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.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West got married (if you care about this even slightly).
Twerking became both popular AND unpopular.
Flappy Bird made us all throw our phones across the room in it’s short-timed availability on the App Store.
The Dallas Stars got a new color (the beautiful Victory Green), new jerseys, and a new logo. Oh, and that kid Jamie Benn was named captain.
Justin Bieber was arrested for a bunch of different things in Miami (silly Maple Leafs fans).
J. Cole went platinum with no features.
Robin Williams, Stuart Scott, Yogi Berra, and a lot of other celebrities passed on.
Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy with 8.5 seconds left in game 82 of the 2014-15 season (sorry, John Tavares).
The Stanley Cup was given out four different times (2013 – Blackhawks, 2014 – Kings, 2015 – Blackhawks, 2016 – Penguins).
R.I.P Harambe.
The Dallas Cowboys won two separate divisional championships (2014, 2016). Go Cowboys.
Steve Harvey messed up when naming the new Miss Universe 2015 (we still love you, Steve).
Iron Man 3 came out in theaters. No, not Avengers 2 or Captain America: Civil War. Iron Man 3. With the Christmas tree and the exploding superhumans. Yeah, that was crazy.
The television show The Office concluded its nine-season series.
Kobe Bryant retired after 20 seasons in the NBA.
The Xbox One and PS4 came out.
And finally, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had the most epic (and laughable) race to the White House in history.
Next: Jamie Benn Missing A Game Or Two Will Provide Test For Stars
Now these are just a few of the many monumental things that happened between March 14, 2013 and now. But it just goes to show you that it’s been a while since he was last confined to the press box due to an injury.
The Stars will definitely miss Jamie Benn in tonight’s contest. But it will simply serve as another way to test this team’s capabilities this season. We’re in for a show, that’s for sure.