Dallas Stars: Texas Hockey Day Helps Players Give Back, Grow Game
By Josh Clark
The 2018 NHL Draft is just hours away at this point and the excitement is starting to heat up in Big D. As part of the pre-draft festivities, the Dallas Stars hosted Texas Hockey Day in an effort to entertain the fans while growing the game. It turned out to be a success that could have a lasting impact.
Hockey in Texas is still, surprisingly enough, considered to be a ludicrous topic by some. As a result, hosting the 2018 NHL Draft in the sweltering heat of Dallas is considered not only crazy, but also ignorant. After all, “no one will know or care about it.” But the Dallas Stars don’t play that way.
In fact, the Stars continue making massive strides in changing that frame of mind both across the country and across the sport. That change is kickstarted by things like Hockey Day in Texas.
The Stars saw the days leading up to the NHL Draft (which starts on Friday night) as an opportunity. And with that opportunity present, they capitalized.
Thursday, June 21, 2018 was dubbed “Hockey Day in Texas” and gave the Stars a chance to show off the game of hockey and how it’s grown in the state. They did so with various events, with the pinnacle moment being the Top Prospects Youth Hockey Clinic from 10:30-11:30. The free event was held at the StarCenter in Farmer’s Branch.
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A handful of lucky youth hockey players were selected from across the area to hit the ice for the one-hour session. But it wasn’t just them on the ice. They did have a little help from a few Dallas Stars players, including Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Ben Bishop.
“It was fun,” Jamie Benn said. “It’s obviously nice to go out there with the kids and have some fun. It’s actually the second time I’ve thrown my skates on this summer, so they were probably skating a little better than me.”
The clinic was designed to give hockey fans in Texas and visiting fans from out of town a chance to see some of the top youth talent in North Texas. But it’s also a chance for NHL players and top 2018 Draft prospects like Rasmus Dahlin to give back and make an impact on the younger generation.
“Hopefully these kids will remember this for a long time,” said Benn. “I remember meeting a couple of NHL [players] when I was younger and I still haven’t forgotten. Hopefully we left a memory in their minds and they can go tell all their friends and then hopefully word spreads and everybody else wants to play hockey, too.”
“It’s great,” said Tyler Seguin. “It’s always fun skating with kids. I don’t love the term ‘giving back’, but being a part of something with the city is something I really enjoy.”
The Stars players got a chance to not only work with and help develop the younger kids, but also give them a memory that they can hold onto forever.
“I think it’s fun,” Ben Bishop said. “Any time you get to work with these kids, like I was saying, I can still remember when I was a kid in St. Louis and some of the Blues players would out and skate with us. You never forget about that. Just a couple hours out of your day to put a hopefully long-lasting impression on these kids that they can talk about for a long time.”
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It was also a chance for some of the brightest prospects in this year’s draft class to leave their own impression. They took the opportunity to hang out with the younger kids while likely calming some of their own nerves about their futures, which will change drastically within the next 30 hours.
This day and weekend served as a chance for the Dallas Stars players to give back while also reminiscing on their own careers and just how long they’ve been in the NHL groove.
“Thinking back, it seems like yesterday, I guess,” Benn said. “It goes by so fast and that’s why you really have to enjoy every moment that you can. I’m going into my tenth year next year and I want a little bit more to show for it.”
“I did it and it feels like yesterday,” said Seguin. “But I look up pictures and it looks like another lifetime ago, doing the clinics in LA and doing the batting practice and whatever all these kids are going through. It’s a special experience for them and I hope they take it all in.”
The parking lot was packed and people had to resort to overflow parking to get into the event. Once inside, there was a large mixture of hockey fans, both young and old, and media from all across the league taking in the event. The players enjoyed the time on the ice, the kids showed off their talents and made memories, and the fans enjoyed a unique pre-draft experience.
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In other words, the state of hockey looked pretty good in the Lone Star State on Thursday afternoon.