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Dallas Stars Daily Links: What Makes Miro Run?

The breakout star is getting the attention he deserves from former franchise greats. Plus, how to plan a Day With the Cup during a pandemic, the Stars celebrate the Lone Star Emmys, and more.

It’s easy to see how important Miro Heiskanen is to the Dallas Stars right now. Yet how important will he turn out to be when measured against the franchise’s all-time greats?

Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika talked to some of the team’s most storied blueliners to learn more about what Heiskanen does right – i.e., more or less everything – and how he’s helping solidify the Stars’ increasingly implacable defensive corps.

Sergei Zubov is rightly heralded as the greatest defender in Stars history. He can clearly articulate the stuff of greatness Heiskanen carries, as well:

“I do think the thought process of the game is different for players like him,” Zubov said. “It slows down, you see things ahead of time. I can see that in him. His instincts are great and so a lot of things just happen for him.”...

“When you’re in that position and you have the puck a lot, then you do study things like when the players are changing or how do they like to defend, because you want to control the flow of the game and you want to make smart plays and take advantage of their errors,” Zubov said. “So you think about the length of the shift for yourself or your teammates, you think about who is on the ice. Part of that is coaching, and part of that is just your own thinking about, `How can I do this better?’”

Craig Ludwig has been keeping a close eye on Heiskanen’s playoffs performances – not just for what he’s already doing, but what it shows about his potential:

“It’s funny, that I was saying to myself watching him, `Go more, take more chances.’” Ludwig said. “You don’t usually do that with a young defenseman, but he already had a good understanding of what position he played, so he understood how far to go. To me, he always has made decisions knowing that he’s a defenseman and his first job is help keep the puck out of the net. When you have that and have an offensive flare, that’s the perfect mix.”

There’s more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

Stars Stuff

Broadcaster/legend Daryl Reaugh has won himself a Lone Star Emmy, and Jamie Benn invoked a classic Razor-ism in his congratulatory message.

There’s more good news where that came from: Stars GIF-meister Jeff Toates also won a Lone Star Emmy for his video journalism.

NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti spends a lot of time covering the Tampa Bay Lightning, but this recent article covers some familiar ground regarding Tyler Seguin.

They call him Captain America, but seriously, Joe Pavelski is some sort of superhero.

Red Peg Tees, a Dallas-area company, has your playoff gear covered – including everyone’s favorite Anton Khudobin quote (for now).

Around The League(s)

So how will the NHL see to it that the “COVID Cup” makes its rounds safely? Pierre LeBrun has some details.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a Texas connection of their own – Blake Coleman, pride of the Dallas Stars Elite program.

Guess who was one of the first people to congratulate Leon Draisaitl on his Hart Trophy? Dirk Nowitzki is just that kind of guy.

This is usually the time of year when we’re abounding in hype videos about “playing through pain.” What does the sport cost its players? TSN is taking a look.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

Can the feeder leagues do the hundreds of things on and off the ice that pandemic play will require? Stephen Meserve offers a sobering opinion piece on why the coming AHL season may just...not happen.

And if you had any doubts about how much the Texas Stars and other AHL teams have done to build this year’s Cup final , take a look at this story and infographic.

Finally

Ralph Strangis was such a huge part of Dallas’ 1999 Cup run. Now he’s in a fight of a different kind. Send some love his way.

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