Marty Turco and Dallas Stars Hockey

DALLAS STARS ANNOUNCE 2008-2009 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Stars Open Season vs. Columbus on Oct. 10;
Eight Eastern Conference Teams To Visit Dallas
FRISCO, Tex. – The Dallas Stars will open the 2008-2009 National Hockey League regular season schedule at home against the Western Conference rival Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, October 10 (7:30 p.m.). The Stars will host nine of the 15 Eastern Conference teams, up from the five inter-conference games the last three seasons. The Stars’ television schedule will be released later this summer.

Click Here To Download A PDF Version Of The 2008-09 Schedule

The Stars are scheduled to play 82 games during the 2008-09 campaign, with 41 contests at home and 41 on the road. The home schedule features 20 weekend contests (six Friday, 10 Saturday, four Sunday). The Stars will host four Saturday matinees: Oct. 18 vs. Colorado (2 p.m.), Jan. 17 vs. Los Angeles (2 p.m.), Feb. 21 vs. Chicago (2 p.m.) and Feb. 28 vs. Anaheim (2 p.m.). The Stars also host four Sunday afternoon games: Nov. 30 vs. Edmonton (5 p.m.); Feb. 8 vs. Nashville (5:00 p.m.); Mar. 1 vs. Pittsburgh (2 p.m.) and Mar. 8 vs. Montreal (5 p.m.). The busiest home week night for the Stars is Thursday (nine times). Most evening games at American Airlines Center will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The NHL schedule remains heavily structured around conference play, especially against the team’s respective division. Dallas plays in the NHL’s Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and will play 24 divisional games against rivals Anaheim, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Jose (a total of six times each — three home, three away).

The Stars will play a total of 40 games against non-division Western Conference foes in the Central Division (Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville and St. Louis) and the Northwest Division (Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver), with four games against each opponent (twice at home, twice on the road).

Dallas will play a total of 18 games against Eastern Conference opponents, skating against all 15 Eastern teams once and facing off against three Eastern clubs (Florida, New Jersey, New York Rangers) both home and away. The eight Eastern Conference teams that the Stars will host are: Carolina, Washington, New Jersey, Buffalo, Atlanta, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh and Florida.

The Stars’ longest home stand this season will be a six-game stretch from Feb. 19 to Mar. 1 (Edmonton, Chicago, San Jose, St. Louis, Anaheim, Pittsburgh). The club also has a four-game home stand from Feb. 6-13 (NY Rangers, Nashville, Phoenix, Vancouver). Dallas’ longest road trip is a five-game road swing from Oct. 31 to Nov. 11 (Chicago, Boston, Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles).

Notable games at American Airlines Center include: home opener versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (Oct. 10); Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (Oct. 25); two games during the Thanksgiving week (Nov. 28 vs. San Jose and Nov. 30 vs. Edmonton); two games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings (Dec. 12 and Jan. 12); the New York Rangers (Feb. 6); Sidney Crosby and the defending Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins (Mar. 1); Guy Carbonneau’s Montreal Canadiens (Mar. and New Year’s Eve vs. the New Jersey Devils (the 11th consecutive season for the Stars to play at home on Dec. 31).

Dallas Stars Season Seats are on sale now. Full and split season plans are available, as well as 6- and 12-game packages that allow fans to choose the games they want to go to. Individual game tickets for October and November games go on sale to the public on September 20, but fans can pick the games they want before the public by purchasing 6- or 12-game plans today. Fans can call 214-GO-STARS for more information or click here.

