‘NO EXCUSES’ LEFT FOR STARS
Seguin excited about off-season splash, but now expectations are Texas-sized
Leave it to the late Pat Quinn to put into perspective the longtime notion that a hockey club is a great team on paper.
Told that his 2009 Canadian squad was exactly that heading into that year’s world junior championship, Quinn’s response at the time was a memorable one that remains with us to this day.
“That might be well and good, but you know what you use paper for, right?” the coach asked. “You wrap things in it, and you wipe things with it.”
Quinn’s message, in his usual colourful way: Being great on paper guarantees you nothing. This brings us to the Dallas Stars.
With his team having missed the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs, general manager Jim Nill cobbled together one of the finest off-seasons in recent memory, one that star forward Tyler Seguin admits has him “giddy” when it comes to what the Stars look like on paper.
The Stars’ goal crease once was known to be a gaping black hole where championship aspirations went to die. Nill addressed that issue — easily the team’s No. 1 need — by inking veteran Ben Bishop, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup final against the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015.
Once Nill was finished his retooling, Bishop was joined by newcomers such as defenceman Marc Methot and forwards Alex Radulov, Martin Hanzal, Tyler Pitlick and Brian Flynn. Overseeing the group will be incoming head coach Ken Hitchcock, who was behind the Stars’ bench for the only Cup title in franchise history in 1999.
Seguin’s enthusiasm about the moves is evident by the omnipresent grin he wears when discussing the team’s outlook for 2017-18. At the same time, he understands the futility of talking the talk if you don’t walk the walk.
“I was really happy to get a goalie of Ben’s calibre,” Seguin said Monday at the BioSteel pro hockey camp in Toronto. “And then we got Hanzal and I thought to myself: ‘That’s the forward we really needed.’ And then when you top it off with Radulov, it got me a little giddy. And to also add depth guys in Flynn and Pitlick, it got me excited to get going.
“On paper, all the X’s and O’s are as good as you can do. Every year, Jim makes a splash, (but) I don’t think he’s ever done more than he did this summer. When your GM is doing that, it gives you confidence as a player because he is telling you: ‘We’re going for this.’
“Expectations from all of us are going to be high. We’ve had these summers with the Stars organization where we — Jim — has made some big moves, but I think this may be the biggest offseason in terms of moves. I don’t know how much more we can do with X’s and O’s. It’s in our room. “There are no excuses.” Just 16 months ago, the Stars finished atop the west and came just one win shy of reaching the conference final. But an injuryplagued 2016-17 season left the Stars on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup dance, resulting in the dismissal of head coach Lindy Ruff.
“We’re all definitely hungry,” Seguin said. “I think last year we were surprised a bit. The year before, we surprised teams on the way to winning the west. Last year, I don’t think we adjusted to the way teams played us. We have to adjust too. I think it’ll start in camp with a more defensive coach and go from there.”
Expected to be slotted in as the team’s No. 1 centre (Seguin’s preferred position as opposed to the wing), the face of the franchise has already touched base with Radulov via social media. The talented ex-Hab is just one of the reasons Seguin is stoked for October to arrive.
“On paper, I’m not intimidated by any other team,” he said. “And we’ve gotten bigger too. We’ve filled all the pieces we need and now it’s time to put it together.”