The 2016-17 season plagued the Dallas Stars and pinned them behind the 8-ball. It just goes to show that the NHL does not give any form of handouts.
If you’ve ever played a competitive sport in a league, you have probably experienced the driving desire to be the best.
It’s always present in the back of your mind and constantly pushes you to try and be better each game to help the team get better. And every once in a while, that work pays off and you reach the top.
But once you get up to the top, you realize that it’s even more difficult defending the position than it is fighting for it. You know what is required to get you up there, but replicating that effort can be prove to be extremely difficult.
The Dallas Stars learned that lesson firsthand this past year.
Dallas Stars
2015-16 was a glorious year for the Stars. They clawed their way to the top of the Western Conference after multiple years in the bottom half and finished atop the West. They posted a 50-23-9 record with 109 points and claimed the titles of Central Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions.
There wasn’t much denying their power. They were a well-rounded team and fired on all cylinders. They could go toe-to-toe with the best in the league and come out on top more often than not. The Stars were in the position that all teams strive to be in.
Then the playoffs came along and things went a little bit south. After advancing past the first round, the Dallas Stars fell to the St. Louis Blues in seven games in the semifinals. Thus began the long offseason journey to October where they would get the first chance at reclaiming their title of “Best in the West.”
But, as we saw this season, the Stars definitely struggled with replicating their performance. In fact, they practically did the exact opposite of what they had done the year before. The offense lost all of its energy, the defense shattered, and the goaltending was no longer reliable or consistent.
Everything turned upside down and Dallas was a wreck because of it. The finished the year with a lowly record of 34-37-11 with 79 points. It was their first time to hit below .500 since the 1995-96 season. It was the second worst season in franchise history and helped jar Dallas to action.
Signing Ken Hitchcock to be the next head coach two weeks ago was the first of what looks to be many changes for the team in the offseason ahead. There’s a lot that has to be done if Dallas wants to jump back into the race as early as next season.
The 2016-17 year proved to the Dallas Stars that nothing is easy or given, especially at the NHL level. If you want to be the best, you have to first off know what it takes to get there and then be able to replicate your performance on a yearly basis.
The Stars lived the high life for one year and it was great. But this past season they weren’t ready to defend their title, and their unpreparedness took its toll.
Nothing is given in the NHL. It’s a league centered around earning anything you want, whether it’s a hat trick, a win, or the Stanley Cup.
Next: Three Reasons Why The Stars' Season Wasn't All That Bad
If the Dallas Stars learn anything this offseason, let’s hope they learn that the NHL requires consistent determination and that if they aren’t ready to give that level of effort, they may as well stay in the offseason.