judging him. I guess it’s just that so far, I think he’s trying to tread water with this team, and I don’t think it’ll work. If we rebuild, then we should totally commit to it, trading for prospects and picks and such. Obviously, that’s tough to see him doing, because rebuilding GM’s don’t often get to see the fruit of their labors. But I just think that if he still wants to contend, there’s more that needs to be done. And you know what, there’s still time for that to happen, and he could very well do that. I just sort of rushed my assessment of him, I guess because I’m not sure he’s going to be creative and fix some holes even on a limited budget. And I think there are some GM’s out there who could (as well as some who would try and fail miserably, setting this team back even further).
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I think the reason he's not trading for picks yet
is that he sees the potential in what we have at the NHL level now. Sure it needs some serious augmenting here and there….or defense and more defense… but I think we can be seriously competitive in another season or two if it works out right.
It’s just frustrating being stuck in in-between land right now. Honestly, it’s easier to suck completely, because you know you’re rebuilding, so it’s okay. Unless you’re the Thrashers.
i might be coming over the intial sting
as discussed, the Stars are young, not real good and need to find who can be a player for this team going forward.
Mike, on the brink of retirement prob wants one last chance at another Stanley Cup. The Stars are most definitely not going to be able to offer him that.
So who’s to blame him? to blame Joe?
there’s the Emmitt Smith comparison, but plenty of others in the NHL. we’ll get over it.
by ludwig's mullet on Jun 29, 2010 3:04 PM CDT reply actions
it's time to move on
modano and turco are my all time favorite two players in the league. but it’s a business. there comes a time when you have to make tough business decisions. while i personally feel turco could still play at a high level, mike’s days are behind him. it’s time to get younger, and hand the keys off to the younger kids. it needs to happen.
it’s going to sting, especially when we see those two playing in other jerseys next year, but we had to face this day at some point, and we’re a better team moving on without those guys. this isn’t the end of the TItanic okay, this is sports. this happens. there is no such thing as fairytale endings, even for guys like sakic and yzerman, who although retired with the same team, did not have quite a finish like Mo did with us. it’s time to move on.
i’m personally pumped with the idea of watching this team move forward with benn, wandell, neal, etc. we have a great young core that with a year of developing this year, plus a new financial situation for the 11-12 season, will put us back in the middle of contention and set up for a cup run. that doesn’t happen if we don’t find out what benn and wandell, etc can bring the table and we all know we’re not winning the cup in 10-11.
What a rough decision to make
Brad, agree with you 100%. Most of us hoped this day would never come. It has. And it sucks.
I’ll probably puke if I have to watch Modano starting for Detroit or Columbus. No, I’ll definitely puke.
This is a hard decision, but it’s the right one. We have too many centers and there’s no use trading one just so that Mo can come back for one more year. Joe had to do what’s best for the team, and he did.
Everyone’s saying that this such a classless way to cut ties with Modano, but it’s really not. Mo and Joe have been discussing this for awhile, so it’s not like Modano didn’t see it coming. As Stars fans, we just need to accept that it’s the end of an era and we need to move on.
Here's to all us girls who love hockey...and the men who play it.
by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Jun 29, 2010 4:08 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Mo just said in an interview
he’s upset about it being official, but he knew it was coming for some time. He always thought there was a possibility in the back of his mind, but they had discussed him not coming back to Dallas already.
Basically, he feels the same way all of us feel. We were hoping that there was some way that he could come back as a Star, but we pretty much knew it wasn’t possible. It’s just official now, is all. Even if it IS the right move for the Dallas Stars organization (which it is), it doesn’t make it suck any less.
Welp...
I guess now I’m off to watching youtube Mike Modano tribute videos and crying like a sissy girl. I’d just like to thank Mo for 20 glorious seasons, a 2 Stanley Cup appearances, a billion division titles and more importantly being a human highlight reel wearing a Star on your sweater. Godspeed. Oh Dallas Stars, we hardly know ye.
