Dallas Stars: How Fans Can Start Preparing For 2017-18 Season

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Miro Heiskanen puts on a Dallas Stars hat after being selected third overall during the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 23: Miro Heiskanen puts on a Dallas Stars hat after being selected third overall during the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center on June 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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After a slew of changes to the Dallas Stars this summer, it’s expected that Stars nation may need to make some preparations for the season that lies ahead.

If you’ve been keeping up at all with Blackout Dallas this summer, then you know that we’re all pretty excited about how the Dallas Stars’ offseason has developed. And if you’re that guy or gal who has been taking in all the Stars news this summer, you don’t really need yet another recap.

There’s a lot of exciting things going on that make next season one to look forward to, but now the only real question left is this: …so what do we do about it?

It’s one thing to hop on the hype train and talk about how excited we should be. Cheerleader and pep rally member are great spots to be in. Hey, we’ve been sitting there proudly for most of the summer (but then again, you already knew that).

But at some point, the next logical transition is from “let’s get excited! ” to “what do we do with all this excitement??”. If you are the fan tightrope-walking the thin line between these two very separate realms then, my friend, you are in luck. Today, we’re going to give you some ideas to answer that question for yourself.

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There are a few things I’m personally looking forward to as a means of celebrating the oncoming season. Although I wasn’t too impressed by the recently unveiled Adidas Victory Green (I heard several pilgrim jokes in reference to them and I now I can’t see them the same way again), there are some upsides to the gear side of things this season.

While I’m not the girl to jump on the train for every new player that rolls into town, you can bet the farm that I’m going to be procuring myself a Bishop jersey and, come to think of it, I’ll probably be jotting down a few Bish-related one-liners to deliver while wearing it.

New merchandise is always a fun part of every season, and as a fan far away from the heart of Texas hockey, I never pass up an opportunity to advertise my favorite team. Even if you’re not looking to break the bank for a new jersey, there are a lot of other fun and unique options out there.

A favorite of mine is BringHockeyBack, an awesome company that got its origins, from all things, by making hockey-themed t-shirts during the lockout. They’re always coming up with fresh new team-specific designs, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t sprung for multiple Stars-themed shirts from their website.

If you’re not feeling the idea of spending money before the season even starts (hey, saving for tickets is a smart idea, too), then this next idea may be more your speed. There’s nothing better than already being familiar with new players before you see them hit the ice alongside familiar ones.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of our newest players, these last few months before the new season could be the perfect time to catch up on some video of our friends Alexander Radulov, Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal, and co.

The best part of this one is that it’s a lot more free than buying stuff. Just hit up YouTube and you’ll be rewarded with a lot of good content, and will more than likely get lost in a deep dark YouTube vortex that will inevitably lead you to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin’s Mom-prank videos, and if you’re lucky, to the Dude Perfect collab video, too.

And, if you’re really ambitious, the perfect offseason day could consist of you taking to your couch, sporting some sort of new Dallas Stars-repping ensemble, spending an hour or two on YouTube getting to know new players and reminiscing with old ones.

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Of course, if you’ve already had all those ideas, you always have the option of going back and catching up with the Dallas Stars via our daily pieces here at Blackbout Dallas. Chances are, we’re penning them inbetween our own offseason coping mechanisms as well.