Sometimes, the next step is the hardest one. But after a loss in Game 7 on Tuesday night, the Dallas Stars (and their fans) must now take that next step. And yes, it’s okay if that step is incredibly tough.
Less than 24 hours ago, the Dallas Stars watched as their 2018-19 season came to a close. Just 5:50 into a second overtime in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, Pat Maroon pounced on a rebound in the Dallas crease and buried the game-winning goal for the Blues. It came on their 54th shot of the game but meant everything in the grand scope of things.
And just like that, the Stars exchanged handshakes, talked to the media with incredibly distracted consciences, packed up their bags, and boarded a plane bound for Dallas for one last time this year.
In less than 24 hours, the team will take part in their annual exit interview day. It’s a chance for media to chat with players, coaches, and management one last time before officially closing the book on the 2018-19 campaign. Following that, everyone will go their separate ways for the next few months and begin transitioning their focus from a painful end in 2019 to a hopeful beginning next season.
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Exit interview day can be a revealing time, especially for teams competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Injuries (whether minor or severe) that had not been revealed during the run will be unveiled, leaving fans to say, “So that’s why he looked a step slow,” or, “Wow, I cannot believe he played through that.”
They will talk about how it feels to once again come up short of their ultimate goal, though they got closer to it than they have in 11 years (considering they got to overtime this time around instead of getting throttled 6-1 in Game 7 in 2016). Pending free agents will talk about their hopes for the future. Everyone will talk about their offseason plans. Leadership will talk about how proud they are of the team for fighting through the regular season, winning a playoff series, and going the distance in the second round.
And in a lot of ways, they should be proud. This Dallas Stars team went from a middle-ground, near-.500 club in mid-January to a playoff-caliber club. They defeated the Central division champion Nashville Predators in a six-game slugfest in the first round and were one of the six teams still standing in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Their run is something that cannot be taken lightly and deserves to be unpacked as the offseason comes into focus.
But right now, that success isn’t on anyone’s mind. All that still lingers is the sting from Tuesday night. All that still lingers is the memory of Jamie Benn falling centimeters short of punching the Stars’ ticket to the Western Conference Final on a wraparound chance in overtime. All that still lingers is Ben Bishop‘s heroic efforts in the crease when the Dallas skaters in front of him went MIA for 40 minutes of regulation. He ended the night stopping 52-54 and went viral on Twitter for his performance.
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That’s all that still lingers, and that’s what sports are all about. In this game, there can only be one team that finishes with a happy ending. But for the other 30 clubs, all that can be endured is a varying degree of anguish and disappointment.
I’ve always thought of sports as a perfect escape from the real world. Whenever you sit down to watch a Dallas Stars game, it guarantees you three hours of no outside distractions. Instead, it’s only three hours of you and your favorite hockey team bonding over a common goal. And on Tuesday night, Stars fans got a chance to bond for nearly four hours. It stings that it was the last time to bond before October.
But, as I said above, that’s what sports are all about. They can greatly test the loyalty of fans to their favorite teams and see which fans are truly in it through thick and thin. And if you thought that missing the playoffs altogether hurt, try losing in double overtime in Game 7 of the second round. Ouch.
And that’s why this is an incredibly challenging situation for the Dallas Stars (and their fans) right now. If you went to bed feeling empty last night, you weren’t alone.
Pucks and Pitchforks
“Not good,” said Stars forward Tyler Seguin about the feeling after the loss. “Pretty empty.”
“Right now, it sucks,” added Stars captain Jamie Benn. “It’s pretty self-explanatory.”
If you laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, dreading the next five months that would include no Dallas Stars hockey or Stanley Cup parade through the streets of Dallas, you weren’t alone. If you questioned what went wrong and where it went wrong, you also weren’t alone. Instead, you had an entire fan base doing the exact same thing.
Sports can be incredibly painful at times. But the most painful experiences can often provide a rallying cry that can bring a community together.
And right now, Dallas Stars fans find themselves in the same boat. It may feel like that boat just went over the edge of a waterfall, but at least they’re all together for the ride.
So, as exit interview day and the unavoidable 2019 offseason close in, don’t forget about the past. It was an impressive season that the Stars and their fans should be proud of and hold in high regard. For a rookie head coach and questions lingering about both the lineup and the direction of the team throughout the year, this team did a lot.
But you also cannot forget about the future. Tomorrow will come and take its toll, as will the next few months. It’s nothing that Stars fans haven’t already grown accustomed to, but still hurts all the same.
The disappointing events from Tuesday night will hang in the back of your memory for the next few months. That’s inevitable. It happens to every hockey fan except those of the team that win it all.
And when those memories linger, it can be tough to not focus on only the negative and feel lost when trying to figure out the next step. That’s okay, too, because the next step is always the hardest one to take.
But you’ll make it through. Every hockey fan does, and Dallas Stars fans are no different. You’ve been through tough times, and this one might feel worse than all of the others combined. That’s how sports go sometimes.
So hold on tight, Stars fans. The next step is the hardest for the players, coaches, management, and fans. But it’s a necessary step when trying to progress towards the future.
Just take it one step at a time.