Sign in Subscribe
Front Page

Dallas Stars Daily Links: Hockey is Back (Sort of)

Training camp begins today — about two weeks later, we’ll have meaningful hockey games again. Plus, what to keep an eye on for the Stars’ camp, some new head coaches around the league, and more.

Four months after the NHL season was suspended due to COVID-19, hockey is finally back!... sort of. We don’t have any games to watch just yet, but training camp is under way. After months of conjecture of how a return-to-play would look, we’re finally seeing it in action.

The Dallas Stars have 35 different players participating in the start of training camp, and there are some legitimate opportunities for some previously non-NHL players such as Jason Robertson or Thomas Harley to make the cut:

The Stars don’t have any players or coaches opting out save for Roman Polak. The verteran defenseman voiced his desire to remain in the Czech Republic about a month ago, and his agent recently confirmed that he is officially opting out:

One of the concerns Polak had with returning was that he didn’t believe that, at his age, could get back up to NHL-speed after just two weeks of NHL training camp. It’s an interesting point to keep in mind given the Stars are a bit older team as a whole — will the team start slow out of the gate, or will they benefit from several months of rest?

Only one way to find out.

Stars Stories

What else should you keep an eye on this training camp? Mike Heika gives his thoughts:

Sean Shapiro talks a bit about what the Stars will be missing with Polak opting out of the postseason:

There’s been a little shuffle in the Stars’ front office as of last Friday:

Around the League

The Minnesota Wild have their new head coach, giving Dean Evason a two year extension:

And while it’s not official yet, former Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is going to be the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils:

If you were annoyed by “lower body injury,” then you don’t have to worry anymore — we won’t be receiving any injury information this postseason:

Something else that will irritate you: teams participating in a play-in series are considered to have made the playoffs, but not for the sake of player bonuses, trade conditions, and pretty much anything else.

Will hockey be the same without fans in the stands? Maybe, but probably not:

Finally, it looks like the NHL will be fully leaning into fake crowd noise:

Unfortunately, that won’t be including, “Who cares?” much to the disappointment of Stars fans everywhere.

Read next