STARS SCHEDULE NOTES

Home Games by Day: Mon. – 3, Tues. – 4, Wed. – 5, Thurs. – 9, Fri. – 6, Sat. – 10, Sun – 4
Road Games by Day: Mon. – 5, Tues. – 8, Wed. – 5, Thurs. – 7, Fri. – 4, Sat. – 11, Sun – 1

Home Games by Month: Oct. – 5, Nov. – 5, Dec. – 8, Jan. – 4, Feb. – 10, Mar. – 7, Apr. - 2
Road Games by Month: Oct. – 6, Nov. – 7, Dec. – 5, Jan. – 8, Feb. – 3, Mar. – 9, Apr. – 3 

Games by Conference/Division:
Western Conference (64) - Pacific Division (24)   Northwest Division (20) Central Division (20)
Eastern Conference (18) - Southeast Division (6)  Atlantic Division (7)   Northeast Division (5)

Opponents’ Visits to Dallas (41): Atlanta-1, Anaheim-3, Boston-0, Buffalo-1, Calgary-2, Carolina-1, Chicago-2, Colorado-2, Columbus-2, Detroit-2, Edmonton-2, Florida-1, Los Angeles-3, Minnesota-2, Montreal-1, Nashville-2, New Jersey-1, NY Islanders-0, NY Rangers-1, Ottawa-0, Philadelphia-0,
Phoenix-3, Pittsburgh-1, St. Louis-2, San Jose-3, Tampa Bay-0, Toronto-0, Vancouver-2, Washington-1.

Stars’ Visits to Road Cities (41): Atlanta-0, Anaheim-3, Boston-1, Buffalo-0, Calgary-2, Carolina-0, Chicago-2, Colorado-2, Columbus-2, Detroit-2, Edmonton-2, Florida-1, Los Angeles-3, Minnesota-2, Montreal-0, Nashville-2, New Jersey-1, NY Islanders-1, NY Rangers-1, Ottawa-1, Philadelphia-1,
Phoenix-3, Pittsburgh-0, St. Louis-2, San Jose-3, Tampa Bay-1, Toronto-1, Vancouver-2, Washington-0.

1st Half/2nd Half: The Stars will play 22 of their first 41 games on the road, while finishing the second half with 22 of the final 41 games at home.

Home For February: The Stars will play 10 of their 13 games during the month of February at American Airlines Center.

Back-to-Back Series:
Overall:                                                                           15
Back-to-back at home:                                                 1   
Back-to-back on road:                                                  9   
Home game followed by road game next day:       4
Road game followed by home game next day:      1      

Free Agent Left Wing Signs with Dallas for Four Seasons

Dallas Stars Staff

Jul 2, 2008, 1:59 PM EDT

Sean Avery is a Dallas Star. The Stars have signed the free agent left wing to a four-year contract that will pay him a total of $15.5 million ($3.5 million next season, and $4 million in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12).

“We are excited about the opportunity to add a player like Sean Avery to our group,” said Stars Co-General Manager Brett Hull. “His ability to play the game with skill and tenacity makes us a better team and is a great complement to the players we have here.”

Brett Hull Press Conference
 Sean Avery Conference Call (7.2.08) 
 Hull and Jackson Conference Call (7.02.08)

In 86 games with New York over the last two seasons, the Rangers went 50-20-16 with Avery in the lineup for a winning percentage of .674 (and 9-13-3 record when he was not on the ice).

“His skill keeps improving every year,” said Hull. “He is feisty and tenacious. Sean has the ability to score and make plays and he is fearless. I think he’s a very good compliment to Brenden Morrow. We like our team, but the thing I think we were lacking was a little bit of sandpaper and some grit, and we also improved our skill level with Sean.

“He made the Rangers a much better team. In talking to some of the guys on that team, they are very sorry to see him go. He’s a great teammate – he’ll do anything for the team, he’ll do anything to win.”
 
Avery, who turned 28 in April, collected 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 57 games with the New York Rangers last season, and placed second on the club with 154 penalty minutes and tied for third with four game-winning goals. In eight Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Rangers this past spring, Avery recorded four goals and three assists for seven points with six penalty minutes.
 
A native of Pickering, Ontario, Avery has skated in 379 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers, collecting 65 goals and 102 assists for 167 points with 1,067 penalty minutes. He has appeared in 18 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Rangers, earning 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) and 33 PIM.
 
