Dallas Stars Will Strengthen Rivalries In 2017-2018 Season

The Dallas Stars have made and allowed some moves that may see their tensions with current division rivals rise substantially.

We Dallas Stars fans are no strangers to a little healthy, and sometimes rather not so healthy, competition. It’s led us into some pretty severe dislike and naysaying against multiple teams. The list is long and wide, fed by many different factors. Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues- it could go on practically forever.

Still, some of the things the Stars have seen transpire over this offseason have set them up to enter into some refreshed rivalries with several different teams. Currently, most of the Stars’ rivalries were born of shared (and negative) playoff history, or especially strong tension within the Central division.

Because of the shuffling that started off the Stars’ summer, I believe that two such rivalries will grow into something more interesting during the 2017-2018 campaign.

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The Stars and the Blues have had a somewhat mutual dislike for a while. Altogether, the Stars have dropped gloves against the Blues more than against any other NHL team. Those frustrations have stretched from pre-season matches to multiple overtime struggles, to vying against each other for a conference title, to last season’s cut-short playoff bid. The Stars and Blues have been at almost constant odds.

Add to that the fact that Lindy Ruff and Ken Hitchcock were the respective coaches for the Stars and Blues during that mightiest of playoff struggles, and you open up a whole new can of worms.

With Hitchcock’s removal from St. Louis and arrival in Dallas, there is bound to be some added tension when these two teams meet again. While there is no doubt that both teams can be professional and mature about something as simple as facing an ex-coach, it’s bound to add to each team’s already great need to assert its dominance.

While we’re on the topic of exes, let’s have at another team.

The Chicago Blackhawks are all at once a throwback and modern rivalry for the Stars in many ways. They’ve shared some of the Stars’ most heated games since moving from Minnesota (excluding any previous playoff games 6 or 7). And, by the way, they’re number 4 on the Stars’ all-time fight frequency list.

The fact that one player who the Stars were so excited to receive from the Blackhawks has now returned to his former team could put an extra damper on an already agitated Dallas-Chicago relationship. Of course, similar somewhat uncomfortable trade circumstances haven’t prevented the Stars from behaving civilly against Montreal or the Penguins. However, with an already very active division rivalry in the mix, this could end up as more fuel to the fire.

Either way, the Stars have had heated pasts with the Blues and Blackhawks anyway, without the help of any extra recent provocation. Will the Stars develop either of these rivalries in the new season, or will they throw that energy into new ones?

Next: Hitchcock Is A Bandaid Fix And Dallas Stars Have Open Wounds

I think it’s safe to say that the Blues and Blackhawks fueled tension aren’t going anywhere, but the NHL will have a brand new team this season, and the possibilities for enmity are endless and rather exciting. We shall see.

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