Stars News

"Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom is used to it: Every spring, every playoff series, a discussion arises regarding his possible violation of opposing creases. Since he has made his living in the NHL for more than a decade by playing in front of the net, Holmstrom has learned a thing or two about where to plant his feet. His net-front play, along with that of Johan Franzen, are key assets for the Wings as they take a 1-0 lead into today's Western Conference finals game against Dallas. "

"There was never any question in Brett Hull’s mind why talented Swedish forward Fabian Brunnstrom would choose the Dallas Stars over NHL bluebloods such as the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think he saw that there’s a very good chance that there will be openings on our roster that would allow him to play for us next year,” Hull said. “I think that was probably the deciding factor. “Plus, I sent him an autographed picture"

"Dallas center Mike Modano knows he's nearing the end of his career; he's just not sure when it will come to a close. Modano, who grew up in Hartland and Westland, is the NHL's all-time American scoring leader with 1,283 points and owns almost every offensive record for the Stars... Modano, who turns 38 on June 7, has mentioned retiring before his current contract expires in 2010. "I don't think about it until I'm usually asked about it," he said. "I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon or this summer. It's getting to that time where you do think about life after hockey.""

"Mike Modano is back home, but the trip is all business. Modano would love nothing more than to be a Stanley Cup champion when he celebrates his 38th birthday next month. He has spent his entire career with the Stars organization, starting with the Minnesota North Stars as a teenager. Modano, nearly 20 years later, still is going strong. Already the all-time American scoring leader, he is as feared as ever while playing on the Dallas Stars' third line. "

" The Dallas Stars announced Friday that they have signed free-agent forward Fabian Brunnstrom to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2009-10 season... The highly coveted Brunnstrom will join the Stars next season. As he went undrafted as an 18-year-old, the native of Jonstorp, Sweden, was an unrestricted free agent and could sign with any NHL team of his choosing. He reportedly chose the Stars over the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs among others."

"Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen carries the nickname "Mule," both for his stubbornness and his inability to be moved. Entering Game 2 against the Dallas Stars, Franzen, 28, has scored a playoff-best 12 goals and is stalking the NHL record of 19 in one playoff season. Nearly all of his goals have come within three feet of the crease, continuing a trend established by teammate Tomas Holmstrom. The two Swedish barriers represent a major impediment to Marty Turco's vision and ability to do his job. Each had a goal in Game 1 and each was omnipresent at the Dallas net."

"The Dallas Stars haven't made life easy for themselves in the playoffs. They have fallen behind in seven of their 13 postseason games. Poor first-period play continues to haunt them. The Stars haven't scored a first-period goal in almost two weeks, a span of five games. Dallas has gone a full month since its last first-period power-play goal. "

"Tippett admits it's very tough to beat a puck-possession team that wins most faceoffs. Dallas ranked eighth during the regular season by winning 50.4 percent. Detroit ranked first at 53.3 percent and pushed that to a staggering 63 percent Thursday night. Of the Stars' three top centers, Mike Ribeiro was 5-of-15 (33 percent) Modano 3-of-10 (30 percent) and Brad Richards 5-of-17 (29 percent). "When your top three centermen are all 30 percent in the draws, you're chasing the game right there," Tippett said. "So it's a good place to start." "

"Dave Tippett is planning to scrap all of the defensive pairings he used in Game 1. That pretty much says all you need to know about what he thought about the Dallas Stars' defense in their 4-1 loss to Detroit. So Tippett is wasting no time. Good for him. This is no time to be stubborn. There's no guarantee anything he tries will work today in Game 2, but change is considerably better than the status quo. "

"Niklas Kronwall delivered the big hit, Tomas Holmstrom screened and aggravated, and the Red Wings rolled on. Taking advantage of several power plays, the Wings eclipsed the Dallas Stars, 4-1, Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena to claim a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals."

"The Dallas Stars penalty kill was anything but special in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. The Stars had only allowed two power-play goals in 25 chances over six games to the San Jose Sharks. But the Red Wings managed to score three power-play goals in the first two periods on Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings went on to win, 4-1."

