Dallas Stars: 2019 Stanley Cup Final Provides Encouraging Reminder

The Dallas Stars were sent home three weeks ago after being eliminated from the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But, even as they sit at home and watch the Stanley Cup Final play out between Boston and St. Louis, there’s an encouraging reminder still attached.

Exit interview day followed usual protocol for the Dallas Stars on May 9, 2019.

Just two days after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a 2-1 double overtime loss to the Blues in St. Louis, the Stars were back home and cleaning out their lockers. It was one final chance for the media to talk to players, coaches, and management before the organization took off for different parts of the globe to settle in for the offseason.

And, as mentioned above, their 2019 exit interview day followed the standard path that every exit interview day had in the past.

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Players talked about their respective performances during the season and in the playoffs. Coaches talked about their first year with the team and what they liked and didn’t like. Management pointed out a handful of injuries that players had been battling through during the postseason run. And to top it all off, everyone talked about how they were both disappointed about the present reality and excited about the future.

But through it all, there was one quote from GM Jim Nill that really hit home regarding the Stars’ situation.

While making his introductory remarks to the media prior to his exit interview, Nill had this to say:

“I just told the players that I’ve been in a lot of these year-end meetings and some years, you just kind of knew and you move on and get ready for next year. This one really stung. For what we went through, where we’re getting to, where players were taking their game, we’re going to sit and watch the final four teams play and say, ‘You know what? We were right there.'”

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Nill went on to point out that the Stars weren’t actually “there” considering they were heading home for the summer, but the point was clear: the Dallas Stars were remarkably close to taking the next big step in this new era of the franchise.

Rewind to May 7, 2019 for a moment. The Stars are in St. Louis for a Game 7 that will inevitably decide who moves on to the Western Conference Final from the Central division bracket. And at the time, it seems as though it’s anyone’s contest.

Sure, the Blues have home ice advantage; but Dallas was 2-1 at the Enterprise Center during the second round and 2-0 during the regular season. On the other hand, the Blues had staved off elimination with a dominant performance at the American Airlines Center in Game 6 to push the series back to the Gateway City.

Ben Bishop was deemed healthy and ready for Game 7 after leaving Game 6 as a precautionary measure. Jordan Binnington had continued to defy the odds and looked to etch his name into the history books once again.

It was shaping up to be a postseason battle for the ages. The teams had traded blows for six games, and all that was left to do was finally determine a winner.

But for the majority of the game, the Blues looked like the hungrier and more prepared team.

After an even first period that ended in a 1-1 tie, St. Louis went on a tear. They outshot the Stars 31-4 in the final 40 minutes of regulation and both controlled possession and set the tempo for the second and third period. Fortunately for Dallas, Bishop was in the zone and fended off all 31 attempts to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

The first overtime period came and went with both teams creating a handful of chances. And in the second overtime, Pat Maroon eventually wrapped things up by scoring a goal after finding the puck loose in the Stars’ crease. Just like that, the Dallas Stars’ surprising and exciting 2018-19 season came to an end.

But it very easily could have fallen in their favor. What if the Stars had found a way to scrap together a better effort in the final 40 minutes and reward Bishop’s heroic performance with a goal to take the lead? What if Jamie Benn had found a way to score on the wraparound chance in overtime? What about Roope Hintz‘s wraparound chance?

The “what if” game can be cruel at times like this because it can paint a clearer picture of just how close the Dallas Stars were to a berth in the Western Conference Final.

“If you don’t win the Stanley Cup, the season is a loss. It still fully hasn’t sunk in that today is the last day of being at the rink with the exit meetings and stuff. But, all in all, [there’s] a lot to build on.” – Tyler Seguin on exit interview day

And if they had made it, what would have happened? Would they have been able to accomplish the same feat that the Blues did and knock the San Jose Sharks off in six games? Considering Dallas went 2-1-0 while almost completing the season sweep against San Jose (with all three games happening before the NHL Holiday Break) points to the possibility that they very well could have handled the Sharks. And if they did, how might they be doing in the Stanley Cup Final? Would they have performed better than the Blues did in Game 1 and found a way to keep their road hot streak going in Boston?

There’s no way of ever knowing, and that’s okay. The Stars were beaten in their most important game of the 2018-19 season, and the stage is now set for a stronger and more determined push in the 2019-20 campaign.

But as you potentially tune in for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final tonight between the Blues and Bruins, it could do you well to remember Jim Nill’s words. The Stars were in fact “right there.”

With that being said, the door now seems to be open for endless opportunities and possibilities in the future. But until that future arrives, make sure to enjoy this Final as it plays out. And while you do so, try not to think too much about how the Stars might be doing had they found a way into this final round.