Happy New Year everyone! Hard to believe it is already 2012 but I’m very excited for what is to come. Hope everyone had a great NYE, I had an amazing time (Plus my first ever NYE kiss, with my amazing boyfriend!) but now on to some hockey…
The Stars decided to come into the New Year the right way, by a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins! Here are some reasons as to why 2012 could (and hopefully) will be the year for the Stars.
- New Owner – With the help from new owner, Tom Gaglardi, the Stars seem to be slowly but surely gaining some more popularity. Now some of this may be due to the fact that the Cowboys are having (yet again) another losing season, until recently the future of the Mavs was unclear, and the Rangers came so close and yet so far two seasons in a row, but I like to think that Gaglardi’s decision to decrease ticket prices and increase special promotions has increased the accessibility of hockey to ‘non-fans’. And Gaglardi’s best decision was bringing back Jim Lites, the original president and CEO of the Dallas Stars. With this new restructuring of the Dallas Stars Executives the team, as a business, will hopefully gain some speed. This would then allow the team, on the athletic side, to finer tune some things with the game, and hopefully make the PLAYOFF’S!
- New Players – About half the team this season is new (or they keep getting moved up and/or down from the minors) but more or less half the team is new. Which, compared to previous seasons, has proven to be a great thing! Take Eric Nystrom, he has been incredible this season and he shows no signs of slowing down. Then there is Ryder who helped the Stars reign in the New Year with a win over the Bruins last night. Lastly, there is “The Fiddle”, he has been a pleasant surprise and a great asset to the team. And with the news today that Jordie Benn (brother of the amazing Jamie Benn) we may very well have another newbie on the team who can help them make it to the PLAYOFF’S!
- New Style – No doubt the biggest asset this team has going for them is the new direction of coach Gulutzan! He has spent his time and energy into molding the Stars into a stronger, more reliable team. Sure they still have their struggles, like any good team, but without looking at wins and looses the Stars have pretty good stats, and they seem to only be getting better. Gulutzan has the Stars heading in the right direction and maybe, just maybe, this season the Stars will make it back to the PLAYOFF’S!
All of these things can, and hopefully will, contribute to the Stars not only making the playoff’s but making it far! With great players new and old (Looking at you Benn!), new management, and new coaching that finally has the Stars looking like a consistent team, the Stars stand a great chance of making those Playoff’s!!
The AAC looks much more packed than it did earlier in the season!
P.S. How thankful is everyone that Lehtonen is off of injured reserve and back in the net!!!
