You will see a lot of “Best Moments of 2015” specials in the upcoming days. Best Fails Video! Best Dekes (featuring only Blackhawks)! Best Field Goals!
I can’t lie, I am a total sucker for “Best of” videos, articles, and features. I have always wanted to make one. So today, I have put together my favorite Dallas Stars moments of 2015. This list is my personal favorite moments. I am willing and able to admit that this list may not fit your own. But as I said, I am a sucker for this stuff. Please post your favorites in the comments, and I will devour them.
The Dallas Stars have had year full of wonderful moments. Last season may have ended without a playoff berth, but fans got to see a team grow up before their eyes. Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, and Jason Demers all went through a maturation that will change the future of an entire franchise. It was a joy to behold.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best moments of Dallas Stars hockey in 2015 (in no particular order).
Tyler Seguin Nets Hat Trick in Boston
The Seguin exit from Boston is well documented. He was ridiculed and laughed out of town as a lost cause. He wasn’t good enough for the B’s. Before Seguin had ever played a game in Victory Green, he had won me over. He was a wounded man leaving Boston, and he found a home in Dallas.
Seguin’s first couple of games against the Bruins were largely uneventful. He had a huge goal in the shootout in his return, but not much to speak of in open ice.
All of that changed this year when the Stars went to Boston.
Tyler Seguin was on full display. One timers. Filthy wrist shots. What doesn’t show in the above highlight package was his back checking. His will to win and competitive spirit was on full display as he eviscerated his former team. This was a sweet memory. So many tall fingers were raised on this night.
John Klingberg beats Eddie Lack in Overtime
John Klingberg has had an incredible start to his career. His wizardry with the puck and his Superman vision paint masterpieces almost every game.
Last season it was hard not to be captivated by his ability to dance and pass. His shot was on full display in a few instances (Carolina, Ottawa), but this shot against Eddie Lack in overtime takes the cake.
At this point in the 2014-2015 season, the Stars were essentially eliminated from playoff contention reduced to the spoiler role. Watching Daley and Klingberg and the rest of his mates celebrate the goal makes my heart smile. Sue me.
Dallas Storms Back in Minnesota
In the last game of November, the Wild were hosting the Stars. The first period and the early parts of the second were a slaughterfest of all things Corsi. The Wild were dangerous. The Wild were fast. And the Stars looked tired. True story: I thought about turning this game off.
But then Minnesota started to sit back and absorb pressure. I am not sure who is the author of this quote, but it says, “do not turtle against Dallas, because they will catch you”.
The goals started and then they kept coming. After the tying goal I screamed so loud my dog wet his bed and thought his time had come. The overtime winner was so perfect, all I could do is smile. What a finish.
At the time there was a lot of discussion about the hot start in Dallas. No one seemed to believe that the team was for real. “Yeah but, MDK Division.” The Stars cant shut up all the haters with one game, but this was the first sign that the team was ready to respond to the Central Division challenge.
Curtis McKenzie Avenges Tyler Seguin
Two weeks prior to this game, Tyler Seguin was injured on a suspendable dragging of the knee by Dmitry Kulikov. The Stars were frantically trying to make up playoff ground after a slow start to the season and could ill-afford the loss of Seguin.
In the days leading up to the rematch with the Panthers I wanted blood. I wanted someone to slap a white handprint on a helmet and go eat the Panthers’ proverbial lunch. I turned on this game and my face was already red.
Call it a primal discourse for violence. Call it bloodthirsty and petty. But I wanted someone to hurt for what had happened. We all knew it was coming, it was only a matter of time.
When McKenzie and Kulikov dropped the mits, I stood from the couch. It wasn’t about whether McKenzie won or lost the fight. It was the fact that the Stars, a team with a soft reputation, had stood up for their teammate. Curtis McKenzie earned a place in my memory.
Jamie Benn Wins Art Ross
What else needs to be said?
Needing 2 points with minutes to go in the game, Jamie Benn’s hopes of an Art Ross Trophy were slipping away. Those in the crowd anxiously looked at their phones checking to see the damage done by John Tavares of the New York Islanders. The hay was in the barn for Tavares. Jamie Benn would need 87 points to hoist the trophy, and he had 85.
I was watching from behind the penalty boxes, and as soon as the high flip left Benn’s stick everyone thought it had a chance. “Benn! Benn! BENN!” The American Airlines Center erupted. It was the loudest I had ever heard that building, at least for a few minutes.
Benn had played an 8 minute shift and was exhausted. The clock was under 10 seconds but the Stars still had the puck in Nashville’s zone. The Preds tried to clear it, but Benn kept it in leading to a dunk by Cody Eakin.
The explosion of the Stars nation blew the lid off of the American Airlines Center.
This game and this moment gave fans a clue of what to expect for the next season. The selflessness, the desire, the skill, it was all on display on April 11, 2015. I am not sure if “momentum” carries over from one season to another, but it sure does feel like it has this year.
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Rooting for the Dallas Stars has been a ride the last two decades. It is times like this where we can step back and reflect on everything this team has done in the last year. They aren’t all good memories, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Please leave your comments with videos and your experience with the clip! Happy New Years to everyone.