Dallas Stars Have Found Their Newest Dallas Legend

The Dallas Stars made the best move of their offseason so far by signing their captain to an eight-year extension. He will officially enter the Dallas history books.

The percentage of professional athletes in the four major sports leagues in America that remain with the same franchise for their entire career must be very slim. We aren’t mathematicians or anything, but it’s highly unlikely that there are a large number of them.

The NBA has been in an uproar over the past few weeks. On July 4, superstar Kevin Durant made the announcement that he had decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that drafted him and brought him into the league, and sign a deal with the Golden State Warriors.

It’s pretty obvious that Durant is one of the ten best players in the league, and that’s what enraged people. Durant is heading to the Warriors, a team that has advanced to the NBA Finals each of the past two years.

They won in 2015 but fell short this past season. GS did, however, break the NBA record for most wins in a season by going 73-9 this year. In other words, they are an insanely good team. Now they are adding another all-star player. So is there any point in watching the NBA play out this season, or can they just hand the trophy to GS and call it a day?

Tweets began circulating of people burning Durant’s jersey and merchandise. This reaction brought up a point made about three certain Hall-Of-Famers in the NBA: Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan. The point was that these players seemed to be the only three superstar players that had never experienced the displeasure of seeing their jersey burned.

This is simply because these three players have stayed loyal to their respective franchises for the duration of their careers. Duncan just recently retired with the San Antonio Spurs after 19 seasons with the team. Kobe retired at the end of the regular season after hitting the 20 mark with the Los Angeles Lakers.

And then there is good ole Dirk Nowitzki. For those of you who don’t know (which is crazy if you actually don’t), Nowitzki has been the centerpiece of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team for the past 15 years or so. The 7’0 baller from the G has played for the Mavs for 18 years, and just recently signed a two-year contract to stick around until the end of the 2017-18 year.

The only odd thing about that is that the Mavs are not necessarily knocking on the door of the NBA Finals. Sure they are getting closer, but since their epic Finals victory in 2011 with Dirk at the helm, things have slowly shifted downhill as a result of mistimed decisions by management.

But for some reason Dirk continues to stick through it all. At age 38, most athletes his age would be viciously searching for any offer from a championship-caliber team, eager to accept a next-to-nothing deal as long as it means competing for one last trophy, playing two minutes a game on the way there.

Dirk is having none of that, and some might call him crazy for it. Sure anything is possible, but the Mavs’ odds of winning the Finals in the next two years are significantly slim. It’s simply because as he quickly approaches the exit door of his pro career, Dirk knows that he has found his home that he wants his legacy to remain at forever. No jersey burning here.

He graciously praises the fans that have praised and supported him for 18 years. He does not want to lose that. He’s a special athlete that has put together a terrific career and is a gift that any franchise would be lucky to have. The Mavs have been extremely blessed by the German’s presence over the past almost two decades.

The Dallas Stars have something similar to that in Mike Modano. Everyone knows that Mo was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 NHL draft at number one overall. He went through a ten year phase of building and searching for an altogether strong lineup.

But then in 1999, the Stars finally did it. They brought the Stanley Cup to Dallas, and Modano was a prime factor in the success. He quickly became the face of the Stars and was credited with putting hockey on the map in Texas.

The next ten years after the Cup victory would be filled with more searching and falling short. By the end of the 2009-10 season, the Stars were finishing the second year in what would turn out to be a five year playoff drought. The franchise would take a severe drop in attendance, interest, and overall production. It was a dark time for Dallas hockey.

That being said, things got just a bit darker when the Stars did not re-sign Modano when his contract expired in 2010. He would sign with Detroit for a quick one-year stint before retiring for good. And, remembering his roots, he would come back to Dallas and have his #9 raised into the rafters for good.

So in a lot of ways, Modano is like Dirk. Both did monumental things for their respective teams in terms of generating interest and following in the city of Dallas. Both stuck with their clubs through the high times and the low times. But in the end, Dirk is the only one that stuck with it all the way through.

Some other names that come to mind are Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, and Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Now it seems as though the Dallas Stars have their eyes set on securing the newest “Dirk” of their franchise. That is their captain Jamie Benn.

Yesterday evening at their annual Party in the Park, general manager Jim Nill announced that the Stars had signed Benn earlier in the week to an eight-year extension worth $76 million ($9,500,000 AAV).

“The Stars are the only organization I know and Dallas is home to me,” Benn told DallasStars.com. “In working with the Gaglardi family and Jim Nill, they have made it clear that they are dedicated to winning, and winning the right way.”

