Boredom Buster Part II

I’m not done yet.  I still have a few more Mean Girls-Stars pictsures up my sleeve.

Here…we…go…

Ribs isn’t exactly popular, but people are jealous of him.

Too true.  But I still think I like him and his antics.

I don’t know why I chose that quote for this particular photo, but I think it’s Mike Green’s fault.

I love them both. 

I miss you, Zubie.

This is actually a Glee quote.

That’s not a Mean Girls quote, but since it’s Jack Campbell, I decided to include it.

Speaking of Jack, he’s on Twitter now @JCampbell921.  Follow him because he’s awesome.

Boredom Buster

Anyone who follows me on Twitter probably knows that I love Mean Girls, and that I’ve been making Stars-Mean Girls photos to entertain myself.  I figured they’d make a cute little post, so I’ll put ’em up.  Some have been seen, others have not.  Enjoy…

P.S. I hope y’all appreciate the hilarity of the picture of Crawford up top.

Those two are adorable.  I love them.

It’s so cute when the young’uns fight.

Ah, Loui, you’re a good ol’ Swede.

I have more, and I’ll share them with you all on another boring day.  Feel free to use the images above; you have my permission.  Just say where you got them.

And have a happy Thursday!

Why Can’t We Be Friends…

Over at Battle of California, an amusing little blog, commenters named their top 5 most loved and most hated teams.  I’m a list junkie, so I thought I’d throw one together and share it with the world.

My Top 5 Most Loved Teams…

1. Dallas Stars.  Duh.

2. Washington Capitals.  They might choke in the playoffs, but they’re the most exciting team in the league.  Plus, I have this irrational love of Alex Ovechkin and his BFFs, Nicky Backstrom and Sasha Semin.  The Caps are my fall-back team, and I support them on the Stars’ off-nights.

3. Chicago Blackhawks.  I’ve really embraced the Hawks this year.  I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re just so likeable.  From 20 Cent to Captain Serious to the handsome Patrick Sharp, they’re a mixed bag.  Sadly, they’re only half the team they once were.  Now I might have to root for the Atlanta Blackhawks.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning.  I loved B-Rad and his besties, Vinny Lecavalier and my munchkin, Marty St. Louis, back in their Cup year and I still love them. I’m glad that they’re getting better because I really do like them. 

5. Carolina Hurricanes.  My fifth most favorite team is kind of a default.  in case y’all didn’t know, Jussi Jokinen is one of my favorite former Stars ever.  I follow him more so than others partly because I have an easier time rooting for the Canes than, say, Nik Hagman and the Flames.

The 5 Least-Loved…

1. Pittsburgh Penguins. I don’t like teams that get a lot of concessions from the league, like the Bettman Penguins.  My hatred of the Pens is part jealousy, part anger.  I’m jealous that they were able to snag Crosby and malkin because of the lockout.  I’m jealous that they always seem to win everything.  I’m jealous that they have Sidney Crosby.  The anger stems from 1991 and 2009 when they beat a couple of my teams.  I just don’t like them.

2. Anaheim Ducks.  They’re a division rival, and even though we seem to beat them a lot, I still can’t bring myself to like them.  The Ducks are a dirty team with the likes of Chris Pronger, Corey Perry, James Wisniewski, et cetera.  I think the only players I like on Anaheim are George Parros and Jonas Hiller.  I love Teemu Selanne, but his future remains up in the air.

3. Vancouver Canucks.  Alain Vigenault is a whiner.  His whining about every little call irks me to enormous levels.  Then I don’t like Luongo and his arrogance or Burrows and his pestiness.  Plus, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive them for 2007.  Ever.

4. Ottawa Senators.  Part of the hate comes from my masochistic love of the ?Leafs.  By default, I guess I’m supposed to hate the Sens.  And I do.  I can’t even explain why I don’t like them; I guess there are just teams that do that to you.

5. Team Canada.  I have nothing against the country or anything, but I do not like Team Canada’s hockey teams.  It’s no fun watching them win every gold medal that comes their way.  The 2010 World Jr.’s (starring Jack Campbell!) were sweet, sweet revenge.

So.  That’s it.  Back to hockey withdrawal…

Help Wanted, Defensemen Edition

Wanted: a full-time number-one defensemen for the Dallas Stars

Experience: minimum of five years in the NHL; maximum of 15 (sorry, Chelios)

Skills: ability to make smart decisions; good puck handling skills; the ability to make a defensive play without looking like a deep in the headlights; in other words, the opposite of Matt Niskanen

Are you an NHL defensemen who’s unhappy with your team?  Well, the Dallas Stars might be able to help.  Needed is a defensemen who can take over where Sergei Zubov left off two years ago.  Besides, who wouldn’t love to be number-one?

The job is full-time, 82 nights a year (and possibly more if you do your job correctly!) with an excellent salary.

