It was a great weekend in college hockey, especially for those in Oxford, Ohio. The Miami University hockey team, coming off a major slide of five straight losses, had enjoyed two win Fairbanks, Alaska before welcoming the Michigan team for a big weekend of CCHA hockey. With the Redhawks trying to get back into the playoff race after that slump, being able to upset the #4 ranked Michigan team would go a long ways towards righting the ship.

The Redhawks were able to use their physical game to really knock the Wolverines around on Friday night and skated away with a big 2-1 upset win. Heading into the second game, there was a buzz around this team that perhaps two straight wins were possible and a team that had been reeling was suddenly feeling confident in themselves, backed by a loud and boisterous home crowd.

I had the chance to attend the Saturday night game and it turned out to be one of the best hockey games I've ever seen in person. The atmosphere was incredible and the hockey was even better -- I walked away feeling as if college hockey was something every single fan of the sport should find any and every way to attend just once. It really was a great experience.

The reason for the trip was to be able to see Reilly Smith, a top prospect in the Dallas Stars system, and to get the chance to really scout him live. The Redhawks also have Stars prospect Curtis McKenzie on the team and I was excited to get the chance to see both of them live.

Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was getting the chance to have an extended talk with Reilly Smith, which is being presented as a special episode of our Stargazing podcast this week. A link to the show, as well as my thoughts on Smith and McKenzie from the game, after the jump.

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Joe Nieuwendyk joined BaD Radio this afternoon to talk some Dallas Stars hockey and even without Mr. Hockey himself, Bob Sturm, some great information from the man behind the curtain.

We were talking about this right after the interview, saying that if it's Nieuwendyk being asked to do this lengthy interview on the day of the season opener -- this likely means that he's viewed as the face of the franchise by the casual fans and the local media.

Is this how you view the Stars right now, or is this just natural considering the ownership issues and the coaching change?

You can listen to Part 1 here.

You can listen to Part 2 here.

Some videos after the jump...

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Just an hour into the start of free agency on July 1, the day's first signing by the Dallas Stars was announced. That a signing would come that quickly for the Stars was a bit of a shock; that the first signing was a defenseman by the name of Adam Pardy was an even bigger one.

Pardy wasn't exactly a player that many fans had on their radar, a young defenseman who played just 30 games last season with the Calgary Flames. After two years of consistent improvement, Pardy became a regular 6th and 7th defenseman with the Flames and this summer decided to look elsewhere. Turns out, the Stars had been keeping up with Pardy for quite some time. Turns our, Pardy himself was a bit surprised as well.

"I was a little surprised," Pardy said when talking to the media on Thursday. "It was early in the day. The contract they came at me with, it wasn't something I could just turn down. It wasn't just the money or anything, I just feel that Dallas is a really good fit for me. Looking at the players there, especially the coach and knowing what he's bringing."

"Dallas is always a team you take note of. They're a tough team to play against. I was maybe a bit surprised it was so early but I'm happy they did."

After the signing, Nieuwendyk mentioned that Pardy was a player they had been following for a while now and the team believes he's a guy that is going to really grow if given the chance to expand his game in Dallas with a bigger role and more minutes. He'll certainly get that chance with a two-year, $4 million contract but it's that opportunity to really prove himself that has Pardy excited.

"Playing penalty kill and playing more minutes against top two lines is where I want to be and where I am going to work to be with Dallas," he said. "I want to be a part of this group that really blends in well, brings something that is very physical and is very hard to play against."

Much more after the jump...

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Several issues were discussed on the Steve Ott Show on BaD Radio yesterday on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket.

Among them:

Warmup ettiquette and as it pertained to whatever happened Saturday night at the AAC against Atlanta with an anecdote from Bob Sturm on how Grant Marshall used to drive teams nuts in his heyday

Blindside hits and how the evolution in hockey gear might be making headshots worse

How the Texas weather has affected Otter, especially when it gets cold

Should Jamie Benn fight Jarome Iginla (without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight vision)

And a happy birthday shout out to Momma Otter

The entire show is available for download here.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to grab BOTH segments due to some unforseen technical difficulties.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen as the Stars general manager discussed a variety of topics this afternoon, including:

• Jamie Benn's play and how the Stars scouting department, including Les Jackson, gets the credit.
• An update on the the sale process.
• An update on the negotiations with Brad Richards.
• The recently wrapped up HBO 24/7 series featuring the Capitals and Penguins in the run up to this season's WInter Classic.
• How competitive NHL GM's are compared to how competitive players were back in Nieuwy's playing days

And a lot more, including the weather.

Here's the audio.

Way back in June's NHL Entry Draft, the Stars found themselves sitting at the eleventh overall pick with two highly touted defensive prospects still on the board. While many fans were convinced that Cam Fowler or Brandon Gormley would be the newest Dallas Star, Joe Nieuwendyk and company had their eyes on the 18-year-old goaltender out of Port Huron, Michigan, who had just backstopped the USA juniors team to a gold medal. And so Jack Campbell became a Dallas Star. 

While the move was initially met with some skepticism by fans, Campbell has done his part in convincing many that he was the right pick after all. He impressed during Stars training camp, and rebounded after a tough start to his season with the Windsor Spitfires, and was by far the best goalie again during the World Junior Championships last month. 

Defending Big D recently had the opportunity to talk with Jack Campbell. Thanks to the Windsor Spitfires and specifically Rob Gagnon and Derek Zona for helping set up this interview. 

Interview after the jump....

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Dan McDowell went sadly missing from today's edition of BaD Radio thanks to early retirement. But the show went on with Bob Sturm, Donovan Lewis, and Stars forward Steve Ott carrying on with a heavy heart on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket.

Among the topics today:

• Officiating...very briefly
  
• How great it is that Chicago's a hockey town, again
• How much it sucked that he didn't face his old buddy, Marty Turco
• Steve Ott touching on his past as a Canadian military brat remembering the first game he attended in Winnipeg and how much it sucks the Jets had to move
• Keeping to the code and how Chicago's Jack Dowell did good by Otter by not punching him when he was down on one knee in a vulnerable position Wednesday night
• And some good news regarding Dan at the end

You can listen to the show in its' entirety here.

Friday afternoon Steve Ott was with Bob and Dan of KTCK 1310 The Ticket, making his appearance for his weekly radio show. As most every Stars fan knows, Ott is a very straightforward and honest guy and one of the most eloquent hockey players you'll find.

Most of us are convinced there's a future in broadcasting for Ott whenever his hockey career is over. There's a reason that Ott is likely the favorite amongst all fans right now and it's not just because of how he plays the game on the ice. He's very approachable, he's a genuinely honest guy whenever he's asked a question and whenever we get to hear him talk about hockey or the Stars it's a treat.

On Friday, Ott was asked about the recent win streak the Stars are on and he provided the backstory to something we've all been wondering about for the last year. It was a great interview.

We're going to do our best to bring you the audio of these interviews throughout the week, especially for those fans not in the Dallas area who can't catch these live.

Here's the full audio of his interview from Friday:

Note: Clicking the link will open up the audio in whichever media player is your default setting for audio.