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Defending Big D Talks With Former North Stars Goalie Don Beaupre
by Mike Russo on Feb 19, 2010 4:00 PM CST
in Interviews
0 comments
Don Beaupre
Height: 5-9
Weight: 175
Catches: Left
Style: Upright
While Don Beaupre never played for the Dallas Stars, he was an integral member of the team that eventually relocated to Dallas.
Born in Kitchener, Ontario and raised in nearby Waterloo, Beaupre starred in the OHA as goaltender for the Sudbury Wolves. In the 1979-80 season, he finished with 28 victories and was named to the league's first all-star team.
At the age of 18, Beaupre was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars as their second pick (37th overall) in 1980.
In the 1980-81 season, Beaupre split time in net with Gilles Meloche. He played well enough to earn a spot in the NHL All-Star Game. Better yet, the North Stars pulled off what were considered to be several upsets during the Stanley Cup Playoffs to reach the Cup Finals against the New York Islanders. Although the North Stars lost the series, Beaupre won Game 4 against the powerful Islanders, 5-3.
He spent nine years with Minnesota before being traded to the Washington Capitals for the rights to Claudio Scremin. (Unrelated side note: He faced Dallas only twice in his career - both as a member of the Capitals - losing both decisions in 1994).
After a lengthy stint with the Caps, he was traded for a fifth-round pick in 1995 to the Ottawa Senators. He became the first Senators goaltender to earn a shutout.
As his career winded down, Beaupre was traded yet again, this time to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Damian Rhodes in early 1996. He retired from hockey in 1997.
Beaupre now lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with his wife Lisa and their five children. He owns Beaupre Aerial Equipment, Inc., a high-reach equipment rental company.
After the jump, Defending Big D talks with Don Beaupre:
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Stargazing: Friday Olympic News and Notes
by Brad G on Feb 19, 2010 12:00 PM CST
in News
5 comments
Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and NHL news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.
Do you like the NHL stopping down for the Olympics? I think we talked about it on a podcast earlier in the season and my response was "Yes". Well, it's now been like six weeks since I've seen a Stars game (Alright...has it really only been six days?) and a lot longer since I've been to the AAC. I am having some serious withdrawal issues. 11 days until action resumes on March 2nd against the hated Kings.
The IIHF and the IOC have made it pretty clear in the last couple of days that they'd like Gary to commit to the 2014 Winter games in Russia, but Darth Bettman is taking his time, saying they'd like to have a greater hand in the proceedings. There' s also the next CBA to think about. It's clear the players want to go and do this, they've been giddy about it since camp. Those close to the team(s) say the players have had one eye on their jobs and one eye on the Olympics all season long. But stop and ask yourself: Does the NHL as a league benefit from Olympic participation?
I received a "NHL Fan Faceoff Survey" yesterday from the NHL. (You can sign up with them here to give them your opinions should they ask, which they do infrequently). They wanted to know about my Olympic viewing habits, how much I was watching, and more specifically WHY I was watching. (i.e Patriotism, favorite players, etc...)
I don't know if they're going to get a lot of useful information on this subject from hockey fanatics that signed up to take their surveys. What I do know is that the common-sense test tells me: The NHL, as a money making entity, likely receives very little measurable economic benefit from allowing it's players to take part in the games. At least not enough to offset the cramped schedule that produces an increased risk of injury, and whatever potential injuries come from the games themselves, not to mention stopping down for two weeks.
Here's the bottom line: Is anyone watching Olympic hockey at home going to be drawn to the NHL because of it? Very few, if any. That's my opinion. I could be dreadfully wrong. I think the people watching these games are you and me. We're already in. We have hunt to find these games on CNBC or wherever they are, and we do because we already love it.
Does Olympic participation "grow the game?" That's hard to measure. Does it earn money for the National Hockey League? Probably not. I hope they can find a way to do both. It's a great tournament.
Enough of that yacking, and onto some notes to kill your Friday afternoon...
