Later this week, Plano’s Seth Jones will undoubtedly become the most famous and highly-touted NHL draft pick to call the DFW Metroplex his home. Last year, however, Flower Mound’s Chris Brown beat him to the NHL, an honor that was officially recognized by the city council earlier this month.
Seth Jones will join the ranks of Austin Smith, Stefan Noesen, Blake Coleman, Colton Hargrove, Colin Jacobs, and Chris Brown when he is selected in the first round of the NHL draft in New Jersey. At the celebration in Flower Mound, Brown was also read proclamations from the Texas congress, an honor that wasn’t lost on him.
“I’ve won gold medals and CCHA tournaments and played in the Frozen Four, but to be honored by your hometown and recognized by the state of Texas as a pioneer of youth hockey here means so much to me.” [DMN]
Even though the Dallas Stars themselves failed to make the playoffs once again last season, that doesn’t mean their bevy of prospects failed to get valuable playoff experience on their respective teams. Hockey’s Future takes a look at the depths of the Stars prospect pool, and tells us just how they fared in their respective post-season runs. [Hockey’s Future]
With all the changes that have already occurred, and all those that have been promised on the horizon, what does that mean for two of the longest tenured members of the Stars organization? SportDFW takes a look at Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas, and asks if this is perhaps the end of the road for them in green and black. [SportDFW]
New bench boss of the Dallas Stars, Lindy Ruff, is still making his rounds across the media landscape of the Metroplex, this time appearing on The Ticket’s BaD Radio with Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell. As always, Mark Stepneski has it recorded for those of us that missed it. [Inside Edge]
With John Tortorella finally landing in Vancouver, it appears as though the coaching carousel is finally slowing to a crawl. It looks like former Dallas Stars head coach, Glen Gulutzan, might be on the verge of landing a job with the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies… a post recently left vacant by Dallas Eakins, who took the Edmonton Oilers job. [Rotoworld]
Speaking of the Oilers, Craig MacTavish talks about his plans for the off-season. He says that the team plans to be very active on draft day, and would rather trade assets than buy anyone out. He also is very open to the idea of using the team’s multiple second round selections as currency to get what the Oilers need. [Canada.com]
The NHL’s Vezina Trophy winner, Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is garnering interest from his homeland, giving him a little more options and negotiating clout in his quest for a new deal in the NHL. The KHL has a substantial offer on the table for the goaltender, and you have to wonder how likely they may be to steal away his services. [Columbus Dispatch]
His former goaltending partner in Philadelphia, Ilya Bryzgalov, is a buy-out casualty for the Flyers. The Flyers announced that Bryzgalov would not be retained beyond the NHL’s buy-out period, making him the most expensive buy-out in the history of the league. The 700 Level asks if this was the worst NHL contract of all-time. [700 Level]
The Globe and Mail speculates on if the Bryzagalov news might force the hand of the Vancouver Canucks to finally do something about their on-going goaltender controversy side-show, and find a new home for Roberto Luongo. [Globe and Mail]
I’m not much of a fan of basketball… specifically Miami Heat basketball… but I thought this was a neat little article from the Associated Press. The parallels between the NBA Champion Heat and the NHL’s Champion Chicago Blackhawks are striking. [Associated Press]
Today’s video is short and sweet, and in honor of the newly unemployed Ilya Bryzgalov. There are a million famous quotes to choose from, but I will go with this one because I’d never seen it before. Is Bryz intimidated by the Pittsburgh Penguins? No. Of course not. He is only afraid of a bear in the forest. Duh.