"Red Wings management spent little time lamenting coveted unrestricted free agent Fabian Brunnstrom's decision to spurn them in favor of Dallas. General manager Ken Holland received Brunnstrom's decision via letter Thursday, hours before the Wings extinguished the Stars, 4-1, at Joe Louis Arena to grab a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference finals."

"The Stars have defeated the Red Wings in one contest already. Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom will make his NHL debut with Dallas next season. Brunnstrom has informed the Wings and Canadiens he will not play for them but will sign with the Dallas Stars. "

"Marty Turco's career record at Joe Louis Arena is enough to make the Dallas Stars goaltender want to cover his eyes. But he might as well have worn a blindfold in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Turco didn't see the first goal that got past him Thursday, and that was only the beginning of another night he'd like to forget in this city. The Wings grabbed an early lead and cruised to a 4-1 victory in the opener of a best-of-seven series with the sluggish Stars, who were coming off a grueling, four-overtime Game 6 clincher Sunday night against San Jose. "

"Maybe, just maybe, this conference final isn't a complete mismatch. Maybe the Stars aren't as dumb and dreary as they look. Or maybe -- strongly consider this possibility -- the Red Wings can make anyone look downright daffy these days. The Wings were borderline abusive Thursday night, and if Dallas goalie Marty Turco had Joe Louis Arena demons before, what must possess him now? The Wings have the look, the one we've seen before, the one Turco sees in his nightmares. "

" Free agent winger Fabian Brunnstrom is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Stars as soon as today, according to his agent, J.P. Barry. Brunnstrom, 23, has been pursued by about 20 teams after making the decision to come to the NHL. Barry said Brunnstrom picked the Stars because of his respect for the organization and because of the opportunity to play quickly. "

"When asked about Niklas Kronwall's ability to administer game-changing hits, Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock made an interesting comparison. He chose the Stars' Brenden Morrow. "[Kronwall] is kind of like a predator," Babcock said. "Morrow is like that, too. They're trying to hunt you down." The Stars' Antti Miettinen was the latest to suffer a bone-rattling check from Kronwall in the open ice. Kronwall unloaded on Miettinen near the Stars' blue line midway through the second period of Game 1 on Thursday, flattening him."

"The Detroit Red Wings were the best regular-season team in the NHL. They don't need any help. But the Stars gave them plenty Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Joe Louis Arena. The Stars said over and over coming into this series that they couldn't take penalties against the favored Red Wings. But Dallas came out in the first period and was called for four penalties that led to two power-play goals in the Red Wings' 4-1 victory. "

"The Stars saved their worst game of the playoffs for their toughest challenge, and they were handed a 4-1 loss Thursday night by the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit had five power plays in the first 28 minutes of Game 1, and the Red Wings scored on three of them, smashing the Stars' previous road mastery in the playoffs. The Stars trail in a series for the first time this postseason."

"If the Stars, the team that played with bravado and arrogance in the first two rounds of the playoffs don't show up in a hurry, the Western Conference finals will end in four games. No doubt. You know it. I know it. Even the players know it, though they certainly aren't going to admit it. "

"Marty Turco's career record at Joe Louis Arena is enough to make the Dallas Stars goaltender want to cover his eyes. He might as well have done so in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Turco didn't even see the first two goals that got past him Thursday night, as the Wings grabbed an early lead over the sluggish Stars and cruised to a 4-1 victory. "

"Even by Texas standards, this was a big, bold move. Before the 2006-07 season, the Dallas Stars removed the captain's "C" from the sweater of center Mike Modano -- the face of the franchise since its move from Minnesota -- and gave it to grinder Brenden Morrow. Two years later, with the Stars back in the Western Conference finals and Morrow leading the way, it makes perfect sense. The Stars open a best-of-seven series tonight against the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings. The Wings laid waste to Colorado in a second-round sweep, and they've peeled off six straight playoff wins. They look tough to beat."