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Olympic Hockey Break: Grading The Dallas Stars Goaltenders
by Brandon Worley on Feb 18, 2010 7:00 PM CST
in Analysis
24 comments
Continuing our series from yesterday, today we turn our attention the Dallas Stars goaltenders. The goal here is to analyze and talk about their performances relative to our respective expectations for each player headed into the season. Obviously, we weren't expecting Marty Turco to be the goalie that set a modern-era goals-against average, but how did he do when you think about what you were expecting back in September?
Overall, the goaltending has been wholly disappointing as the season has progressed. Both goaltenders' propensity for allowing soft goals in the final minutes of a period or failing to make the big save when the team needed it the most has frustrated Stars fans ever since October. What is good to know is that the Stars are at least allowing less goals per game than last season, when a complete lack of goaltending ability helped the Stars fall apart down the stretch.
Yet it's also been the goaltending that's allowed the Stars to climb back into the Western conference playoff race, with two weeks worth of masterful performances by Marty Turco. But was it too little, too late? We all hoped that Alex Auld could perhaps grab the temporary starter's role when Turco was struggling, yet he disappointed as well. Was the lack of consistent goaltending a reason for the team's struggles, or was it the defense that led to the netminding issues?
Vote for how you feel the goaltending has performed overall, then make the jump for stats and thoughts on each goalies.
24 comments | 0 recs |
Olympic Hockey: USA vs Norway Game Information
by Brandon Worley on Feb 18, 2010 11:42 AM CST
in Game Threads
2 comments
From SB Nation's game preview:
3 PM ET / Noon PT : USA vs Norway in Group A action
Broadcast details: Live coverage on USA Network
In Team USA's victory over Switzerland in the first game of the Olympic tournament, the major hole in the team turned out to be the one that solidified the victory. America's three goals were scored by Bobby Ryan, David Backes and Ryan Malone, showing off the secondary scoring on this club that most people thought would be their downfall.
Instead, the problem that came out of their 3-1 victory on Tuesday was that the top line didn't produce. Zach Parise, thought to be the most potent scorer on the USA squad and a member of that top line, said that he didn't think he and linemates Patrick Kane and Paul Stastny were 'good at all.' It's probably just a chemistry issue at this point since, basically, these guys have never played with each other.
So on that front, they're extremely lucky that they have the Swiss and now Norway today as tune up matches before facing off against Canada on Sunday. Comparing the outcome of today's game against Norway with that of Canada's 8-0 demolition of the Norwegians on Tuesday could be bit of a barometer towards seeing how good this American team can be.
The game thread can be found on SBNation.com, here. Hope to see everybody there!
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Stargazing: Dallas Stars Olympic Update
by Brad G on Feb 18, 2010 5:30 AM CST
in News
5 comments
Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and NHL news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.
I have to tell you: Apart from hockey, I don't traditionally care much for the Winter games. Maybe it's all the figure skating (thanks, NBC), maybe it's the inaccessible nature of the sports themselves (skiing + shooting a rifle?), but I think it's just downright bitterness. It seems as though most of the events are traditionally dominated by countries that aren't the one I live in. Does that make me an ugly American? That's fine.
After watching Shaun White do something pretty special tonight to capture his second gold medal, I was much more in the spirit of things, and the United States is even holding their own in the medal count. The USA has not won a medal count in the Winter games since 1932 in Lake Placid. Only 42 total medals were awarded that year, and only 17 countries participated. It's kind of like the Maple Leafs last cup win in 1967 when 6 teams competed...does it really count for much compared to current standards? (I kid)
Watching the Unites States Mens hockey team win their game against the Swiss appealed to the Stars fan in me: They managed to get a lead and then hung on for dear life in the third period. It wasn't quite the 8-0 win the Canadians had to start their tournament, but beggars can't be choosers.
As for our Olympians themselves: They all played their first game and they're all still healthy, rest assured. We'll get you updated on the Stars in Vancouver, and take a look at any other Stars news we can dig up today on Stargazing (after the jump)...
