Wednesday Links: Under Pressure

Are you a Stars fan screaming, “Let me out!”? Mike Heika contemplates giving love that one more chance. Plus, a reckoning for the Chicago Blackhawks, a new home for the Seattle Metropolitans’ banner, and more.

Didn’t we just get off this rollercoaster? The Dallas Stars have continued their previous run of nail-biting wins alternating with frustrating losses. Sometimes it’s hard to remember they’ve only played six games this season when it already looks so much like previous campaigns.

If you’ve been reading Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika for a while, you know that music often winds its way into his editorial writing. Yesterday, he used the 40th anniversary of the Queen/David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure” as a jumping-off point for a discussion of talent, ego, and the advantages of patience:

There sometimes has to be some push and pull, some internal stress, to get the creative juices flowing. There sometimes has to be trial and error. There sometimes has to be stepping up and backing off.

The Stars seem to be going through that right now.

They think they know what they want, but they aren’t collaborating. As Rick Bowness said after Monday’s game, they get 10 or 12 guys clicking on some nights, but never all 18 skaters. And then the next game, a different 10 or 12 (or eight) will be on. It’s frustrating and confusing.

Heika uses the central facts of how “Under Pressure” came to be – and how everyone involved combined their talents to create something iconic – as a metaphor for letting the Stars find their groove:

If you put the earphones in to your favorite tunes, listen to the layering of the instruments, the voices, even silly things like finger snaps or ooh oohs. Listen to how many things can come together to make one song fantastic. Listen to how everyone plays a part. Of course, you also need the producers and studio guys to make the mix perfect. You often need an outside voice to help make the right choices.

The Stars are the same way. They need the orchestrators to create a plan, and they need the players to trust each other, to find a way to blend. Bands go through all sorts of iterations in their careers. They have ups and downs, they have arguments and reconciliations. Heck, the collaboration between Bowie and Queen was a one-time thing, so this isn’t the easiest task in the world to accomplish.

There’s more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

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Stars Stuff

Game day info! Game day info, right here….

YouTube lip reader Jomboy has done some work on the Stars-Blue Jackets game, and hoo boy.

On a happier note, the Dallas Stars Foundation has just finished one of its latest projects, and everyone from Marty Turco to the Texas Stars’ Ringo was there.

Around The Leagues

#Murder Was The Case

• The Colorado Avalanche has had a difficult start, and it continued last night with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-1. [Mile High Hockey]
• The Nashville Predators celebrated the return of Juuse Saros and Eeli Tolvanen with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. [On The Forecheck]
• Matt Dumba got the game-winner and led his team in TOI as the Minnesota Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2. [Hockey Wilderness]
• And Connor Hellebuyck kept the Winnipeg Jets in the game long enough for his teammates to outscore the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3. [Arctic Ice Hockey]

The Chicago Blackhawks are being held to account for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response” in the Brad Aldrich case.

And because this was your next question…

Winnipeg may be the next team to lose its general manager over the scandal.

Of course, if you’ve done as much research as the NHL History Girl, you have more questions still.

Oh look, here’s another.

Here’s some history you’ll really like: The Seattle Kraken honored the Seattle Metropolitans as the Montreal Canadiens returned to the Emerald City for the first time in 102 years.

Speaking of the Habs, Jonathan Drouin said the quiet part out loud during a recent French-language interview. (The Predators’ salary cap says hey.)

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

If you’re heading for the Texas Stars – Rockford Icehogs game tomorrow night, the team has a favor to ask of you.

Finally

Have you seen Anton Khudobin’s new gear? …Would you like to? Enjoy.