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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Ed Belfour and Joe Nieuwendyk’s Second Greatest Moment

If you are not reading Down Goes Brown/Grantland writer Sean McIndoe, then you are making a terrible decision. From looks back at crazy decades in hockey to rankings you wouldn’t expect or perhaps even think you wanted, his stuff is always well-worth a read.

In this case, though, his best contribution isn’t written at all. It’s the unearthing of a certain video which was apparently the Panthers‘ opening…thing, I guess, projected onto the ice just eight years ago at their first game of the year. Check out McIndoe’s recap of the video, along with an analysis of Gary Bettman’s tenure and some love for the Stars‘ Jumbotron meme usage at his Grantland article. Now, for the video:

The only things I will mention (McIndoe goes through the video in much more detail) are the two former Stars we see featured.

Ed Belfour:

What a way to begin the final season of his career. Who of the hundreds of people in the building that night in Florida would have guessed that here was a man who would go on to start a record 27 consecutive games during the season? It’s tough to tell what he’s eating, but this doesn’t exactly look like a pregame meal to me. Way to go, Eddie. Although I guess it’s more or less untouched, so perhaps he’s just humoring some fans. He always was a man of the people, was Belfour.

I would like to commission you all to provide a name and brief biography for the other gentleman seen in this screencap in the comments below. Keep it nice. It’s not like he’s Ville Peltonen or anything.

Joe Nieuwendyk:

Actually, I have absolutely nothing to add to the majesty of this picture except one more request: would somebody please please please ask Joe about this video the next time he’s scouting a Dallas game?

* * * * *

Saturday means another hockey game, so today is the best day ever, so far. So far.

Seguin missed practice on Friday, but hold up–he was sick. That is bad, because Seguin is sick, but good because it means he won’t be a healthy scratch against Nashville in favor of Tom Wandell or whoever they would use up there. [Stars]

One more recap from Thursday from Along the Boards. Some nice tidbits in there. [Along the Boards]

Michael Florek has a curiously titled piece on Jason Spezza’s game Thursday night. I have a hard time calling Spezza’s impact “bad” in any of those situations. Remember, though, the writer doesn’t always write the headline. [DMN]

Puck Daddy loved Trevor Daley’s volley Thursday night, which puts them in the same camp as everyone else in the world who loves good. [Puck Daddy]

The Morning News hockey squad continues to assemble for the season as Tim Cowlishaw looks at the peaks and valleys witnessed in game one. [DMN]

The NHL has a nice–if inferior to our own Stephen’s–look at the Texas Stars. Bask in that glory, boys. Bask, I say! [NHL]

Conference III previews the Central Division in this [redacted] writeup. [Conference III]

Evander Kane will at least miss the Jets‘ two games this weekend. “Well, I wouldn’t say he’ll ‘miss’ them, Jim.” Actually, it’s a trip to California, so yeah, he probably will. [TSN]

Michael Grabner will be doing none of that, grabbing, I mean, for a while, because, well, he had hernia surgery. A hernia is the physiological ailment most similar to excessive comma usage. [Lighthouse Hockey]

Oh, Ottawa. Only you could both decide to reveal your mascot(s) to be giant former prime ministers–not, you know, senators–and also break the law while doing it. Never change (seriously though, those mascots are right up my alley). [Ottawa Citizen]

A hot tip from an AP source–even wire services are leaking things now?–has unleashed a wave of reports that Buffalo will host the 2016 draft, which they will surely trade along with Matt Moulson to Florida in order to host the 2015 draft, during which they will lock the doors until they emerge with both Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel in their clutches. [Sporting News]

Wayne Gretzky interviewed Gordie Howe. What more do you need to know? Check this out. [TSN]

The latest female hockey player to be invited to an NHL sheet of ice is Anne Schleper, who will join Eastern Conference Champions-to-be Tampa Bay at their morning skate on Monday. [Pro Hockey Talk]

Finally, Jaromir Jagr is a hockey legend that we still have the privilege to watch. Try to ignore the color commentator who breathes loudly.

Talking Points