2. The Game That Forever Put A Target On His Back
In the 2017-18 season, the Dallas Stars swept the Chicago Blackhawks with a record of 4-0-0. At the time, it seemed unheard of. But after realizing just how far the Blackhawks had fallen when compared to previous years, it made sense.
But during the 2013-14 season, it was a different story. The Blackhawks had just won their second Stanley Cup in four years, were a consistent playoff contender, and were the favorites to win the newly-formed Central Division. They were, without a doubt, one of the powerhouses in the Western Conference.
Blackhawk Up
And then you had the Stars. After five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, Dallas had undergone massive changes and no one knew quite what to think of them by the time December rolled around. They were 12-9-4 going as they entered a Dec. 3 matchup with the Blackhawks.
Dallas was already 0-1-1 against Chicago on the season but had yet to play them away from the American Airlines Center. With that being said, things weren’t necessarily looking promising for the Stars to come out with two points.
But those Stars weren’t ones for embracing the odds. Dallas quickly pounced on Chicago, taking a commanding 3-0 lead within the first 25 minutes of the game. All seemed to be going well until Patrick Sharp scored on a power play to get the Blackhawks on the board. The Hawks responded with two more goals to close out the middle period at a 3-3 tie.
Considering the statuses of the two teams, all hope seemed to be lost for the Stars.
A few minutes into the third, however, that hope was restored. Roussel, who had already been in a fight with Shaw and was in the box when Sharp scored the Hawks’ opening goal, made a chip play to get around Niklas Hjalmarsson. As he braced for a breakaway, Hjlamarsson got his stick blade tied up in Roussel’s hands. Roussel couldn’t get the shot away, but a penalty shot was called in the process.
And then, it happened. If you’ve been a Stars fan for more than five years, you know that this could very well be Roussel’s defining moment in a Stars uniform. Yes, he put together an incredibly slick move on the penalty shot and scored on the backhand. But that wasn’t the part of the shot that stood out.
Immediately after scoring, Roussel took a victory lap along the side boards and taunted the Chicago crowd. Gesturing his hand towards his ear in an attempt to ask for more booing and throwing his hands up in the air to egg the Blackhawks faithful on were two of the included moves.
The Stars went on to win the game 4-3 even after being outshot 50-18, with Roussel’s goal holding as the game winner.
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It was an incredibly bold and dangerous move, and was one that put a target on Roussel’s back (especially when playing Chicago) in the years to come. But, as we found out, that’s just how Roussel liked it.
As you scan “Stars Twitter”, it’s highly likely that you will come across the picture posted above at least once or twice. That’s how famous it is. This was the night and the move that officially established Roussel’s status on the Dallas Stars.