Dallas Stars: A Lot Has Happened Since Jamie Benn Last Missed A Game

Over the last few years, the Dallas Stars have always been able to count on one thing: their captain in the starting lineup. He’s sitting out tonight, and here’s a list to prove to you just how rare this phenomenon is.

When a ship is missing its captain, things usually go wrong. That’s why picking a captain is critical. Without capable and trustworthy leadership, the excursion is practically doomed.

The same thing applies when picking the captain of a hockey team. You need someone who can be consistent, determined, and lead well. That’s what captains do. They always look out for the team’s best interests and are ready to protect them at any cost.

That’s probably why the Dallas Stars chose forward Jamie Benn as their new captain back in September of 2013.

As the winds of change blew across the Dallas hockey spectrum following the lockout season of 2013, the Stars were in search of a new captain to compliment their new logo and jerseys. They had acquired names such as Tyler Seguin and Shawn Horcoff to help buff up the offense over the offseason and now simply needed a leader to steer the ship.

They went with Benn, which to many was an obvious choice. He was drafted by the Stars in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and made his debut on opening night of the 2009-10 season. He hasn’t left Dallas since. Benn is the ultimate homegrown, diamond-in-the-rough story.

He’s a hard worker, gives his all on every shift, can put up points like nobody’s business, can help the Stars in just about every in-game scenario, and always gives his all for the team. Oh, and he rarely misses games, but that’s just an added bonus.

To put things into perspective, Jamie Benn has played in 284 of the past 285 games. That’s three and a half season’s worth. The only game he missed in that span was on April 13, 2014 when he was a healthy scratch. It was the final game of the season, and the Stars had clinched a playoff spot just two days earlier in game 81.

So he’s a pretty reliable guy, and that’s why he’s captain. And when you look for how many games he’s missed due to injury, the results are even more scarce over the past few seasons.

For example, Benn played the entire 82-game slate in the Stars’ 2014-15 season. For the majority of the year, he was dealing with two nagging hip injuries that continually prodded at him. Those injuries required offseason surgery and a five-month recovery. But it didn’t keep Benn from contributing on a nightly basis and eventually winning the Art Ross Trophy, which is awarded to the player with the most points by the end of the regular season in the NHL.

The last time Benn missed a game due to injury was when he sat out March 14, 2013 against the Anaheim Ducks with a wrist issue. That’s almost four years ago.

“This is a situation where it is our responsibility to keep him out,” head coach Lindy Ruff told the media on Tuesday following practice. “He could probably play but where he would be in a couple days would be a big concern of ours.”

It’s for the best to keep Benn out for a game or two instead of pushing him and risking losing him for a longer duration of time.

So as the Dallas Stars prepare to take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight at the American Airlines Center without their captain for the first time in what seems like forever, here’s a fun little list of some of the major things that have happened since Benn last missed a game. Just so you can get a clear grasp of how long it’s been:

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Indians blew a 3-1 lead (had to put this in first).

Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar Award.