A rough weekend for us Austin Stars fans. Despite keeping our Cap’n Brad Lukowich with a chance for him to get a roster spot in Dallas, we’ve lost two pieces of our offensive punch. Last season’s leading scorer Greg Rallo received a deal with the Panthers so we will likely be seeing him in a Rampage jersey. I hope those fans who shot their mouths off at Matt Climie, Garrett Stafford and Matthieu Beaudoin will be more respectful. The other painful piece of news was Aaron Gagnon going to the Jets. Aaron was so close to playing for the Dallas Stars, I’m confident he has a great shot at making the Jets’ final roster in the upcoming NHL season.
This leaves the Austin Stars a big mystery. We need a new head coach along with an assistant. The goalie situation hasn’t been discussed and I think Dallas should ditch Raycroft, take Bachmann as back-up. The blueliners seem fine, we have a glut of them. It’s the offensive power I’m curious about. Rallo and Gagnon were two major goal-makers. This would leave Morin, Wathier and Sceviour.
What can I say? We got our expectations raised for two seasons. I would hate to see my Stars turn into the San Antonio Rampage for its third. Winning isn’t everything but it’s certainly more enjoyable to head to the parking lot listening to Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” than chanting the Chicago Cubs’ litany of “we’ll do better next year.”
Over in the NHL, Philly ‘won’ the Jagr Derby. Ugh! Did Nedved retire? Who in their right mind would sign a 39-year old forward with very little left in the tank? My initially answer is Bobby Clarke or Glen Sather but it’s Paul Holmgren. I’m also surprised to see that Dany Heatley would be the player the Sharks dumped to change things up. He does tend to choke at playoff time and with the Wild’s absence in April, I won’t be a problem anymore.