Call 214-GO-STARS if interested and ask for Joe Nieuwendyk.  Please don’t ask for Brett Hull; he’s not right in the head when it comes to important stuff like this.

Welcome Back, Brad Lukowich!

I cannot express how happy I am about this signing.  It’s so great to have a former Star back, especially a guy like Brad Lukowich.  Plus, it gives us one last player to hold onto as a remaining player from 1999, even though he left and came back.  But whatever.

This signing is sooooooo good on different levels.  For the Dallas Stars, we get a reliable defenseman who’s familiar with the city and will step up and be a leader.  For the Baby Stars, we get an excellent replacemement for the recently departed Dan Jancevski, Garrett Stafford, and Andrew Hutchinson.  It’s a win-win situation because Lukowich has a two-way contract.

I have nothing but good things to say about this, and I really, really hope that Lukowich gets to play in the NHL this season.  A lot.

Plus he’s physical.  What’s not to love about Being Brad Lukowich?

The Stuff of Heroes

Darryl Sydor announced his retirement today, and he will be joining the Houston Aeros as an assistant coach.  Obviously, the most memorable moment of Sydor was his injury in the 2000 Cup finals:

The announcer said it best, I think:

You will see that shot until hell freezes over, and as long as the Stanley Cup is awarded.  You will see that shot of Darryl Sydor crawling to the net anytime someone asks what the Stanley Cup is all about.

That moment also made way for my favorite ad of the 2008 Believe campaign:

One thing I loved about Sydor was how he always came back to Dallas somehow.  Three stints.  One Cup.  Not bad at all.  He was very reliable and I love him to death.  Whether it was shotblocking or being Matt Niskanen’s babysitter, Sydor was always there, and I’ll miss him.

Sydor will always be one of my favorite Dallas Stars, and I thank him for all the years of service.

Priorities…

So James Neal still hasn’t been re-signed.  Neither has Nick Grossman.  With Hjalmarsson signing an offer sheet from San Jose today, I’m a teensy bit worried. 

Those so-called “experts” say that there’s nothing to worry about because losing an RFA to an offer sheet is, like, really rare.  Bullshit.  I’ll be worried about those two until they’re both re-signed.  Admittedly, I’m more concerned with Neal than Grossman, but that’s mostly because Neal is very appealing to other teams.  You know, teams with money.

GM Joe needs to hurry up and sign Nealer and Nicky because this is getting very worrisome.  I’m not even going to mention Niskers and Bunny.  No offense, but they’re irrelevant to this team moving forward.

If Neal doesn’t come back, I won’t be able to make fun Mean Girls-inspired pictures of him.  That would be a damn shame.

Mo-Town or Bust.

Not very any Stars fans are pleased about the recent news that it’s Red Wings or retirement for #9.  I’m in the minority on this one.  From the second Joe announced he wouldn’t resign Modano, I knew that the only team I was okay with Mo going to was the Red Wings.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting him play in his hometown.  I say hometown because Detroit’s not his home.  Dallas is and will always be Mike Modano’s home.  Livonia, Michigan is just where it started, and I have no problem with letting his career come full circle with his last season as a hometown favorite.

Detroit actually has sentimental meaning to Mo, unlike Chicago or someone.  I’d rather that he play in a place with meaning than a place where he just wants to win.

Of course, he might retire.   But that seems unlikely to me.

Whatever decision Mo chooses, I will support him in.  All I want is for him to be happy.

Mike Modano, circa 1986

Hey Howdy Hey

We have two new Dallas Stars: Adam Burish and Andrew Raycroft!  I’m actually pretty happy about these signings, to be honest.  Burish is a natural right wing, so he can fill the void if Lehtinen leaves, and we got Raycroft for cheap.

You know those times last year when Steve Ott looked like he wanted someone to join him in his evil plots?  Yeah, it didn’t happen much, did it?  With Burish, that sort of behavior won’t be as common.  He and Otter are in the same mold and can be evil little bastards for us next season.

As for Raycroft, I get this confusing mixed reaction.  On the one hand, I get positive comments from Canucks fans, but Leafs fans are anything but kind.  However, I think this is a good signing.  He has a two-way contract for the first year, so he and Brent Krahn can compete for the backup position. 

I guess we’d all better go and pick out our spots for the Cup parade next June, because this team is gonna be a winner. 

Right? 🙂

The Poster Boys

For quite a few years, I’ve had a poster hanging in my room beside my bed.  This poster has three beloved guys on it: Mike Modano, Marty Turco, and Sergei Zubov.  I looked at this poster the other day, shortly after the news broke that we wouldn’t be resigning Modano, and felt a dagger go through my heart.  I realized that all of the guys on my poster were no longer Dallas Stars.  It’s really a sad time in Stars history.  The “poster boys” are all gone…