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Dallas Stars Daily Links: How The Blackout Happened

The Athletic goes behind the scenes at the birth of the Stars’ new third uniform. Plus, Honka takes the ice in Finland, Hockey Fights Cancer no matter the season, and more.

The Dallas Stars are no strangers to polarizing third jerseys. The 2003 “Taurus” design better known as the Mooterus is a sweater you can still see when you close your eyes. Never mind its recent elevation to cult status, it certainly ranks as one of the worst thirds not just in Stars history, but in NHL history.

So how did the Stars put together their first official third uniform since 2006?

The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf and Sean Shapiro have posted a peek behind the curtain at the Blackout. They reveal that the team knew exactly what it wanted – and, perhaps more importantly, what it didn’t want:

The goal was to create something new and something “futuristic.” The team didn’t want to take the existing uniform and logo and simply change the colors to neon on black. Three guiding points that came out of that first meeting in December of 2018 were: 1. Radically modern 2. Next generation 3. Screw the rules. The Stars submitted those, among other points, to Adidas to emphasize how open they were to different ideas.

There were also two non-starters. Absolutely be no laces and no historical references to previous Dallas sweaters or the franchise’s prior existence in Minnesota.

The Stars may have been up for breaking the rules with the new design, but there are definitely regulations to uphold now that they’re ready to wear:

The NHL rule for third alternate jerseys is they must be worn 12 to 15 times each season for three years. Teams can petition to extend the jerseys beyond the three years, but they are at least locked in through the 2022-23 season. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season, the jersey could end up being worn less often than the mandated number.

These jerseys are typically worn at home, but the Stars can request another team to wear it on the road. That is a matter of team-to-team communication and preference; there is no league mandate either way.

There’s more behind the paywall. [The Athletic DFW]

Stars Stuff

Julius Honka will probably be back in Texas by the time training camp rolls around. In the meantime, he’ll be logging ice time with Liiga’s Lahti Pelicans.

Around The Leagues

We may still be waiting for the season to start, but cancer never sleeps.

There’s at least one heckin’ good free-agent forward still on the market. Where will Mike Hoffman land?

The Asia League is back on the ice, and Utah Grizzlies forward Yuri Terao is thrilling his hometown fans  – and working toward an NHL debut.

What is it with Canada and elected officials named Ford? The Ontario premier is taking time out of his busy schedule to stump for MOAR HITS in the junior leagues.

Finally

Same here, same everywhere. Enjoy, if you can.

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