Dallas Stars broadcaster Craig Ludwig vividly remembers what was like to be Dallas Stars player Craig Ludwig. Luddy won a Stanley Cup with Hitch, and recently he joined 105.3-FM The Fan’s Shan and RJ Show to talk about what to expect from the once and future coach:
…I guess the first thing that I thought of is now I know what the Vietnam War vets mean when they talk about flashback and they wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweats. So Hitch is a guy who I think is probably needed at this time. He’s a guy who’s going to bring some structure, more structure, more balanced game to a team that has some offensive weapons.
He also provided some insight about who stands to end up on the load end of Hitch’s potentially “wearing” coaching style, and why:
“Well, the players that you’re hearing that from are the [Mike] Modanos, are the [Brett] Hulls, are the [Sergei] Zubovs. What the deal is there is I guess the guys like myself aren’t those type of players, were never going to be those type of players. They’re all Hall of Famers and he held everybody accountable. … [A]t the end of the day, not that they like it at the time, you can go down the line and you can look at guys who go in the Hall of Fame who had coaches like that, they’re the first guys they thank. They didn’t like them at the time but they made them into better players. They held them more accountable to the other rules that others have to play with.”
Check out all the highlights here. [SportsDayDFW]
There’s still time to ask NHL.com writer Sean Shapiro your Stars questions for his Friday mailbag.
Mailbag on Friday this week. Fire away with your questions on Stars players, coaches, prospects, or anything else you want answered.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) April 19, 2017
Last night:
- The Washington Capitals evened out the series with two T.J. Oshie goals and a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. [Japers’ Rink]
- Another night, another textbook Erik Karlsson pass – this time to Bobby Ryan for the only goal as Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators shut out the Boston Bruins 1-0 and take a 3-1 series lead. [Silver Seven]/
- Meanwhile, Devan Dubnyk and the Minnesota Wild staved off a sweep with a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Scottrade Center. [Hockey Wilderness]
- And the Anaheim Ducks completed their sweep of the Calgary Flames, 3-1, with Patrick Eaves opening the scoring. [Anaheim Calling]/
In awards season news, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan Kesler and Mikko Koivu are the finalists for the 2017 Selke Trophy.
Your finalists for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game are…#NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/e50ZY3ZZj9
— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2017
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has received the maximum fine for spearing San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney.
JUST IN: Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl fined $2,569.44 for spearing Sharks’ Chris Tierney, but no suspension levied. #NHL https://t.co/cdveKkzn2P pic.twitter.com/Le4UNqxa3s
— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) April 19, 2017
Ducks defender Shea Theodore shuttled between the NHL and AHL 10 times this season, but he’s coming into his own at the perfect time for the playoffs.
#NHLDucks Shea Theodore has shuttled back & forth from the minors this season, but is having a solid postseason pic.twitter.com/iDIWE0ZVhK
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 20, 2017
Puck Daddy catches up with longtime Stars PxP announcer Ralph Strangis.
Spoke with @RalphStrangis on several topics … enjoy https://t.co/9pA10eDa9x
— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) April 19, 2017
From The Hot Goalie to The Referee Robbery, Sean McIndoe describes the five types of playoff losses, and how fans deal with them. [The Hockey News]
And from Julius Honka to Matej Stransky, here’s your handy end-of-season guide to the contract status of every current player with the Texas Stars.
2017-18 Contract Status for Every Texas Star https://t.co/iE9lTT4zxn #txstars pic.twitter.com/mH5ygMbyap
— 100 Degree Hockey (@100degreehockey) April 19, 2017
The T-Stars are posting exit interviews – here’s the latest, with Brandon DeFazio.
EXIT INTERVIEWS: “I think the big points from this year is just to see how far guys have come.”
DeFazio: https://t.co/fzzSgWg0iz#txstars pic.twitter.com/ZSdIN3hc1j
— Texas Stars Hockey (@TexasStars) April 19, 2017
Finally: Leafs fans imagined how Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner drive to work after a big playoff win, with a special cameo appearance. Enjoy. [BarDown]