Agree
It was time, and it is hard to say that. But, Joe was straight forward and didn’t B.S. anybody and I really respect that.
Positioning Statement:
I am disgusted with Marc Crawford, I am disappointed in Joe Nieuwendyk, and I am furious with Tom Hicks for putting the team in this position in the first place. And the handling of the Modano situation was absolutely the last straw.
So after being the Dallas Stars’ biggest advocate since BEFORE they got here, I am out. After THIRTEEN YEARS as a season ticket holder (and after going to as many games as I could scrounge up the money for before that), I will not renew. Until Hicks, Nieuwendyk and Crawford are gone, I will not support the this team with my heart and soul as I have before, and they will not be getting ONE PENNY of my money.
Please understand – I am not leaving THEM. THEY have already left ME. These are not MY Dallas Stars.
is this also not your America?
i’ve been following them since I was a child, and don’t remember liking any other team. with that said, the day was going to come when Modano, Lehtinen, Turco would be gone. these moves make sense. hell i cried as a kid when belfour left, and when joe left. but joe is making the tough choices that have to be made.
i support your angst against what is going on. it’s heartbreaking. it really is. but fixing this team was not an overnight job. and fixing it does not require or need modano. it simply doesn’t. and i could see the other side of the coin, in which, if we’re not gonna be a playoff team next year then why not just have modano play another season with us. and trust me, i’m pissed as all hell that barch was resigned.
but you have to trust the man that was your and my mvp during our only cup. it’s been a year with crawford and joe. we’re heading in the right direction. we’re getting younger, faster and with a new budget for the 11-12 season, along with the development of our younger places, we’re going to be in a prime spot after another tough season, a season that would be tough even with mo, lehts and turks; it makes sense to spend that season preparing our younger guys for the real grind of the regular season, and see who will make the cut for 11-12 season, where we should be in really good contention for a deep playoff run.
you can disregard all that i’ve said, or that everyone has said. but take some time and really think about if leaving this team is what you want. we’re all upset. no one wanted this. as the old adage goes, sleep on it. these are still YOUR dallas stars.
by agvdstars on Jun 29, 2010 8:20 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
"but you have to trust the man that was your and my mvp during our only cup"
I KNEW IT!!!
I’m sorry, but Nieuwendyk being the Conn Smythe winner has absolutely nothing to do with his GM duties, and doesn’t serve as an argument for why we should just trust him, at least not after a mostly subpar performance a year on the job. This doesn’t mean once the purse-strings open up he won’t be golden, or that he won’t improve as time goes on; just means that, as of now, there is reason to question his decisions on the teams future. Regardless of how many game-winning goals he scored in ’99.
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions
because it's been ONE YEAR!!!!!!
why does everyone forget that? joe is regarded as one of the smartest on-ice players this team has ever seen; do you really think he’s somehow lost that intelligence and will just put a team together all whimsically? this man is trying to convert our team into the style that is winning in this league. was that supposed to be overnight? i really don’t understand why people have jumped all over him so quickly.
look at the building processes of the last two cup winners: was that overnight? umm, i think not. even after their lottery picks, they still couldn’t win it all until they had all the skill pieces in place along with all the role players willing to play their part; only then, did the pens and hawks win.
we’re not there yet. we all know that. but we’re putting the pieces together slowly to get to that point. it’s a process that takes seasons; it doesn’t just happen overnight, or during the course of one season. it involves developing your players to play at this level, not sitting on a bunch of has beens, regardless of what they did for the team. what did lemiuex and crosby achieve together? oh yeah, nothing. what were modano and ANYONE on our roster going to achieve? uh, nothing. all having modano and lehtinen do on this team is take ice time away from those that need to develop and will be with the team moving forward.
this next year will suck. but the improvement will be there. and it will increase greatly due to increased ice time and on-ice situations that otherwise players like benn, wandell, etc. wouldn’t have seen.
this needs to happen. and if you agree on that or not, get over it. it happened. Modano on this team, on the ice, does nothing for our building process that needs to happen to play in this current nhl.
