Days until official start of training camp: 51

Days since last Stars game: 69

Days until next Stars game: 72

We very nearly have more days behind us than days ahead of us in terms of the last game and the next game. In the mean time we continue to hunt and peck for any little bit of Stars related fun out here on the internet. Unfortunately, when Mike Heika has even started with his player profiles, you know the news is getting slooooow. So take a break from looking at nude pictures of Martellus Bennett and laughing at the Angels for losing yet again and stretching the Rangers lead in the division to 7.5 games, and read a few Stars notes in late July...

First, yesterday Puck Daddy linked to ESPN's list of vendor inspection reports. It's a disgusting read full of cockroaches and mouse excrement. Here are the ones nearest and dearest to our hearts...

American Airlines Center
Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars
Vendors with critical violations: 40%
Inspection report excerpt: Expired milk, brown lettuce and employees caught drinking or eating while they were working in the stand accounted for some of the stadium's critical violations.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Texas Rangers
Vendors with critical violations: 62%
Inspection report excerpt: One pizza vendor incurred 12 critical violations, mostly for improper food temperatures and for not preventing possible contamination.

Cowboys Stadium
Dallas Cowboys
Vendors with critical violations: 72%
Inspection report excerpt: In its first season, Cowboys Stadium had a relatively high percentage of critical violations, including several for inadequate hand-washing facilities. At one kiosk, hot dogs were 71 degrees, almost half the required holding temperature of 135 degrees.

No reports of beer related violations, so breathe easy. And if you're eating lettuce at a hockey game, I think you might be doing it wrong...

Mike Heika has a pretty epic player report card on Brad Richards at the DMN. Here is a small excerpt...

As for the contract side of things, Richards has to be sure this is a place he wants to play for the rest of his career. Unrestricted free agency allows a player to select an organization where he feels he has the best chance to win. If the Stars don't get the right owner, why would Richards want to give up the chance to study new options? Plus, if ever Richards wanted to see what his true value is, why not open the doors to free agency and keep the Stars open as one of his options?

The problem with that theory is the Stars probably can't allow it to get that far. If the new ownership isn't settled or if Richards doesn't want to sign a contract extension by February, the Stars will probably have to trade him by the trade deadline.

Richards will have the opportunity to define himself as one of the truly great (and well-paid) players in the league and the Stars will have the opportunity to select quite possibly the most important player for the future of the team. Or, both sides could go their own way and we could start all over again.

The new owners first phone call needs to be to Brad Richards, IMO.

Dallasstars.com has a good piece of Brent Krahn:

“It’s exciting,” said Krahn, whose only career NHL action came in a 20-minute relief outing for Dallas back in 2008-09. “This is going to be my third year in the organization. I think they gave me a chance after my knee surgery and they’ve just been so good to me, they’ve offered me an opportunity every year and this year’s no different. There’s I think even more of an opportunity now to prove to them I can do it and to prove to them I’m committed. It’s up to me. I was pretty excited to get the deal done and I’m looking forward to training camp.”

It will be interesting to watch this competition come September. If Krahn does look better than Raycroft, is that a situation the coaches are truly comfortable with? Or is the seasoning of Raycroft a safer bet regardless of pre-season performance?

Down Goes Brown takes a shot at the '99 cup team, for fun, I'm sure...

Impress your friends by pointing out that the engravings on the Stanley Cup include several typos and other errors. For example, in 1975 Bob Gainey’s name is misspelled as “Gainy”. In 1981, the New York Islanders are misspelled as “Ilanders”. And in 1999, the Buffalo Sabres are misspelled as “the Dallas Stars”.

Will it never end?

The judge in the Rangers bankruptcy hearing tells the bidders to stop dicking Hicking around....

On Monday, Lynn again admonished Weil, Gotshal, which has done decades of legal work for Hicks and his various ventures. The firm, whose ouster had been demanded by the case's U.S. Trustee for possible conflicts of interest, must work to get the highest and best offer for the benefit of the ballclub – and hence its creditors – not its long-time client.

"This process is not being conducted for the benefit of Tom Hicks," Lynn warned.

Then the judge rapped the knuckles of major lenders, who have worked to delay the sale process.

"I do not want the bidders to think they can sit on their hands," he said. "If they want to buy the company, buy the team. Buy now."[Dallas Morning News]

We wait patiently for August 4th.