Retirement: Thank you for everything, Ben Bishop!
By Caleb Nunn
On May 9th, 2017 the Los Angeles Kings traded Ben Bishop to the Dallas Stars for a 4th Rd Pick (Markus Phillips) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. This is where it all began, the Ben Bishop era of the Dallas Stars. We will be discussing Bishop’s influences on the team, on the fans, and his accolades as a Dallas Star. Ben Bishop was an incredible goaltender and an even more incredible human being. We at Blackout Dallas would like to say on behalf of Stars fans everywhere, thank you, Ben Bishop. Thank you for everything.
Ben Bishop’s influence on the team
Ben Bishop has proven to be a team player on more than one occasion, from cracking a joke to boosting morale or sitting down and mentoring the up and comers. Jake Oettinger has only been at the NHL level since the playoff bubble in 2020, but the influence that Bishop and Anton Khudobin have had is already showing in the young netminder. Oettinger has shown flashes of greatness since his arrival and the capability of being a Vezina winning goaltender. This is not the first time a young goaltender has emerged from Bishop’s tutelage into greatness. Andrei Vasilevskiy made his Tampa Bay Lightning debut in the 2014-15 season backing up, you guessed it, Ben Bishop. for 2 and a half seasons Vasilevskiy learned under Ben Bishop before taking over the starting spot in 2017 and has been a perennial Vezina finalist and even won the prestigious award in 2019. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe both organizations happened upon greatness at the right time, or maybe Ben Bishop is a natural leader and mentor. My money is on the latter and would love to one day see Bishop working with young goaltenders in a coaching capacity.