Dallas Stars Daily Links: Seguin, Dickinson Join Reaves, Lehner in Kneeling for Anthems
The four players joined together for a powerful statement last night. Plus, analyzing last night’s loss, whether or not “defense wins championships,” and more.
Before last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Ryan Reaves spoke briefly with Tyler Seguin. He told him that he and teammate Robin Lehner were going to kneel during both the American and Canadian anthems, and asked Seguin if he wanted to join.
Seguin agreed, and the three along with Jason Dickinson joined together for a powerful pre-game moment:
“Before the game, I went into the dressing room and told everyone what I was doing,” Seguin said. “Told them there was absolutely no pressure to do anything. Dickinson grabbed me and said he’d like to be a part of it, and support his beliefs and my beliefs, and support me as a teammate.”
Seguin and Dickinson said they weren’t sure if they would kneel during future Dallas Stars game, emphasizing that tonight was about making a statement and lending their support to Reaves and Lehner. Their hope is that their actions will inspire others to open their minds and think hard about some serious issues:
“Black Lives Matter, equality, justice. You can pick the term, it doesn’t really matter,” Dickinson said. “I don’t need to sit here and take a stab at all issues. Just educate yourself, look into things, watch documentaries, talk to people. Just learn, try to open your mind a little bit, and this is a big issue that needs to be addressed.”
You can read more from Matthew DeFranks here.
Stars Stories
Here are some additional quotes from the players, including those from Lehner and Reaves:
"When you see one of your brothers doing that, you want to support him."@seanshapiro and @JesseGranger_ with the story behind Tyler Seguin, Ryan Reaves, Robin Lehner and Jason Dickinson kneeling for both anthems.https://t.co/Dzdq5vnMks
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) August 4, 2020
Onto the game — the Stars ultimately lost 5-3 to the Golden Knights after blowing a 3-1 lead:
Stars simply bested by better team in round-robin loss https://t.co/PufJyWsd12 via @NHLdotcom
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) August 4, 2020
Sean Shapiro takes a deep dive into the Stars’ “turtling” efforts in his 20/20 of the game:
It would be be Dallas Stars hockey without drama and a little turtling. The 20/20 from disappointing loss that extended a losing streak that has now spanned three different phases of games https://t.co/Ik851fnTLV
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) August 4, 2020
Around the League
Say what you will about a 24 yeam playoff system, but it sure does serve up a lot of hockey for us to watch:
- An Andrei Svechnikov hat trick propelled the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers, giving them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
- Not to be outclassed, Connor McDavid scored a hatty of his own, and the Edmonton Oilers tied their series against the Chicago Blackhawks with a 6-3 win.
- It’s Revenge of the Fifths, as the Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-1 over the Montreal Canadiens to tie up their series as well.
- And, as if to make the Rangers feel extra lonely, the Winnipeg Jets also tied up their series with the Calgary Flames with a 3-2 victory.
- Finally, we had our first taste of overtime action in the playoffs postseason whatever you want to call it, as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in the shootout./
Back to Svechnikov briefly — let’s just say he was the 2nd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft for a reason:
"I think I'm playing the hard game, and that's why I'm scoring goals."
— Matt Larkin (@THNMattLarkin) August 3, 2020
Oh boy. Andrei Svechnikov unlocked God Mode today. If he's ready to play like a superstar, the Hurricanes are true Stanley Cup contenders.
Story after Game 2: https://t.co/QUNk93Xmeu pic.twitter.com/GbibXjgIH2
Is defensive hockey truly the best way to go in the playoffs? Survey says yes, and the stats might agree:
Offence or defence: What matters more in a playoff series? I looked at playoff series from the past decade featuring top offensive teams facing off against top defensive teams to help answer the question.https://t.co/xFbhXTpUZG
— dom luszczyszyn (@domluszczyszyn) August 4, 2020
Finally, here’s a deep dive into the history of the NHL’s charge for racial equality:
To see where the NHL's push for racial equality is going, let's examine its humble beginnings.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) August 4, 2020
The story of the NHL Diversity Task Force, a 1990s program that brought Willie O'Ree back to hockey and remains an influence on today's activist players.https://t.co/uY32aqXc7d