“I’m happy to commit to that process for eight more years. My teammates and I value the passion and dedication that we receive from Stars fans and we’re looking forward to getting this season started.”

The Dallas Stars captain could not have earned the new deal in a better way. He’s come a long way since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NHL entry draft at 129th overall (he was drafted after Colton Sceviour). Benn played his first NHL game on opening night at the start of the 2009 season, and has not looked back since.

Overall, he has scored 192 goals and tallied 448 points in 508 NHL games. That’s almost a point-per-game player, which is crazy for a fifth round pick in today’s league. He has set new personal records in the goals and points departments in each of the past three seasons. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2015 and was a Hart Trophy finalist this past year.

He has helped transform the Stars’ offense, leading them to the title of highest scoring team in the league. If it weren’t for the final game of the 13-14 season when he was labeled as a healthy scratch, Benn would have completed his third straight 82-game season this year. Not to mention that he played the majority of 2014-15 on two busted hips on his way to the Art Ross.

As a captain, Benn is the complete package. It’s pretty difficult to find a player in the NHL that scores on a nightly basis, strongly contributes on both the power play and penalty kill, plays physical defense, and stands up for his team whenever needed. That’s a leader right there. That’s Jamie Benn.

The new contract makes the 26-year old a Star until the end of the 2024-2025 season. Just sit back for a second and try to figure out where you will be when this contract runs out. Personally, I’ll be 28 and have no idea where I’ll fit in this crazy world. That’s a long time.

For Benn, he will be 36 years old. And unless he has the titanium skeleton that Jaromir Jagr owns, he will more than likely be nearing the end of his hockey career at that point. From there, he could play one or two more years (hopefully with Dallas) before hanging up the skates for good.

But Jamie Benn proved something with this new contract. Not only is he one hundred percent dedicated to this franchise, but he is ready to be the next name that every Dallas-ite will know for years to come. When kids 30 years from now are digging through old trading cards and newspapers from the current time, they will all know Benn’s face when they see it.

Like Dirk, Modano, and Aikman, Benn is well on his way to leaving his stamp in the Dallas history book.

must read: 18 Things You Can Relate To As A Stars Fan

Different to what Nowitzki is currently going through with the rebuild, Benn stuck it out through rough patches early on with the Stars. It’s pretty clear that five years of no playoffs and playing in front of a bunch of empty seats each year was not the most pleasurable option for a young and talented rookie.

But it looks like Benn’s struggles are over, at least for now. The Dallas Stars just recently won the Central Division championship this past season and could very well contest for the Stanley Cup this season. Benn will continue to be the driving and motivating factor that brings all the fans back for more. Dedication goes a long way, and Benn has more than most, especially to this team.

It’s highly likely that Jamie Benn’s #14 and Dirk Nowitzki’s #41 will sooner or later keep each other company in the rafters of the American Airlines Center. But their impacts will reach much further than just within the Stars’ and Mavs’ franchises. They will stretch across the great city of Dallas, leaving happy memories and plethoras of stories to be shared in the future about the greats.

Jamie Benn completely deserved this new contract with the Dallas Stars. Everyone knows that the Stars need Benn. And in a certain sense, he needs Dallas. This community has obviously struck a chord with him, and he’s ready to jump in for the long haul. In the end, you couldn’t ask for much more.

Benn has helped plant hockey back on the map in Texas, specifically Dallas. He’s rallied the community and has the team back in the news. People want to go to Stars games and watch the exciting team he stands at the center of (technically left wing, but you get the picture).

Dedication is hard to find from athletes today. So many of them are drawn to the big money or the immediate shot at a championship that there aren’t many left that give their all to one city and team over their career, even if it means only one championship or even potentially none.

Benn is a part of this rare breed. He has not and is not banking on immediate success, fame, or a big salary (with the new deal, he is tied for fifth highest-paid player in the NHL). He is banking on this city and it’s embrace. The success is building quickly and should be on the way. But he is looking at the chance of becoming a monumental part of Dallas Stars history. That’s special.

Next: Stars Rope Jamie Benn In For The Long Haul For Eight More Years

So in 20 years when your kids, grandkids, or whoever questions you about what it was like to watch Jamie Benn play, just remember how special it is that they even know who he is. He’s a shining light for Dallas, joining an elite company that most athletes only dream of being able to be a part of. Here’s to eight more years.