This one goes out to all of you who are widely viewed as pessimistic Stars fans, and also to our close friends, the impatient Stars fans. For the most part, you are included a common, larger group. I suppose I could be put into both categories, but I prefer the term “realistic.” And I’ll stop here to note: it makes sense that patient fans are also realistic, but that’s a blog best left for a “Posi” to write.
You guys, well, you’re calm, cool, and collected. We’re jumpy. You know who you are, the “Let’s give it time” group, aka “GM Joe is doing a good job with what he has.” (I’m taking full credit for coming up with the name “GM Joe”, BTW). We “Realies” tend to rant while you present a logical, rational viewpoint. To us, logic is good but can take too much time to process. We demand instant results.
I think the pessimistic realistic fan is simply misunderstood. We want nothing more than to see our team succeed. It just seems like we’re upset. Well, we are. Whether it was a Marty Turco five-hole game changer in the last seconds of a period or Coach Wind Hair’s love lesson following a loss, we have found reasons to be disappointed in the past few years.
Want more examples? I’ll get to them after the jump.
1. 1999: Stars win the Cup on controversial goal. Sure, I was elated, and the Stars deserved it. They were the better team. But afterward, I couldn’t help but say “If only..”
2. 2008: Stars reach the conference finals but fall short. Unexpected, thrilling, dominating play as an underdog prior to the finals. Team runs out of steam against a superior opponent. “If only…”
3. 2009: Stars struggle out of the gate and miss the playoffs following an impressive post season the previous year. Devastating.
4. Tom Hicks. ‘Nuff said.
5. Joe becomes GM Joe.
6. Tipp dismissed.
7. GM Joe vows to take his time making a choice for a new coach and suffers from a severely itchy trigger finger.
8. Wind Hair hired. A gentler, kinder Wind Hair. Nevertheless, a disappointing choice based on his track record.
9. Draft Gaffe. Bizarre, awkward announcement of first choice, a sweater with no name on it, and TSN leaves Draft Pick No. 8 out of its discussion during its Top-10 recap.
10. Weaknesses at the blue line receive Skraskins and Woywitka band aids.
11. New system installed.
12. Team can’t put a win streak together.
13. Team can’t put a losing streak together.
14. Bright spot Wandell goes down with a season-ending injury.
15. Stars falter after the Olympic break and miss the playoffs.
16. Hicks again.
17. Turco dismissed.
18. Draft Gaffe Part 2: With two “sure thing” D-men to choose from who can help a patchwork blue line almost immediately, GM Joe selects…a goalie (albeit a solid one) who can’t help for two years.
19. Mo dismissed.
20. ??
Sure, I suppose there are positives to take away from several of those things. You’d have to convince this realist.