I'm sure you are trying to forget all about what happened last night at the American Airlines Center. It was like watching a bad dream unfold before our own eyes. While there are still two games to go in this series, if Dallas wins on Thursday night, it might feel like the last game at the American Airlines Center. However, we aren't talking about why the Stars are on the brink of elimination. We are talking about what unfolded near the end of the game.
Jamie Benn and Ryan Hartman were jostling with each other, and Benn went over and cross-checked him on the back of his neck. Now, usually this is where you hope I saw that he was just being physical. I would say, however, that when you check someone in the back of the neck, that area isn't protected by any padding. While I do think Hartman is a nuisance to the Stars in this series, I would rather not see him have a career-altering injury because Benn was frustrated.
While I do agree Benn has every right to be frustrated with how the series has gone for Dallas, trying to injure intentionally Hartman is not what the Stars need from their captain. He was fined by the league for his actions last night; however, Frank Seravalli and Blackout Dallas both agree he should have received a stiffer punishment, such as a suspension that would carry over into next season if he decided to come back and play for the Stars.
There's no room in the sport for intentionally injuring someone. I'm glad that Hartman is okay and finished the game last night. However, if you are the leader of your team, you should set an example for the rest of your team and not let your emotions get the best of you. Benn should be a better player and focus on getting the puck into the back of the net. While the league didn't do anything about suspending him, they need to do a better job of cracking down on those kinds of hits to unguarded parts of the body.
Nothing the Stars can do about what happened last night other than fly up to Minnesota and leave everything on the ice. It feels weird saying this, but the Stars have been a solid road team this season. It makes you wonder if the Stars should have just let the Wild take second place and have the advantage of playing on the road, possibly four times. However, the Stars' players are competitors, and we will see if we have hockey on Saturday night.
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