"The Red Wings will keep tabs on Dallas forward Brenden Morrow when the teams start the Western Conference finals with Game 1 at Joe Louis Arena tonight. The Wings, after all, watched Morrow score his fourth power-play goal of the playoffs early Monday, when he deflected in a pass from Stephane Robidas at 9:03 of the fourth overtime to eliminate the San Jose Sharks in six games. Morrow and Mike Modano lead the Stars with four power-play goals each. This is Morrow's most productive postseason, with seven goals and four assists in 12 games."

"There was a time when goaltender Marty Turco seemed unbeatable at Joe Louis Arena. Unfortunately for the Dallas Stars, those days came more than 10 years ago, when he played for Michigan. Turco hasn't been able to carry over his success at the Joe in college -- 11 straight victories over two seasons and an 18-5 record overall -- to the NHL. Turco is 2-10-5 in 18 career games against the Red Wings and is 0-7-2 in Detroit."

"The Wings have two lines stacked with the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson, and there's still more offensive depth with Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler. Plus, every line is reliable defensively. For Dallas, trade-day acquisition Brad Richards has delivered, producing 11 points in 12 games, tying with team captain Brenden Morrow and trailing only Mike Ribeiro's 14 points. Former Westland resident Mike Modano has 10 points."

"A relaxing and refreshing day of golf awaited Dallas Stars forward Mike Modano on Tuesday, only he was running woefully late. A meeting had gone long. So had this interview. And Mo had been again flirting with retirement talk — Will he? Possibly. Maybe. Who knows? — when his impatient golf partner walked up. “It doesn’t look like you’re dressed,” Stars GM Brett Hull said, noting, “I’ve got to take care of my man.”... “He is not retiring,” he said almost as quickly as he used to unleash slap shots. “He owes me one more year, then he can do whatever he wants. "

"When Dallas acquired Richards at the trade deadline, it changed the dynamic of the team. Richards, one of the more talented offensive players in the NHL, is a gifted passer who had five assists in his first game with Dallas. Richards has a well-earned reputation of playing his best when games matter most."

"The upset of the Sharks -- coming off an impressive drubbing of the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks -- has propelled the Stars into the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000, the year before Turco made his debut. But moving on also means a homecoming to Turco's own house of horrors in Detroit. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he has yet to win an NHL game at Joe Louis Arena (0-7-2). His overall record against Detroit isn't much better: 2-10-5. "

"The matchup between Detroit's Chris Osgood and Dallas' Marty Turco should be fascinating. Sure, goaltenders often are criticized by fans and media for poor performances -- but nothing like what Osgood and Turco have seen through the years. But in the playoffs, few goaltenders have played better than Osgood and Turco. "

"Sergei Zubov wouldn't proclaim himself 100 percent healthy Wednesday. "No, 99 percent," he said. For the Dallas Stars, that's more than enough. Zubov even playing, is impressive. Zubov has battled a hairline fracture in his foot, a groin injury and a sports hernia injury this season. When the sports hernia injury wasn't responding to rest or therapy, the 37-year-old defenseman went to Germany for a special procedure. While normal sports hernia surgery typically requires a rehabilitation period of 6-8 weeks, Zubov was back in 24 days. "

"It hardly seemed fair. Less than 36 hours after the greatest performance of his professional life ended early Monday morning, Marty Turco was being questioned about past failures... Turco's regular-season career record against the Red Wings is 2-10-5. His NHL record in their home, Joe Louis Arena, is a miserable 0-7-2. Interesting fodder, with the Red Wings on the horizon as the opposition in the Western Conference finals opening tonight in Detroit."