Avery’s most productive NHL season came in 2006-07, split between Los Angeles and the Rangers, when he posted career-highs in goals (18), assists (30), points (48), shots on goal (249), average time on ice (17:11) and games played (84). He also led the Rangers and placed fifth in the league with 174 minutes during that campaign.
 
The 5-10, 195-pound left wing was undrafted, but made his NHL debut with Detroit on Dec. 19, 2001 vs. Vancouver, and scored his first NHL goal (a game-winner) on Mar. 2, 2002 vs. Pittsburgh. During the 2003-04 season with Los Angeles, he led the NHL and set a career-high with 261 penalty minutes. He appeared in 221 Ontario Hockey League games with Owen Sound and Kingston, registering 87 goals and 166 assists for 253 points, along with 564 penalty minutes.

source: dallasstars.com

DALLAS STARS SIGN ERIKSSON TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
Left Wing Had Career Highs in Goals, Assists and Points in 2007-08
FRISCO, Tex. – The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed left wing Loui Eriksson to a two-year contract worth $3.2 million ($1.5 million in 2008-09 and $1.7 million in 2009-10).
 

Loui Eriksson

“We are very pleased to sign Loui Eriksson to this new contract,” said Stars Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “Loui really started to show some flashes of his potential last season and he seems to be growing into the player we think he can be. We expect Loui’s development and production to continue next season and beyond.”
 
Eriksson, 22, skated in 69 games with the Stars last season, collecting 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points, all career-highs. He added four goals and four assists for eight points in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games with Dallas this past spring, ranking tied for third on the club in goals and tied for sixth in points. In 128 career NHL games, Eriksson has posted 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) and 46 penalty minutes.
 
The 6-1, 183-pound left wing was originally selected by Dallas in the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2003 Entry Draft and earned Rookie of the Year honors for the American Hockey League’s Iowa Stars in 2005-06. He also was named AHL Rookie of the Month for March 2006.
 
A native of Goteborg, Sweden, Eriksson became just the third player in Dallas Stars history to score a goal in his NHL debut, Oct. 4, 2006 at Colorado. He skated for Team Sweden at the 2004 World Junior Championships and the 2003 World Under-18 Championships.
 

dallasstars.com

BRETT HULL AND LES JACKSON SIGNED TO
THREE-YEAR CONTRACTS AS CO-GENERAL MANAGERS

DALLAS – Dallas Stars Chairman of the Board and Owner Thomas O. Hicks announced today that he has signed Brett Hull and Les Jackson each to three-year contracts as Co-General Managers for the hockey club through the 2010-11 season. Hull and Jackson were named as Interim Co-General Managers on November 13, 2007.

  “Brett and Les have earned these extensions, doing an excellent job in leading this hockey club this past season,” said Hicks. “The move to make them interim co-general managers was a different approach that proved to be strategic. The two compliment each other very well. Les has over 20 years of experience with this organization as a scout and an executive and he is the consummate hockey man. He is highly regarded and respected throughout the league. Brett had 19 years of success as a player in the NHL and is a solid link between the front office and locker room. He thinks outside the box and provides a different perspective for our management staff.

“This unique combination of talents gives us many advantages for our hockey club. Signing Les and Brett to these contracts provides stability for the future. We look forward to building on this year’s relative successes.”

The Stars accumulated a 38-23-4 regular season record with Hull and Jackson as co-GM’s. The club advanced to the Western Conference Finals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2000. Two of the more notable moves by Hull and Jackson include signing center Mike Ribeiro to a five-year contract on January 7, and acquiring center Brad Richards from Tampa Bay along with goaltender Johan Holmqvist on February 26.

From DallasStars.com 

from nhl.com

Maybe it’s because all we can do with the Pittsburgh Penguins these days is split hairs, but Evgeni Malkin officially is under the microscope after another average performance Thursday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Malkin hasn’t scored a goal since registering two on four shots in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He has seven shots on goal since, has been credited with eight giveaways – including four in Game 4 – and has won only 35 percent of his faceoffs.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien, though, is hardly concerned. He said on a conference call Friday that the MVP candidate simply has to be better in Game 5 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS) at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.

