Dallas Stars Can Return Insult Kiss With Kiss Of Death
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars were demoralized in a number of ways last night, including having a kiss blown in the direction of their bench. If they are a competent team, they will send the kiss right back.
Whether you are six or 60, you have probably seen or at least heard of the 1993 movie The Sandlot. It is considered an American classic, and is basically a required film to watch for every child who even slightly enjoys sports.
Upon watching it the other day, I revisited the hilarious roasting war scene that happened between the ragtag team from the Sandlot and the organized, proper team from an actual league. This scene has been used at countless sporting events in order to intimidate and hype up the crowd, including at some Dallas Stars games.
Throughout the harsh word battle, the teams trade verbal assaults back and forth with each other. Names such as moron, scab-eater, and puss-licker are exchanged, and they eventually agree to settle it in a baseball game. Eventually, the sandlot squad trounces the association team on their own field in a good old-fashioned routing.
It’s funny how quickly a cocky, arrogant challenge can end up biting someone in the tail. But what makes arrogance from one party so hated that it causes the other party to rally, and even improve oddly enough, and shove it back down the original aggressor’s throat?
It can be blamed on human nature. Whenever one is challenged, it’s obvious that they want to fire back and crush the opponent. Anyone would, and someone who refuses would be considered crazy or, for lack of a better word, a “sissy.”
The Dallas Stars were called out and challenged on multiple different occasions on Tuesday night in St. Louis. Going into game three against the Blues, the Stars took a tremendous shot as they folded at the knees in a 6-1 routing, giving St. Louis the 2-1 series advantage and plenty of momentum to use in game four on their home ice.
They lost, but that is not what the Stars need to focus on. While they can look for the flaws in their play and practice to improve upon them, there was a confrontation that occurred towards the end of game three that can serve as the Stars’ biggest momentum builder for game four.
With 3:01 remaining in the game and a commanding 5-1 lead, the Blues and Stars once again intertwined in a physical bout after play was whistled dead. Stephen Johns delivered a jarring hit to Alex Pietrangelo and sent him into the boards. This caused a congregation of Blues and Stars’ players, and Curtis McKenzie decided that he was ready to go.
McKenzie dropped the gloves and duked it out with Ryan Reaves as the referees continued trying to break up the numerous scuffles going on around them. Reaves had been an irritator all game against Dallas (as he is in every game), and McKenzie finally decided to call him out on it. Reaves responded by taking McKenzie down after a few swings and heading to his locker room for the remainder of the game.
But on his way off the ice, he made sure to acknowledge the Dallas Stars’ bench with a humiliating gesture. Just check out the gif below if you missed the game last night.
If you do not already know, Ryan Reaves does not fit the definition of a hockey player. By that, I mean that in the past two seasons, he has played 145 regular season games and tallied 16 points along with a -9 rating. In other words, he is the Blues’ enforcer, and nothing more. He has dished out 482 hits in the last two years along with serving 184 penalty minutes.
It was a demoralizing gesture by Reaves that burned deep in the souls of all the Dallas Stars’ faithful. But now they have an opportunity to turn that kiss of insult into a kiss of death.
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This is motivation at its finest. Whenever the Stars take the ice throughout the rest of this series, they will be reminded of Reaves and his kiss. If they can harness that hate and turn it into production, the Stars have a strong chance going forward at cutting down the Blues in all areas and returning to the level of play they showed off in game one that helped them secure the win.
This gesture assault gives the Stars a chance to challenge the Blues and start with a fresh slate on Thursday night. It seems almost imminent that if Dallas does not secure a win in game four, they are all but out of the Stanley Cup race at that point. But now they have a whole new reason to band together and crush not only Reaves (considering Travis Moen or Antoine Roussel will likely have something to say about it), but the Blues as a whole.
This series is definitely still winnable, and one cocky kiss blown by the organized team (Blues) could end up giving the band of misfits (Stars) the confidence and determination they lacked in game three to use on their way to a series victory.
Next: Stars Can Learn Plenty Of Lessons From Game Three Thumping
So, in a way, the Dallas Stars may be able to thank Ryan Reaves for his insult once it’s all said and done. But until then, the Stars will have to stay in their own sandlot and practice until their next opportunity at dethroning royalty.