I still don't understand...
What do you guys think that any other gm could have done that Joe has yet to do? Especially something so egregious that he deserves to be fired after 1 season?
It's like firing Jon Daniels after one season.
How would that have turned out for everyone?
Let’s have PATIENCE, people. Look at the Blackhawks, teams are NEVER, NEVER built overnight. Teams that constantly fire coaches and GMs put themselves in an endless cycle of losing. If a GM is supposed to be the person putting all the pieces together, he needs TIME to gather and put them together. There’s going to be hits and misses, of COURSE. You think the Red Wings made perfect decisions every time? Of course not. But given time, their number of hits outweighed their misses. It just takes patience for that to happen. Joe has had one year, with tons of obstacles. Let’s give him more time before we put his head on a pike.
We should be more focused on doing that to Fabian :P
by Pat Iversen on Jun 29, 2010 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions
When did I say "Fire him!"?
Answer: I didn’t. In fact, I made sure to point out that I wasn’t saying that.
However, it seems that many think we should just trust him to know what he’s doing. After one year, I don’t think that’s right. He hasn’t done enough just to be trusted regardless of what anyone else thinks. Is it entirely his fault? No, in fact most of it is Hicks. But he doesn’t done much in the way of improving the Stars; maybe in the future he will. But to read that we should just trust him, because it’s a process and he knows whats going on, doesn’t sit well with me. Sure, it’s only been a year, but it was a subpar year for him. Could he improve? Absolutely. I don’t want his head on a pike. I just don’t want to blindly trust his decisons.
by Giant Space Ants on Jun 29, 2010 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I hear ya.
And I wasn’t specifically saying you said you wanted to fire him, I was more generically saying it to those who were.
Maybe I’m just an eternal optimist then…when it comes to the Stars I tend to trust them a lot more than I do my other sports teams. We shouldn’t blindly trust him, I agree with you totally. I just am resigned to the fact he is our rookie GM and he’s going to have to take his lumps in his first year. I do think patience is the key though….how he handles the next few weeks should be an indication of how he’s coming along as a GM. I’m more intrigued by what could happen July 1st than anything, really.
by Pat Iversen on Jun 29, 2010 11:19 PM CDT up reply actions
This is not a divorce...
This is a separation. We’re not heading to the courthouse…yet.
I was with them in 1995-96, going to every game. I sobbed when Marchant scored in 1997 (that beady-eyed bastard). I was with them through Jyrki Lumme. I was with them through Donald Audette. I was with them through Naes Yreva. (I dare not speak his name.)
Hell, they had my money on deposit for the duration of the lockout. Is that good enough faith for you?
On the other hand…
I have every ticket stub from every game I’ve ever attended, including the one from October 5, 1993. I was there when Mike Keane scored twice in four minutes in Game 7 against Colorado and the roof blew off Reunion Arena. In fact, I’ve never missed a Stars home playoff game, ever.
With my whole heart, I love this team. I have been there through it all and in every circumstance, be it the day after my grandmother’s funeral (God rest her) or the night when I had bronchitis plus a fever of 102…yet I still went to see my team play. (They won 7-3 that night.)
And the money to make it so is earmarked out of my budget every year. This is not at all a financial decision for me.
But based on their choice of current leadership combined with the cumulative effect of their actions since being installed (and more importantly with the COMPLETE ABSENCE of their owner giving a damn), I will NOT contribute to the direction in which they are presently going by lending my support, financial OR emotional. And that breaks my sports-heart.
I will root for some of the guys individually. And should Modano decide to play elsewhere for one more year, I will cheer like hell for him to win it all.
