Trey

The odd-man rush vulnerability is the one thing that concerns me for the playoffs. Fast teams like Colorado and Edmonton can burn through the neutral zone trap. If teams figure out pace beats the system, we are in trouble.

Vegas is the splurge option. T-Mobile Arena pregame show with the medieval knight theme is ridiculous and amazing. Hockey in the desert at its finest.

The STARS chant during the anthem never gets old. I have been going to games for 15 years and it still gives me chills every time. First-time visitors always look around in shock when it happens.

Deflection goals going from 2 to 11 shows the impact of net-front presence. Putting a big body in front of the goalie creates chaos. Rebounds, deflections, and screens all lead to goals.

Mesero for pre-game dinner is solid but get a reservation for Saturday games. Walk-in wait times on a weekend game night can be 45+ minutes.

Katy Trail Ice House before a Stars game is a tradition at this point. The outdoor beer garden filled with green jerseys on a crisp winter night is perfect. Cold beer, hockey talk, then walk to the game.

The depth defenseman for a fourth-round pick is the kind of low-cost, high-impact move that good front offices make. Right-shot D who can play physical hockey in the playoffs? Sign me up.

Texas being the 7th-largest state for youth hockey is a stat that would have been laughable in 1993. The Stars franchise deserves enormous credit for investing in grassroots development rather than just focusing on the NHL product.

Going from 2,000 youth players to 18,000 in 30 years is remarkable growth. In a state with no natural ice and no hockey tradition, the Stars organization built this from nothing. The StarCenter investment was critical.

STH Facebook groups are the secret. Season ticket holders who cannot make a game will sell below face value just to recoup something. I have gotten $100 seats for $50 multiple times.

Jere Lehtinen with 3 Selke Trophies does not get enough recognition outside of Dallas. He was the best defensive forward in the league for half a decade and could score too. The complete player.

The 1999 and 2020 playoff runs both had elite goaltending. Belfour at .930 and Khudobin at .917 carried their teams. That is the baseline for a deep Stars playoff run.

Goaltending is THE position in hockey playoffs. Nothing else matters if your goalie is not stopping pucks. The starter needs to be .916 or better for us to have a chance in a 7-game series.

The physical play in those late-1990s series would get half the players suspended under today is rules. It was a different era. And it was glorious.

Top-10 in cap efficiency is a real accomplishment. It means the front office is finding undervalued players, developing prospects, and making smart trades. Not every team can do that consistently.

The logarithmic decibel scale explanation is important. 115 dB is not just a little louder than 105 dB. It is perceived as approximately TWICE as loud. The AAC during a Stars playoff game is genuinely painful to your eardrums. I wear earplugs now and I am not ashamed.

The Texas Stars AHL affiliate is doing good work developing players. The jump from AHL to NHL is real but having a well-run development league team matters.

The top forward prospect is going to be a player. 68 points in 58 AHL games at age 22 is legitimately dominant. He should make the team out of camp next year and play top-6 minutes.

I started playing hockey in Plano because I watched Modano when I was 8 years old. There are thousands of us — kids who became hockey fans because of one player in a football state.

Nieuwendyk winning the Conn Smythe was deserved but Belfour was equally valuable. A .930 save percentage in the playoffs is elite. He was the reason Dallas survived the Colorado series.

Playoff hockey at AAC is the loudest sporting event in DFW. I have been to Cowboys games, Mavs games, Rangers games — nothing touches a Stars playoff game for noise level. The building vibrates.

The power play adjustment in November was the turning point of the season. Going from 18% to 24% on the PP is massive. That is an extra goal every 4-5 power plays. It adds up over a season.

The World Series shutout shifted momentum permanently. After that game, Arizona had no answer.

A 1.14 ERA across 4 postseason starts is unreal. Some pitchers are built for October.

The autograph tip is legit. My kids got signatures from 5 players last March. Players are relaxed and willing in spring training.

Health monitoring is quietly the most valuable application. Keeping pitchers healthy saves tens of millions in replacement costs.