Dallas Stars: When Exactly Does Exciting Hockey Return?
By Josh Clark
It’s been long enough, hasn’t it? The Dallas Stars have not committed their exciting shenanigans on the ice in almost three months, and the withdrawals are kicking in. When will we get to see them next?
Waiting is the hardest part. That’s what we’ve been told, and that’s what we are currently being forced to learn through experience.
The Dallas Stars exited their home ice on May 11, 2016 and have not been back since. After imploding in a crucial game seven in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Stars hit the offseason on an interesting note. Though they had finished the regular season on an incredibly monumental high note, they fell hard in the postseason, leaving a bad taste to take on the offseason with.
And now the offseason is treating everyone just as inconsistently as it always does. The action is like a frequency wave, going up and down with each passing day. Some days are full of thrills, like the NHL Awards, NHL entry draft weekend and the first few days of free agency. But other days are slow and groggy.
The only problem is, the last two months or so of the offseason very rarely have anything entertaining attached to them.
The drought usually begins somewhere during the second week of July and lasts until somewhere in September. That’s a long 60-day period to go without any remnants of professional hockey. So when exactly will the Dallas Stars return to the ice and satisfy our hockey needs? Well, here is an outlook of when you can see some famous Stars flying across frozen surfaces in the near future.
The World Cup of Hockey
The World Cup is back after a 12-year absence from existence, and it is looking as though it will be more intense and exciting than ever before. Eight teams will compete, with six representing their respective countries (USA, Canada, Finland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia) and two representing whole continents (North America and Europe).
A mixture of NHL superstars and strong hockey prospects make up each of the eight teams, and they will all meet on the ice for a two-week battle in Toronto.
The Dallas Stars community will be able to intently watch and enjoy five of their favorite players throughout the tourney. In addition to cheering for Team USA (because ‘Merica), the Stars fan base will be able to silently applaud Canada, the Czech Republic, and Finland.
That’s because forwards Tyler Seguin and potentially Jamie Benn (depending on if he is fully recovered from surgery) will be representing Team Canada, defensive prospect Esa Lindell will help out Team Finland, and forwards Ales Hemsky and Radek Faksa will be flying with Team Czech Republic.
The tournament lasts from September 17th to October 1st, and an entire bracket is laid out. To view the complete schedule, click here and read all about the tournament. In a nutshell, Seguin and Benn will face off with Faksa and Hemsky on the first day in a preliminary, and Lindell will take on Team North America on the second day of the preliminaries.
There will be a lot to follow in the World Cup in regards to the Stars. Is Esa Lindell ready for NHL play? Will Faksa be able to show off his dominance and kick off his sophomore season on a strong note? Is Jamie Benn going to be ready? And will Seguin succeed on the right wing? A lot of answers are necessary, and hopefully all will be found in Toronto.
Training camp
The exact dates have yet to be determined, but the Dallas Stars will more than likely host their training camp in Cedar Park, Texas for the second straight year towards the end of September. This year’s camp will be a bit different considering five players will be absent from the team, but things should run in a similar fashion.
Training camp is typically a five-day event featuring on-ice practices and a scrimmage. It is usually scheduled just before the preseason begins, and typically runs from Friday to Tuesday. If those standards hold true another year, that means September 16-20 or September 23-27 will be the likely candidates.
Preseason play
Once all of this nears an end, the preseason will officially start up, signaling the beginning of the regular season on the horizon. The Dallas Stars start up preseason play against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, September 26th at home.
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They will play seven preseason games, including a game in Las Vegas on October 7th against the Los Angeles Kings to wrap up preseason play. Then the real fun starts on October 13th when the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks square up to start the 2016-17 regular season slate.
So all in all, there is still a bit more waiting to be done before the fun arrives. To be exact, there are 50 more days before Seguin (and possibly Benn), Hemsky, and Faksa hit the ice at the World Cup. Then training camp comes into play just days later, followed by the preseason (59 days), and it all leads up to the wonderful regular season opener at home.
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Waiting is the hardest part. But patience is a virtue, and some serious rewards can be granted to those who wait. So, what is a couple of days here and there when compared to the overall prize?