Comments / New

Dallas Stars Daily Links: Mike Heika Discusses Colton Sceviour’s Future, Stars’ Competitive Attitude

Before you tune in to watch the Stars face the Flames tonight, read up on the latest insight from Mike Heika. From the stability of the goaltending situation to Travis Moen’s future with the team, Heika answered all of your pressing questions in his regular chat.

He also talked about the Stars’ attitude this season and how the team’s newest additions have affected it.

Question: During Tyler Seguin’s first year here, he said the Stars had to learn to “hate to lose” after a loss. Boston had that attitude. Do you think the Stars are learning that finally? And if so, what is driving that?

Heika: I do think they have that attitude. It would be easy to say Jamie Benn is the leader. He has been here longer than any other player, and he has been through the down years, so you can sense his motivation. But everyone has his own story. Seguin talks about losing in the Stanley Cup finals and how it was one of the worst feelings ever. Sharp and Oduya are coming from a team that has been through it all. Antti Niemi seems extremely competitive. I think it is something that they’re sharing, and something that is magnified by the fact they know how good this team can be.

Heika also addressed how Colton Sceviour factors into the Stars’ plans for the future.

Question: What your thoughts are on Colton Sceviour? He seems like the one player on the team I never hear anything about. Plus with so many young forwards knocking on the door in Cedar Park, do you think Sceviour deserves a spot more than they do?

Heika: I think he’s actually been pretty good when given the minutes. I think you could get into a big debate on whether the team would be better with Faksa or Shore over Hemsky more than you could over Sceviour. But I get your point. Here’s the deal: You make your roster in the summer and that is going to paint you into certain corners. Sceviour is on a one-way contract, he has earned his opportunity with the organization, and he does his job pretty well. So, because of that, guys like Faksa and Shore have to wait, even if they might make the team better. …

There’s plenty more at the link, so be sure to check it out. [SportsDayDFW]

Welcome to December, everyone. The Stars kick off the month by facing the Flames tonight at 8 p.m. [Stars Inside Edge]

In case you missed it yesterday, Jamie Benn was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk were the second and third stars, respectively. [NHL]

Good news on the Kari Lehtonen front:

Tyler Seguin makes scoring goals on the road look easy. In fact, 11 of his 13 tallies this year have come away from home ice. [SportsDayDFW]

Do power rankings actually mean anything? Of course not. Is it still fun to be No. 1? You betcha. [ESPN]

Over at The Hockey Writers, Ed Sarno says Jamie Benn is the best in the hockey business. [THW]

If you didn’t have a chance to listen to Tyler Seguin’s weekly radio spot, the audio is up and just waiting for you to hit play. [BaD]

The Habs provided a status update on Carey Price and called up Zachary Fucale.

Here’s a fun look at the average attendance at the 10 arenas around the country where both NBA and NHL teams play. The American Airlines Center is doing pretty well for itself. [The Denver Post]

As the debate continues over whether the league is doing enough to prevent late and dirty hits, Sean McIndoe reminds us that—if nothing else—the NHL has come a long way from where it used to be. [ESPN]

Derek Stepan will be out 4-6 weeks after suffering broken ribs from a Matt Beleskey hit. [Rangers]

I’m sorry to bring up the Cowboys, but the recovering Connor McDavid also watched on as Tony Romo re-injured his collarbone. [Sportsnet]

Garret Sparks made his NHL debut last night against the Oilers, which went surprisingly well for the Maple Leafs goalie.

You can watch Sparks’ emotional reaction to his win here.

If you’re in need of a Christmas present for a fellow hockey fan (or for yourself), Russian Machine Never Breaks can help you out with that. [Teespring]

In Washington, Russian center Evgeny Kuznetsov is making a name for himself. [The Hockey News]

CTV’s W5 and a group of former players have petitioned for the right to view NHL internal documents and emails—many of which have been redacted—concerning head trauma. [TSN]

Go ahead and get your ballots ready. The NHL All-Star fan vote starts today. I can think of a few familiar faces who excel at 3-on-3 who you might like to send to Nashville. [NHL]

And finally, I’ll leave you with this:

Talking Points