Three Thoughts - Dallas Wins In Winnipeg
Game 1 was a tight battle until the very end, but Dallas continues to play well late.
Yes, I may be several hours away from Dallas for my daughter’s college graduation today, but if there is one thing my kids have grown up on, it is Dallas Stars hockey. Dad has always loved and been involved with this franchise since they were all born, so they know no other way. They all love the Stars to different degrees, and last night in College Station, there was a rental house tucked back in a neighborhood that was losing its mind late into a Wednesday night, with a large pack of Sturms all enjoying a valiant performance from the boys up in Manitoba. We would like to apologize to the neighbors for the noise.
I doubt anyone is unaware of this, but the growing crowds of people that join the parade game by game and round by round when one of our local teams goes on a bit of a playoff run is one of the most enjoyable elements of this time of year. Everyone gets sucked in by the excitement and becomes intoxicated with the rushes of joy and pain of the playoffs. It is all so perfect and instantly becomes a “clear your calendars for the next game” occasion with friends, family, or complete strangers you meet along the way.
When one of our teams begins to build a belief that we might have something special here, there is nothing like it. It makes it harder and harder to find a seat in whatever room the game is on, but doggone, what a pleasure that this time of year brings families together like almost nothing else—short of our holidays and maybe rare vacations. I say all of that to say that there was a moment (or five) where you catch your breath during a commercial and then appreciate how much communal enjoyment everyone gets from a hockey team that is stalking its mission over weeks and hopefully months.
In other words, this is absolutely the best right now.
Of course, just playing these games doesn’t necessarily bring the joy, because you take a few losses and the gatherings can turn the moods in the wrong direction. But when the boys are winning games—especially in hostile settings—it just makes you appreciate that we get hockey games in May to enjoy. And when one game stops and we can celebrate, the countdown begins to the next challenge. It is exhausting to watch, but imagine trying to play in it every 48 hours.
Well, last night in Winnipeg, the Stars put in a brilliant effort to win the first game of this best-of-seven series with the Jets, 3–2. For Dallas, it was that elusive Game 1 win in a series for the first time since they were in the Edmonton bubble in a Stanley Cup Final in September of 2020. They won Game 1 of that series against Tampa Bay a long time ago, but then lost the series. Since then, they have lost a bunch of Game 1s and subsequently won a bunch of series by the end. Need we remind anyone, “it is the first team to four,” so don’t get caught up in those stats that tell you “the percentage of winners of Game 1 go on to win a series” (it's about 69%, by the way).
There were no goals scored in the 3rd period, but the heart stopped a few times. And These are My Three Thoughts:
We are witnessing something that is just so special right now and I hope everyone is realizing that it is beyond the boundaries of precedent. There is literally no example of any player in the history of this sport going on a playoff heater like Mikko Rantanen is on right now. Not even Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux can claim a run of form like we have seen here with Mikko and the Dallas Stars. So, no, you should not expect this all the time from him because no human has ever done this. Enjoy it while we all can, because apparently, it did not end in Game 7 against the Avalanche. He has packed his heater for Canada, too.