5 comments | 0 recs |
Winter Olympic Break: Grade The Dallas Stars Defensemen
by Brandon Worley on Feb 17, 2010 5:00 PM CST
in Analysis
13 comments
ESPN Dallas is running a series that talks about several aspects of the Dallas Stars overall team this season, and whether they are trending up, down or about the average of what we expected for this season. He asked me to give my thoughts, and today we talked about the Dallas Stars forwards. You can read that here.
This got me to thinking about the expectations we've had for each player since the start of the season, and how those expectations have either been met or we've been left disappointed. We'll be grading each player for the complete season this summer, but with the Olympic break upon us I thought now would be a good time to talk about what our respective expectations might have been for each player. Today, we'll talk defensemen.
First, think about how you feel the defensemen have performed as a group over the season so far. Vote for the overall grade of blueliners and then stop by in the comments and let us know how you feel about each defensemen. Who has been the most improved? Who has disappointed the most? What needs to be done for this team group to take the next step?
After the jump, a quick rundown of each defensemen.
13 comments | 0 recs |
Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk Talks With ESPN Dallas
by Brandon Worley on Feb 17, 2010 2:51 PM CST
in General
5 comments
Joe Nieuwendyk spoke with Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas yesterday, and he talked about a variety of topics including a potential Marty Turco trade, Steve Ott and the team's overall vision for the future. Full interview is here.
5 comments | 0 recs |
Marty Turco: Should He Stay or Should He Go?
by Brad G on Feb 17, 2010 12:00 PM CST
in Analysis
34 comments
The introduction of a third goaltender to the everyday workings of an NHL team is kind of like bringing that awkward third wheel with you on a romantic date. It's going to be cramped, expensive, really uncomfortable, and at the end, face it, you're not going to get to go "all the way." To the playoffs, I mean. Get your mind out of the gutter.
When you look at what Joe Nieuwendyk did last week, it seems to make sense for the long term. He traded a prospect that may or may not turn out to be the special player we've hoped he can be, and a fourth round draft pick. In return he got a goaltender who was the #2 overall pick in his draft class, and the possibility of solving his long term problem at the position. It was a low risk, high reward move that won't cripple the franchise by any stretch of the imagination moving forward if it doesn't work out, provided Lehtonen's new deal is a reasonable one. He traded potential for potential and it seems like a shrewd move for someone who can't afford the July bidding wars.
But what about the short term? You don't often show up for work in the private sector and have your boss tell you "I hired a guy to replace you. There he is now, sitting in your chair. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you yet, so just hang out." Marty Turco's just hanging out, knowing he won't be here next year. What he doesn't know about is the next 21 games, and it's not real clear that GM-Joe knows either.
The questions that sit before him as he tries to conclude the move he started last Tuesday are these: Can he afford to lose Marty Turco and still have a reasonable possibility of making the playoffs? Is trading Marty Turco essentially giving up on the season? Or does he believe that Kari Lehtonen, who hasn't played an NHL game since April 11th, 2009, can jump in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race and take them where they want to go? Does the financial situation dictate what must be done?
After the jump, a look at the options:
34 comments | 0 recs |
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Tue 03/02 | 7:30 PM CST |
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St. Louis
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Thu 03/04 | 7:30 PM CST |
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Sat 03/06 | 12:00 PM CST |
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
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San Jose
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62 | 40 | 13 | 9 | 89 |
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Phoenix
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63 | 37 | 21 | 5 | 79 |
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Los Angeles
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61 | 37 | 20 | 4 | 78 |
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Dallas
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61 | 28 | 21 | 12 | 68 |
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Anaheim
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62 | 30 | 25 | 7 | 67 |
(updated 2.15.2010 at 8:14 AM CST)
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| Total | Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||
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USA | 20 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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DEU | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
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NOR | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
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CAN | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
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FRA | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
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