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WHY DALLAS WILL WIN THE STANLEY CUP
Originally posted September 22, 1998: Volume 1, Issue 3

More than a year ago, Bob Gainey contemplated leaving his post as General Manager of the Dallas Stars and moving to Toronto to join his close friend Ken Dryden. Dallas had been the second best team in the NHL in 1996-97, only to suffer a humiliating first round loss to the sub-.500 Edmonton Oilers. Gainey, however, elected to remain in Dallas. While his decision was expressed as one motivated by personal reasons, Gainey must have given much deference to an inner desire to complete what he had started in Minnesota.

The successful 1997-98 season likely did not have Gainey second guessing his decision to remain in Texas. Certainly, there was frustration in losing in six games to the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Still, the Stars made it to the final four, overcoming the embarrassment of the previous season. More importantly, with two years of playoff experience under their belts, the Stars can legitimately set their sights high. One need look no further than the Detroit Red Wings for the lesson that perennial playoff disappointment is a prerequisite to a Stanley Cup victory.

Will Mike lead the way?
Modano
Had the Stars stood pat during this off-season, nobody would have criticized them. If the team had a weakness last year, it did not manifest itself statistically. The team finished first overall in points (109), wins (49), road wins (23), goal differential (+75) and power play (20.0%); second overall in goals against (167, one more than the New Jersey Devils), and penalty killing (88.0%); and third overall in goals scored (242). The team appeared solid offensively, defensively and in goal. Behind the bench, Ken Hitchcock has established himself as one of the top coaches in the league.

The loss to Detroit, however, suggested that there was a weakness. The Stars were not as good as the Wings. Management inferred, probably correctly, that the loss of Joe Nieuwendyk for the playoffs exposed a lack of depth on offence. The Stars were unable, in his absence, to reproduce his contribution to the team. Gainey decided he needed an offensive star. The Stars' ownership, which has demonstrated a strong willingness to spend money to bring a winner to Dallas, obliged and opened the vault.

Hull shoots for a Cup
Hull
In what appeared to take the hockey world by surprise, former St. Louis Blues sniper Brett Hull signed with Dallas. Hull, known for his questionnable attitude but unquestionnable ability to put the puck in the net, came to Dallas because the Stars are close to winning it all. Though 34 years old and coming off a sub-par season, Hull is poised to elevate what is already an elite team. If, as is likely, he is teamed with Mike Modano, there is no doubt that the Dallas offence will be even better with him. With Nieuwendyk's knee making remarkable progress, Dallas will have three strong lines to complement the team with the best defence in the league.

My knee hurts
Nieuwendyk
Is the addition of Hull enough to make the Stars of 1998-99 a better team than the Red Wings? We believe that it is. A combination of factors stands to dethrone the Wings. While the Wings' offence remains intact, the team will be weaker defensively and -- to some extent -- behind the bench. Detroit lost three defencemen in the off-season -- Slava Fetisov to retirement, Dmitri Mironov and Bob Rouse to free agency. They signed Uwe Krupp to help Niklas Lidstrom. After that, however, there is the aging tandem of Larry Murphy (37) and Jamie Macoun (37), each another year older and another year slower. The remaining spots stand to be inherited by youth and inexperience: Anders Eriksson (23), Aaron Ward (25), Yan Golubovsky (22) and Jesse Wallin (20) will fight for them. It also appears that his health may force Scotty Bowman to reduce his role with the team. Though he may retain the title of head coach, Bowman will place more responsibility in the hands of his assistants. Without meaning any disrespect to them, the partial absence of the best coach in NHL history will have some impact. Finally, if it is difficult to win two consecutive Stanley Cups, it is even more difficult to win three.

Dallas has progressed to the point where it can and will have no excuses for failure. The team will need no excuses, because Bob Gainey's suffering over the past six seasons will finally earn him hockey's holy grail. Hockey.Ontheweb boldly predicts that the Dallas Stars will be the 1998-99 Stanley Cup Champions.

[Photos courtesy of the Neutral Zone Hockey (formerly the Hockey Image Archive).]

Post Script: The Dallas Stars did indeed win the Stanley Cup in June, 1999.