The 10th anniversary of greatness

10 years ago today the Stars reached the pinnacle of their existence. Their existence so far, anyway. 10 years ago tonight (technically the wee hours of tomorrow) Eddie Belfour showed us what it felt like to be completely overcome by joy. The stuffy old Canadian media had to write about a Stanley Cup Champion from Dallas, freaking Texas. Glorious.

And the city of Buffalo…well, I feel for you, Buffalo.

I actually didn’t see the game. Not much of it anyway. I had to work that night despite my best efforts to get out of it. 10 years ago I had just completed my junior year of high school and was working in fast food. I had a radio up there and listened to as much of the game as I could. Playoff overtime hockey is even more terrifying on the radio. I had to work until midnight, and my Stars kept the cup warm that night, and they waited for me to get home so that we could celebrate together. I think I caught all of the third overtime before Mr Hull mercifully ended it.

I have of course watched the game since in it’s entirety.

The official Dallas Stars web site has been running the most excellent recap of the games on the road to that cup, and you can find game 6 here: http://stars.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=32455. Unfortunately it seems that the NHL Network isn’t going to help us re-live the memories today.

Watching those old highlights makes me remember how great that team was. Watch the video at dallasstars.com. Look at how fluid they are through the neutral zone. Look at the organization. Look at the decisive defensive plays. The shot blocking. The commitment. Their confidence and trust in each other is evident in every frame of that video. They were a cohesive unit that was clearly, no matter how much of Brett Hull’s skate lace was hanging over the crease, the better team.

It’s ok to look back and remember, but it’s not ok to try and recapture that team going forward. Brett Hull and Joe Nieuwendyk’s hirings have been questioned by many as Tom Hicks trying to re-live those days. Many even wanted Guy Carbonneau to coach the Stars. Might it take the retirements of Zubov, Lehtinen and Modano to truly move on? Last year when the Stars moved on to the second and third rounds the AAC swelled with Hatcher, Belfour and Carbonneau  jerseys. A lot of old timers showed up and expected to quite literally party like it was 1999. As much fun as it is to remember, I am sometimes bothered by the extent to which the fan base and organization seem infatuated with the past.

It’s time for Brenden Morrow and Marty Turco and Mike Ribeiro to focus on getting their cup.