HOCK.ly - Future of Hockey Content Free Agency Edition | Page 29

Madison, they had thousands of people dressing up as empty seats from 2003 until they started to turn things around in the 2007-08 year. The Kings saw their attendance dip to the lowest levels since they moved to Staples Center when they were trying to rebuild during the 2007-08 year.

Considering the Stars were 25th in the league in attendance (in terms of capacity), it looks like the fans in Dallas may wait until the rebuild is showing progress before they return in droves. Just like so many other teams across North America, the Dallas Metroplex loves their teams when they’re winning. With the Rangers contending for the World Series and the Cowboys being the apex of the State of Football, the Stars have to fight to convert and keep every hockey fan they can find.

The blessing looks as though it could be a curse for the Stars fans in the next few years: the Stars are going to be patient. In fact, Jim Nill has already said that the biggest lesson that he’s learned from his mentor Ken Holland is how important it is to be patient when others are calling for drastic action. But that’s exactly what Gaglardi, Lites and Nill are looking for—stability and consistency.

For now, the Stars have made it clear that they are going make the most of the draft with their assembled dream team spearheaded by Nill and Jackson. The next step will be bringing in the right veteran players to help teach the younger players exactly what it takes to succeed at the NHL level. Nill’s first player personal transaction spoke to his desire to add at well-respected veteran by acquiring Sergei Gonchar’s rights—and subsequently signing him to a two-year deal.

Gonchar will undoubtedly help quarterback the power play that struggled last season and he has the ability to eat up minutes on the blueline, but the main reason he’s in Dallas is his experience. He’s been to the playoffs 13 times, Stanley Cup Final three times, and won a Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009. Just as importantly, the last two times he missed the playoffs, he was helping lay the foundation with young teammates with the Penguins and Senators. The man has won a Silver and Bronze medal at the Olympics and participated four times for Team Russia. He’s been around players that know what it takes to succeed at the highest level—HE has succeeded at the highest level.

GM Nill hopes that Gonchar will be able to walk into the Stars’ locker room and fill the same role he expects out of the returning Ray Whitney. He expects both to be respected leaders and set a strong example for the younger prospects that are on the horizon and hope to make their mark in the NHL.

“Part of our game plan is we want to add some veteran presence to our team. We have some good young kids coming, but you need to have veteran presence,” Nill told Mark Stepneski at Stars Inside Edge. “It’s a man’s game and he’s been a great player for many years. He had a great year last year. We know that he looks after himself, he’s a highly conditioned athlete. I come from the model in Detroit and we’ve had a lot of success with the older players that look after themselves and bring veteran presence. He’s a piece of the puzzle. He brings great leadership in the dressing room and will bring high skill level to our backend. … He has high leadership skills and is a great character player. We want to add that to our team.”

Some players from last year’s roster should already have a good idea of what it takes to be a professional after seeing Jaromir Jagr and his notorious preparation and conditioning. Nill has seen it himself during his time with Red Wings and has already shared his expectations with his new players in Dallas:

“If there’s anything that I learned in Detroit, that’s one thing. I told a story today and I told the players this the last time I’m going to talk about Detroit. I remember when we played Pittsburgh in the last year when they beat us in the Final in the seventh game. It was a Friday night, Saturday morning I came back to the rink not expecting anyone to be there. All the sudden, I go to the dressing room and there’s Chris Chelios, who’s 42 years old, getting a workout in 8:30 or 9 in the morning after we just lost in the Stanley Cup Final. He’s 42 years old—if anyone doesn’t need to be there, it’s him. But that’s why he’s still playing at 42 because he learned a lifestyle. What it takes to be a pro. That’s what I really mean by bringing a culture, that’s learning to bring it every single day to be the best you can be.”

- Marek vs. Wyshynski Radio (April 30, 2013)

For his part, Gonchar already bought into Dallas’s plan for the future before he ever put on a Stars jersey. He had to waive his no-trade clause for the Stars to even trade for his rights—then agreed to a contract before he could have hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. “The most important reason I signed with Dallas is because after I talked to them I find out they are going to sign more players,” Gonchar said. “They are going to improve the team and they are going to do whatever it takes to make that next step. That’s what made me sign with them.”

He certainly sounds like a believer—and that’s the first step for any culture change. Belief.

It’s not like the Stars haven’t already proven they can be successful in Dallas. Since moving from Minnesota, they’ve won seven division titles, two President’s Trophies, made two Stanley Cup Final appearances, and won a Stanley Cup (no matter what fans in Buffalo will tell you). They’ve proven that they can make it work on a large scale over the long term—but those days seem like more of a memory than a history to build upon.

Rewind to the last couple of years at Reunion Arena and the first couple of years at American Airlines Center to see just how strong the Metroplex market can be for hockey. The team on the ice was challenging for Presidents’ Trophies and Stanley Cups while the fans in the seats were racking up a 238 game sell-out streak while they were cheering the home team to a Texas-sized amount of victories. The team was great, the fans were passionate, and the organization was healthy.

That was then. Jim Nill and Tom Gaglardi are working to bring it back to the now.

Back in the 60’s, the Grateful Dead would end plenty of shows with the track “The Music Never Stopped.” Nill and Gaglardi are looking to bring that culture out of the Fillmore and into a much bigger venue—the American Airlines Center. This summer is only the first step to get back to that place that they know exists.

Matt Reitz is Founder/Creator of the hockey website ViewFromMySeats.com ◉