Stars need repeat for respect
By Al Morganti
Special to ESPN.com
If it weren't for the commercials, you might never know the Dallas Stars
are the
defending Stanley Cup champions.
|  | | Hitchcock says his team is motivated by not getting respect in the media. |
If it weren't for the vignettes of Ed Belfour on an amusement ride with the Cup; Brett Hull with the Cup locked in his car, or Joe Nieuwendyk using the Cup as
a Jell-O mold, you probably wouldn't think of the team from Dallas as the reigning NHL tournament champ.
"We were just talking about that," said Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on
Tuesday
afternoon. "It really doesn't seem like we are being regarded by the media,
and by the
public outside of Dallas as the Cup champions."
There was no bitterness in Hitchcock's voice. It was a simple statement
of fact. A
truthful analysis of where the glitter has stuck around the NHL in the year
2000. The sexy
stories involve the Colorado Avalanche and their quest for a Cup since the
addition of Ray
Bourque.
Before that, there was the great season by the St. Louis Blues, the big
upset of the
Blues by the San Jose Sharks, and the never-ending saga of the Philadelphia
Flyers and
their office drama.
And, of course, the Detroit Red Wings.
"I think that it's more the fact we don't have the top-end elite guys, at
least in the
view of the media. We don't have a ... Patrick Roy, (Peter) Forsberg, Ray
Bourque. When it comes down to the elite things, because we don't have them, we are
not given the
status.
"But most of all, I think we all take second fiddle to Detroit," Hitchcock added. "After
Detroit won it
twice, everybody feels like they are the measuring stick. And that is because
Detroit won it
twice.
"That is now our goal. We've got four teams left in the next round. Our
feeling is
that we got to the dance. It doesn't matter how we got there, or how anybody
got there.
We had a lot of dragging and pulling, and whatever, but we got here. Now our attitude is that we want to be a second-time champion, and that is
motivating our players right now."
The next step is likely to be the most difficult of all. The Avalanche
took the Stars
to seven games last season, and in the eyes of Hitchcock, the Avalanche are
even better
this season.
"We know how hard it's going to be," Hitchcock said. "With the addition of
Bourque and
Dave Andreychuk, they look exactly like we do, with more speed. They are fully
committed 100 percent to defensive hockey, without the puck and with the
puck.
|
“ |
We know how
difficult this is going to be against Colorado ... but I think we're a lot better than we
were all regular season. ” |
|
|
— Stars coach Ken Hitchcock |
"Before they (Colorado) were committed without the puck, but they were not
committed with the puck. They still made a lot of high-risk decisions. We're
looking at a
mirror image of ourselves in this challenge."
Dallas went through a fitful season, tormented by injuries, and never
getting on a
real high-octane roll. However, goalie Ed Belfour has been steady and perhaps
the most
underrated player in the league. And Mike Modano just gets better and better.
"Mike (Modano) is playing just unbelievable, the best he's every played,
and
Eddie (Belfour) is like our team," said Hitchcock. "Everybody expects us to
be a one-year
wonder, like Eddie in the playoffs. But Eddie has been steady all year.
Everybody talks
about Patrick (Roy), and Eddie sort of goes unnoticed. Like our team.
"What people haven't noticed about our team, unless you've watched
closely,"
said Hitchcock, "is that we've improved throughout the playoffs. And we're
getting
healthier."
That is certainly a key. The Stars were so banged up during the regular
season that
they depleted their farm team to the point that the minor league team went
from first place
to last in a matter of a month -- all the result of lending so many players
to help the Stars
in their injury-of-the-week situation.
"We're a lot younger (average age 28 from 31), and we're a lot more
mobile and a
lot more physical," Hitchcock said. "We know how difficult this is going to be against
Colorado ... but I
think we're a lot better than we were all regular season. But from All-Star
break on, we
started to get healthy, and we've been pretty good."
But "pretty good" is not enough for a Cup champion.
"Here in Dallas the fans have been looking forward to this series," said
Hitchcock.
"Whether it was Detroit or Colorado, they didn't care. The relationship this
team has with
this city is pretty strong. But outside of Dallas, from a media standpoint,
we don't notice
it. All the talk is about Colorado, Detroit, Philly. But other players pay
compliments. ... And at the end of the
day, we get it done."
The end of the day is one thing, the end of the season is quite another. And if the
Stars are still the last team standing when this season is over, they won't
have to wonder
about why all the attention is elsewhere. They will be the measuring stick
for all other teams.
Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN. |
