Dallas Stars March Madness: Round 2 Results And Sweet 16 Outlook

Over on Twitter, the team at Blackout Dallas have posted intriguing matchup after intriguing matchup in an effort to find the favorite Dallas Stars player, person, season, you name it.

Across the past weekend, the men and women from the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s basketball tournaments narrowed their respective fields down to 16 from the starting on Thursday and Friday of 64. You probably know all of this as “March Madness.”

The team at Blackout Dallas, who have assembled a massive Dallas Stars “SuperBracket,” have done the same; chopping the field of the top Dallas Stars forwards, defensemen, goaltenders, general managers, coaches, jerseys, seasons, and moments in team history down to just 16 remaining participants.

The quest to narrow down this tournament bracket from 68 to one began Thursday morning on @BlackoutDallas, the official Twitter account of the aforementioned Stars blog and news headquarters, and will continue on Tuesday for the Sweet 16.

Let’s see the recap of the events hosted by columnist Tom Dorsa:

Dallas Stars

COACHES REGION:

#1 Ken Hitchcock (84%) – #4 Dave Tippett (16%); 37 votes.

The only Cup-winning head coach in Dallas Stars history, Ken Hitchcock, defeated current Arizona Coyotes headman Dave Tippett for a spot in the regional final.

#3 Lindy Ruff (61%) – #2 Bob Gainey (39%); 33 votes.

Current Stars coach Lindy Ruff knocked off the first person to hold the head coaching spot in Dallas history, Bob Gainey. Ruff will meet #1 Ken Hitchcock for a spot in the Elite Eight.

SEASONS REGION:

#1 1998-99 (82%) – #4 1999-00 (18%); 39 votes.

A matchup between two seasons in which the Stars won the NHL’s Western Conference was won by #1 1998-99, as it handily beat 1999-00. The Dallas Cup-winning season will appear in the Sweet 16.

#2 2015-16 (79%) – #3 2005-06 (21%); 48 votes.

Last season, the Dallas Stars won the Central Division, and therefore 2015-16 ousted the contending 2005-06 by a decent margin. The final in the Seasons Region will be 2015-16 against #1 1998-99.

FORWARDS REGION:

#1 Mike Modano (87%) – #4 Brenden Morrow (13%); 53 votes.

Mike Modano, the holder of nearly every significant offensive record in Stars history, beat former captain Brenden Morrow by a considerable margin on Sunday. Modano advances to the regional final.

Feb 16, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn (14) during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Stars 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

#3 Jamie Benn (78%) – #2 Jere Lehtinen (22%); 54 votes.

Incumbent Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn shook off three-time Selke Trophy winner Jere Lehtinen in Round 2. Jamie Benn sets up a bonafide death match against #1 Mike Modano for Forwards Region supremacy.

DEFENSE REGION:

#1 Sergei Zubov (83%) – #4 John Klingberg (17%); 46 votes.

Long-time puck-moving defender Sergei Zubov knocked off current Stars blueliner John Klingberg on Sunday in their second round affair. The Russian defenseman advances to the Defense Region final.

#2 Derian Hatcher (81%) – #6 Craig Ludwig (19%); 42 votes.

Former Stars captain Derian Hatcher netted a win over penalty killing hero Craig Ludwig in Round 2 on Sunday. Hatcher will face #1 Sergei Zubov for the regional championship.

MOMENTS REGION:

#5 Brett Hull‘s Cup-clincher in 1999 (72%) – #1 Jamie Benn’s Art Ross Trophy in 2014-15 (28%); 60 votes.

The Stanley Cup-winning goal in Buffalo, N.Y. from 1999, although ailed in controversy, upset Jamie Benn’s last-second Art Ross triumph from 2015 in Round 2. Hull’s Cup-clincher will play for the regional title.

#7 Game 7 of the 1999 Western Conference Finals (52%) – #6 Mike Modano’s Final Home Game in Dallas (48%); 46 votes.

The Dallas Stars sending Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and the Colorado Avalanche home in the 1999 Western Conference Final via a 4-1 score in a loud Reunion Arena eliminates Mike Modano’s final home game for the Stars (goal, assist, shootout goal). The final in the Moments Region will be #5 Brett Hull’s Cup-clincher vs #7 1999 WCF Game 7.

GENERAL MANAGERS REGION:

#1 Bob Gainey (56%) – #5 Joe Nieuwendyk (44%); 41 votes.

In a battle of two players from the NHL 100 countdown, the first Stars GM since their move to Dallas, Bob Gainey, squeezed out a win against former Stars GM and player Joe Nieuwendyk. Gainey advanced to the regional final with the win.

#2 Jim Nill (80%) – #3 Doug Armstrong (20%); 44 votes.

Jim Nill, currently in his fourth season as Stars general manager, beat former GM Doug Armstrong to advance to the regional final. Nill will play #1 Bob Gainey for a spot in the Elite Eight.