For DFW area pro sports fandom, what a difference a syllable makes
With all respect to the original signer, Dinah Washington, my favorite version of “What a Difference a Day Makes” is by her namesake, sans familial relation, Ingram Washington. I have played this tune on my desktop speakers a few times over the last day since Dallas finally found a reprieve. What a difference, phonetically, one syllable makes. From months of Fire Nico, to the night Mikko Fired.
Watching local sports is supposed to be occasionally magical, and one bit of magic can buoy a city. When Mikko Rantanen decided to will the Dallas Stars to victory over his former squad, something shifted in DFW, at least for a night. In the same building where thousands of fans were chanting “Fire Nico” just a few weeks ago, tears were shed when the Stars were lifted off the mat. Near the end of the proverbial ten count, trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen fired four points in the final period on his way to a remarkable Game 7 moment.
The Colorado Avalanche decided that a franchise cornerstone was no longer worth keeping. Just days before the Dallas Mavericks shipped off their franchise player, the Avs traded Rantanen to the Carolina Panthers two weeks before the trade deadline, only to see him rerouted to the Dallas Stars – their eventual first-round opponent – just moments before the deadline passed. Funny how boomerangs work.
After a lackluster first four games, the Fin mustered 11 points in the final three games of the series, culminating in the best period a single player has ever had in a Dallas Stars jersey. Whether the Stars go on to win the Stanley Cup or not, the legend of Mikko’s night will endure in living memory around these parts.
We have heard from Nico Harrison that ‘defense wins championships’ as if he were a Teddy Ruxpin and this was the only audio queue that still worked. The trouble with that axiom is that it is only half true. Defense will lay the foundation, but superstars must rise to meet key moments, to bring the magic. Players who ooze talent are often the most criticized. Once we see flashes of cheat-code level brilliance, some folks then wonder why it is not on display every night. Why does the superstar have (gasp) flaws? Will they ever win the big one? Are they truly worth that next contract?
Mikko Rantanen was quiet in the series until he erupted in the last three games. In Game 7, he was again quiet, until he wasn’t. Will he be this good for all eight years of his new extension? Perhaps, but it is unlikely, as players rarely age without losing some modicum of effectiveness. For now, in the 2025 playoffs, the Stars have a chance to get Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen back on the ice and see how far they can take this run. When you have magic on your roster, a contract can be justified in a single season.
For the Dallas Mavericks, their wellspring of magic is gone, and he never asked to leave. The season from hell was self-inflicted by boneheaded blunders and polished off with injuries as remaining players were ground down to a fine pumice. If you are a former or long-suffering current Mavs fan and feel like we are in the wrong corner of the multiverse, you are not alone. Somewhere in the divergent quantum permutations of reality, the Mavs are prepping to take on the Thunder in the second round. Armed with Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quinten Grimes to bolster the NBA Finals roster from the previous season, the team that deserved another chance to make a run had Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic – two players who could take over a game and break the hearts of fans in other cities, just like Mikko did Saturday night inside the AAC.