“Yeah, he hasn’t been productive like he was in the past, but he’s going to have to find a way next game to make sure he’s productive like he used to be,” Therrien said. “I think they did a good job about checking him. It’s not sometimes a matter of the players not being productive. Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the other team. They’re doing a good job right now to contain him. It’s going to be up to Evgeni Malkin to make sure he’s going to be productive offensively.”

Therrien discounted the notion that perhaps Malkin is tired because he never has played this much hockey in a season. Malkin has played in all 95 games this season after playing in 83 of 87 games a year ago.

The most games Malkin played in any one season prior to coming to the NHL was 69 with his Russian club team and international tournaments in 2004-05. That included six games in the World Junior Championships and nine games in the World Championships.

Malkin looked tired at the end of last season – he had four assists and was a minus-1 in five playoff games against Ottawa – but that had something to do with his tumultuous summer of fleeing Russia to come to the NHL.

“I think he’s got more experience this year to play through the schedule that we’re facing in the NHL, plus the playoffs,” Therrien said. “I could understand fatigue would be a factor if we would have played seven games in every round. I think we had some quality time for rest … so I don’t think fatigue is a factor.”

As Malkin goes, apparently, so do his linemates.

Outside of Ryan Malone’s insurance goal 9:58 into the third period of Game 3, he and Petr Sykora have been quiet. Sykora, in fact, has one goal in the last five games after scoring four in the first five of the postseason.

“At times, this is going to be like this,” Therrien said. “You can’t expect your top two lines to give you one or two goals a game because you’re not going to score four, five, six goals a game in the playoffs all the time.

“They did a good job to contain (Malkin’s) line in the last few games, and it’s going to be a challenge for them to make sure they’re going to be able to get some results because this is what they’re supposed to do, bring some offense to the team.

“In the meantime, I’m not losing any faith in that line. They’ve been really good so far in the big picture.”

Therrien mentioned the big picture more than once during Friday’s call. He believes it’s essential to focus on that at this point rather than the Penguins’ loss in Game 4 that only forced a Game 5.

The Penguins are 11-2 in the playoffs. They hold a 3-1 lead in this series.

They’ve been pretty darn good.

“You’ve got to look at the big pictures every single round, and after four games, we’re optimistic,” Therrien said. “It’s demanding to win games in the playoffs on the road. We all know that. We were capable to have a split in Philly. It was a good accomplishment for our team to win Game 3 there.”

Therrien then suggested, the way Maxime Talbot did Thursday night, that the Penguins are bringing momentum into Game 5 because of how they played the last 40 minutes of Game 4.

The Penguins held the Flyers to 17 shots on goal in the final 40 minutes after surrendering 17 in the first 20. They had 25 shots themselves in the final two periods and gave the Flyers only one power play as opposed to three in the first period.

Jordan Staal scored twice in the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 5:49 to play. The Flyers eventually salted the game away thanks to Joffrey Lupul’s empty-netter with 33 seconds left.

“I liked the way we responded,” Therrien said. “I think we had the momentum on our side. We could have made a comeback. We were really close. So we’re going to make sure we’re going to bring that momentum to the game at home Sunday.”

On the flip side, the Flyers also believe a win in Game 4 gave them momentum for the first time in the series. And with defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn possibly returning to the lineup Sunday, the Flyers not only may get an infusion of talent, but of energy, too, by having their top two defensemen back on the blue line.

“Kimmo is one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the League,” Flyers goalie Martin Biron said. “He’s even better when you don’t notice him because he does the little things right all the time. He makes guys think twice. It’s no secret he’s an All-Star.

“We want him in the locker room healthy and ready to go if he can.”

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, just wants Malkin to be Malkin, and all will be right again.