Dallas Stars: Addressing the Connection of Good and Great

This season, the Dallas Stars welcomed a group of NHL rookies to their team. Despite their talent for the sport, there was another variable in the mix that allowed for the players to match the league’s elite compete.

There’s a difference between the great players of the NHL and the great. For the Dallas Stars, many things need to go right in order to have a good season: a minimal amount of serious injury, a positive chemistry between teammates, solid team of staff and coaches and the perfect mix of talent and professional experience.

Although the mentioned list is not conclusive, it doesn’t take an expert to know that a team is only as successful if its players contribute to their full potential. There are obvious leaders on the ice, gaining points for both themselves and the team, in search of gaining recognition for their efforts. The seasoned professionals’ skills clearly stand out when juxtaposed with younger players, but too often, find their efforts to create quality plays cut short.

Dallas Stars

There are two distinct noises during gameplay that make the arena hold their breath: the sound of a puck hitting the pipes of the goal and the shrill sound of the referee’s whistle.

The whistle signifies an impending stoppage of play, it could be beneficial, harmful or just a neutral call. It almost seems like the many times that the whistle blows, it’s a penalty on the wrong team.

Oddly enough, it’s that very noise that levels the playing field.

It’s the thing that stops the veteran player from scoring on his opponent.

It’s the thing that allows the rookie to have any kind of upper hand on the ice.

It’s the best thing, but it’s also the worst thing.

Why make such a big fuss over a referee call? Think of it this way: it could alter the entire outcome of the game. A referee’s job is to regulate gameplay, unbiased towards either team. Their job is to let the players play their game, but sometimes it’s hard to do that when some players so blatantly disregard their hockey rulebook.

From a younger player’s perspective, how does one match the level of Jamie Benn or Patrick Sharp? Or better yet, defeat them? Time, obviously, and practice will do the trick; however, during a game in a player’s NHL debut season,

There’s a pretty big gray area when it comes to calling penalties. It falls between either a very obvious infraction and those more minute.

If you watched the Dallas Stars v. New Jersey on Sunday, you’d notice that out of the four power plays Dallas received, three of which were in the first two periods.

Quick recap: the Stars defeated the Devils 2-1 during for the first game on their five-game road trip. Patrick Sharp did not play due to injury. Jason Dickinson joined a line with Devin Shore and Radek Faksa. Remi Elie skated with Brett Ritchie and Tyler Seguin. Well executed passing met completed plays and turned out a successful overtime victory for the Stars.

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At the beginning of the game, the players are less emotionally invested in the current game than they would be in the latter half of the third period. It’s just natural for their gameplay to diverge from the wholly accepted standard of the referees. Both teams want to win, so at that point, the victory goes to whichever is willing to push farther past the limits of the game.

As a fan, you can watch the game and notice when a penalty should be called. You’ve probably raised a finger or uttered some choice words. You may have even shouted at the ref, declaring he doesn’t know anything about the sport when the truth is quite the contrary:

He’s been instructed to let the players play their game.

Obviously, every penalty doesn’t get called, or else there would be a stoppage of play about every minute or so. A two-and-a-half hour hockey game would become a six-hour endeavor. It’d be frustrating for the coaches, players, officials and even the fans to sit through. So, how does a referee deduce when to blow his whistle?

The penalty is called when play becomes dangerous or diverges too greatly from acceptable play. During Sunday’s game, Steven Santini cross-checked Cody Eakin about 12 times before being called to the box. By the rulebook standards, Santini’s first offense was enough for the penalty, but the referees allowed the players to play their game.

Next: What Patrick Sharp’s Season-Ending Surgery Means

Without an upper hand, would the less-experienced players stand a chance?

It’s all subjective to the game. This is what bridges the gap between the good players and the great. The gray area of adequate gameplay is what allows rookies to compete with seasoned veterans.

The very gray area between the diagram in the NHL handbook and the knowledge of the practical game of hockey defines the good players and the great.