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Dallas Stars: Missing Playoffs Is Still Good

By Micaela Hamid

May 1, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and Stanley Cup playoffs banner before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena and Stanley Cup playoffs banner before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues in game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Playoffs are on, the Dallas Stars are off, and I’m a-okay with it. You should be too.

A few weeks deep into a Dallas Stars-less postseason, and I’m still here, surviving, pulling through. Just checking in with you guys- are all of you still up and on the mends, too?

I didn’t premeditate any thought about hockey today until, in passing, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, a non-Stars hockey fan. The conversation obviously turned to the most common denominator, and we empathized with each other for a few minutes about both our teams missing out on playoffs.

He asked who I was going to root for now, a question to which I offered several wishy-washy responses and ultimately refused to give a concrete answer to. Even though the end of this season was a merciful stop to my suffering, I told him, it would still feel wrong to really cheer for anyone else.

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He agreed with me and then we chatted it up for a few more minutes, postulating about the possible outcome at the end of it all, him pulling for the Oilers because, who doesn’t love an underdog story (but come on, for them to have been cut so much slack and have so many first draft picks, it’s almost disgraceful for them to just now be getting good, am I right?) and me still refusing to commit.

We parted ways, literally calling over our shoulders at the same time with the same departing sentiments about how we really didn’t care what team won the Cup at the end of the day, as long as that team was not Pittsburgh. And if it came to that, we were both done with hockey.

That interaction got me thinking about the value of the offseason, even for teams that don’t get to see any playoff hockey. It’s a chance to commiserate together, to bond over the mutual hate of other teams. But I was left with one more conclusion, too.

Playoffs really are a different animal altogether. Even for teams that play well during the season and make it, you never really know when you’re going to fall apart and it’s all of a sudden the end of the road. A long stop and a sudden drop, as it were.

Read More: It’s A Good Thing The Stars Didn’t Make Playoffs

Mulling over that, I’ve convinced myself to be even less upset than I previously was about the Stars not going to playoffs. I mean, has anyone been keeping up with the Caps/Leafs series? I want no part of any world in which the hockey gods are smiling down upon that.

Teams that dominated all year long are suddenly no longer on such sure footing. It’s a complete toss up. Even though there are examples of teams that had rough patches during the year that have made the most of playoffs, I’m convinced that would not have been the Stars this postseason, even if they had been afforded the miracle of qualifying.

So, I’ve thought a little bit more about who I’m going to root for this postseason. In the end, I’m pulling for all of us fans. I’m cheering on the fact that no matter where your team is right now- either waiting on a second round to start or split up and headed to remote islands somewhere for a well-earned (or maybe not so much) vacation- we can all still enjoy playoffs in all kinds of different ways together.

Next: Dallas Cowboys Can Teach The Stars A Thing Or Two

Because at the end of the day, while hockey season does start and end in terms of playing the game, loving it is a nonstop affair.

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