Dallas Stars Set For Home Team Advantage in 15-16

One of the seemingly unsolvable mysteries that comprised the curious case of the Dallas Stars 2014-2015 season was their home game disadvantage. The electricity and energy of playing at home, predominantly in front of fans cheering for and not against you, is commonly a beneficial thing in the world of sports.

But, if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ll agree: the Dallas Stars are anything but common.

For the 14-15 season, this was a bad thing. A very bad, ugly thing. The Stars went 17-16-8 at home last season, turning the accepted term home team advantage on its head. For some perspective, the St. Louis Blues, who finished first in the Central Division last season, were 27-12-2 at home. So there’s a slight discrepancy here. And by slight, I mean glaringly substantial.

The Stars players and management offered several possible explanations for this strange but almost insurmountable issue. Pressure to perform and wow fans at home with impressive plays seemed to be the biggest mental burden holding the Stars back from letting loose and dominating at home in the same way they proved they were capable of on the road.

If this was indeed the culprit behind the Dallas Stars’ lackluster 14-15 home record, this season should turn out much, much differently. Why, exactly?

Over the course of the off-season and early into this 2015-2016 season, there have been several important occurrences within the organization that seem to have sparked a mindset shift for the Stars. If the problem before was too much pressure to impress fans, the Stars shouldn’t have to worry much about that this season.

It’s been said a lot of different ways and by a lot of different people leading up to this season, but here it is again for emphasis: it’s a good time to be a Stars fan. Why? I’m so glad you asked.

Recently, the Dallas Stars were voted by fans as the 3rd best franchise in the NHL, 10th best sports franchise in North America, and best sports franchise in the Metroplex based on several different criteria. Ownership, coaching, players, fan relations, affordability, and other areas were considered, and the Stars really came out among the top.

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Then there’s the sheer fact that the Stars are a very different team than they were last season. Between the names Jim Nill brought in over the summer and all the hard work on the part of the returning players to push through surgery recovery and overcome psychological kinks in their game, the Stars have demonstrated quickly in only a few games that they are on the right track.

Just ponder for a moment the recent feats of one rather impressive Mattias Janmark and the drastic improvement in Kari Lehtonen’s play, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

And, even though it’s old news to some at this point, don’t forget that Jamie Benn won the Art Ross last season. On not one, but two bad hips. I won’t beat a dead horse, but I will say that if fans don’t find that impressive, there’s not much to be done for them.

It’s obvious that the accolades and off-season improvements have maybe helped take that chip off the collective shoulder of the Dallas Stars. If their current season play is any indication, they’ve taken a step closer to figuring out their core identity and playing like it. So far, the Stars have played two games at home, and won both of them.

It’s clearly not time to break out the confetti and call the home-team curse broken, but it’s definitely an encouraging start.

And with that encouraging start, the pressure of impressing fans can now take backseat so the Stars can fully reap the benefits of having their fans’ support and loyalty when taking on opponents at home. The Dallas Stars are certainly anything but common, and it seems like the right time for them to use it to their advantage.

Do the Stars continue to wow at home, or slip into old habits? What do you think?

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