When Hicks, Nieuwendyk and Crawford are all gone, I will happily return. Until then, I cannot participate. The last pitiful remaining shreds of my integrity forbid it.
I am so addicted to going to games
I don’t know what they could ever do to push me away.
The AAC is my happiest place on earth and I wouldn’t let Tom Hicks rob me of that. I go to support the players, at the very least. I don’t need them to win to value my season tickets. It helps, but I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere, personally.
But tell me, if your seats were on an aisle near a bathroom, I know some people who might be interested ;)
by Brad Gardner on Jun 29, 2010 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions
i understand the hicks point
but how after one season you can make a demand that joe and crawford have to be gone is pretty absurd. don’t go to the games fine (albeit hockey is by far the best live sport), but i just don’t see how joe and marc can get tossed under the bus after one year.
i just want to ask one question: did you demand tippett be fired after all those first round exits, when our roster was significantly better than it is today, and the team accomplished no playoff success? a lot of people did, so i’m curious. then everything turned around after years of failure, and we were two wins from the finals.
now is another period of turmoil. now is the time when this roster will be vastly different, with respect to past rosters, than it ever has. how is this supposed to be easy? how are we supposed to just toss joe and craw under the bus after one year?
i just don’t see justification for that, nor for your loyalty to depart on their behalf.
you’re GM. what do you do? who do you hire as coach? what does that tell the players, a third coach in as many years? or who do you hire as GM? what can that GM possibly do with a budget that is now closer to 17 million under the cap; what do you do?
i just don’t see how leaving the team now in it’s worst state in franchise history displays loyalty. i don’t agree with a lot that joe has done. but i’ll maintain my faith because those are the men in charge and therefore i trust their judgements over mine, the guy blogging back at midnight. this organization has shown time and time again that it is one of class and integrity. no one is perfect. no team is perfect. but this team has been damn close to it until recent financial problems.
don’t leave. you’ll reflect upon what will probably be a rough season in 11-12, when we have a budget, and our young talent develops, and were back making a run in the playoffs where we belong. have faith. stay the course my fellow stars fan. no one wants to see you go.
that last part
i meant this 10-11 season will be rough (which it most likely will be), but in 11-12, with the probability of a new owner and budget, and the development of our guys this coming season, you’ll savory those victories much more after another year of suffering.
It is true that we have a lot of depth at center
and there really is no room for Modano. But to me the most important part of that statement is there is very little chance they move Ribero now. Ribs, whose style doesn’t fit the Crawford system and whose contract was the only feasible way we could free up money to get a high level d-man. I have a very hard time seeing Joe being comfortable with his top 3 centers being Richards, Benn and Wandell. Benn and Wandell don’t have a full NHL season at center between the two of them, and Richards is in a contract year and depending on ownership/budget could easily move on next summer.
So then just follow the trickle down. With Ribs still here there is no money to do anything to the blue line. Heck they will be hard pressed to get Grossman and Neil under qualifying contracts. So the blue line will be exactly like last year. Maybe some horizontal movement, but no definite upgrades. We will have basically the same team on the ice. Wandell for Modano and Lehtinen for Turco the only real changes. They want Jere back, so that ones just up to him. They need a right shooting right wing that does the things he does. If he retires they will promote from within.
So how do we improve? I think Joe feels we have maybe a top 5 forward corps. So he hangs onto that and hopes the young D grows fast and Lehtinen comes through in goal. Mainly though, he is hanging on for a sale and a budget bump to allow him to get 1-2 good D-men. Lets all hope that happens before the trading deadline and the pressure builds from Richards contract situation. Cause I don’t see Richards committing to anything here until the ownership situation is settled.
To: Brad G, Brandon B, Art, Pat (and Brandon W came by)
I’ve been swamped at work so I’m just know catching up on the Modano story. Reading your comments was such a relief. I love each and everyone of you guys! Thanks to each of you for your reasoned coverage and commentary.
Supporting your local ice troll, 24/7/365
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