The Ice Breaker Event held yesterday was a huge success thanks to the fans who showed up to support the team. With the practice being held in front of so many people, it was a real chance for fans to see how this team is coming together, and what kind of work still needs to be done. And while some areas of the game look strong, there is always room for improvements in others. The problem is the lack of time in which they can work on those issues.
A one week training camp with no preseason games does not leave a lot of wiggle room when practicing. The best that can be done is for the coaches to draw up an attack plan for the week, and hope that they can fit all of it in. Up to this point, Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan feels like they have at least accomplished what they set out to do.
“We’ve accomplished our agenda to date. We’re right on task with what we wanted to do,” Gulutzan said. “There’s a few things we are going to sneak in Saturday morning when we do our pregame skate. We covered things quickly. With five days, obviously, you have to. We’ll be prepared come Saturday.”
Gulutzan said the biggest challenge with a short camp has been prioritizing what’s important.
The biggest item that probably cannot just be squeezed into camp is the synergy between the players. With so much turnover from last year, it might be difficult this season to read what a linemate is thinking during a game time situation. That only comes with getting to know that player both on and off the ice, and getting a chance to see their decision making in real time. With Jamie Benn having missed out on training camp, he missed valuable time to get to play with Jage, Whitney, and other potential linemates. Hopefully, when he returns, he will be able to adapt quickly. Time will only tell.
Coming up in the days links: More news about the hiring of Modano, Turco, and Recchi, an open letter to the Edmonton Oilers, and the NHL apologizes — again.
- Mike Heika goes into greater detail about Modano’s plans with the team. I think it’s a great move bringing him in to recruit business for support. It’s something that hasn’t been done around here for a long time. [Dallas News]
- Recchi, who is part owner of the Kamloops Blazers with Gaglardi, One tidbit that’s interesting here is that during free agency, Recchi played a role in bringing more than just Jaromir Jag to the team. [Stars Inside Edge]
- Tom Gaglardi also talked about how the public outcries of the fans helped to shape how the new jerseys will look. So, for all of those who voiced their opinions here and elsewhere — thank you! [Dallas News]
- Todd Maternowski has an open letter to the Edmonton Oilers, letting them know what kind of player they have received in Mark Fistric. [Thursday Morning Cup Check]
- If I had a team to pick to keep an eye on this year besides the Stars, it would definitely be the Blues. Some people think they will actually be contending for the cup this year. [ESPN]
- Katie Baker takes some time to lay out all of the story lines to watch for across the NHL. If any of it interests you, perhaps you should think about Center Ice or Game Center Live to watch the other teams play. After all, the Stars only play every other night. What else are you going to do while they’re traveling? [Grantland]
- Will anything in the Western conference actually matter this season? The East Coast Bias is likely to be strong this year. [Puck Daddy]
- The NHL apparently took out a full page ad in newspapers across North America in order to apologize to fans, which leaves me with two questions. How many people actually still read print newspapers? And why does this apology not seem all that sincere to me? [Puck Daddy]
- If you haven’t watched the interviews from the press conference at the American Airlines Center yesterday, you should definitely head over to the Stars website, and catch them. Below is the istatement from Tom Gaglardi about what he’s done with the team, and his plan for the future. As a bonus, watch for the question that gets sprung on him around the 5:45 mark.