"Brenden Morrow is Vince Vaughn in Swingers. He's Russell Crowe in LA Confidential. He's Denzel Washington in Cry Freedom. Brenden Morrow is the next big thing. A fan of movies with more than 500 titles in his collection, the Dallas Stars captain is a superstar waiting to bust out. "I think the potential is there for him to be as big as he wants to be," said Les Jackson, one of the Stars co-general managers. "I think we're seeing that right now." "

" If you look at this thing logically ... well, if you're a Dallas Stars fan, you better take a different viewpoint of the Western Conference finals than one based purely on logic. The Stars are playing their best hockey in years. It's still not at the level the Detroit Red Wings have reached. Again. The Red Wings are the constant in an NHL landscape that changes dramatically from year to year. One year's finalists are next year's first-round losers or playoff no-shows. The Red Wings roll on. "

"You have to go a long way back in the memory bank to recall a better performance than Brenden Morrow has put in during these playoffs as the Dallas Stars hit the halfway mark in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. You can talk about the Conn Smythe Trophy for Morrow and rightfully so if the Stars get past Detroit to make the final, but the effort this man has put forward so far in leading a team against the size and strength of both Anaheim and San Jose is the stuff of legends. Not only does he give you everything he has, like he did in that deciding four overtime-period affair Sunday against the Sharks replete with 19 counted hits and no doubt many more which went unnoticed, it's what he does for the rest of the players on his team."

"Who is Fabian Brunnstrom and why are so many NHL teams - including the Canadiens - interested in him? Brunnstrom is back home in Sweden trying to decide where he would like to play after a whirlwind North American tour. He spent two days in Montreal, visited Detroit and Denver, and talked to people in Dallas and Toronto. He has been hailed as the best hockey player not under contract to an NHL team and has attracted a lot of attention as a 23-year-old free agent. Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey said yesterday he felt Brunnstrom has the talent to play in the NHL, but a quick look at the Swede's résumé suggests this guy poses more questions than Alex Trebek."

"There could be some light at the end of the Fabian Brunnstrom tunnel. Maple Leafs interim general manager Cliff Fletcher said yesterday the club has been told to expect an answer from the Swedish free agent no later than tomorrow regarding his NHL decision. The Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars are in the running to land the 23-year-old forward. "

"Throughout the shellings, blown leads and other indignations he’s endured at Joe Louis Arena, Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco has pacified himself with one thought: “At least it’s not the playoffs.” Well, now it is. Turco is carrying an 0-7-2 record and a 3.17 goals-against average at “The Joe” into the Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings starting Thursday night."

"Every other team the past couple of seasons, it seems, has tried to be physical against the Red Wings. The Dallas Stars are going to try to do the same. "That's a big part of our game, our forecheck, playing physical," Stars forward Brendan Morrow said Tuesday in a national teleconference. "It's tough to get a good lick on (Nicklas) Lidstrom or (Brian) Rafalski. They're pretty good puck-movers. "Our plan is to attack, get pucks in areas where we can force turnovers, get some pressure on them.""

"Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson is very familiar with the Red Wings and Stars, who begin the Western Conference finals with Game 1 on Thursday. Wings coach Mike Babcock let Berenson take the ice in Traverse City last fall to lend a hand with the coaching staff and get a first-hand glimpse of camp, while Stars goaltender Marty Turco helped Michigan win national championships in 1996 and 1998. Berenson was chosen national coach of the year last month after the Wolverines won the CCHA title and appeared in the Frozen Four. He was NHL coach of the year for the Blues in 1991. "

"When the NHL instituted a salary cap in 2005, the biggest casualty was supposed to be the Detroit Red Wings. The only thing that has changed is the team's payroll, now $47 million, or about $20 million under its 2003 high. The approach that combines homegrown stars, veteran reclamation projects and savvy drafting remains intact. The Red Wings are making their 17th consecutive playoff appearance, the longest active streak in major pro sports. They hope a win over the Stars in the Western Conference finals leads to their fourth Stanley Cup since 1997. In nine of the last 12 seasons, the West representative in the Cup Finals has been either the Red Wings or the team that beat them. "

"Defenseman Philippe Boucher skated Monday for the first time since suffering a strained hip in Game 3 of the Dallas Stars' first-round series with the Anaheim Ducks and was on the ice again at Tuesday's optional team workout. Boucher, who has missed the last nine games, hopes to play in the Western Conference finals against Detroit, but coach Dave Tippett said there is still no timetable for his return. Boucher will travel with the team to Detroit today but said he will "probably not" play Thursday in Game 1. "

" What should not be lost in the disappointment that surrounded the Sharks after they were defeated by the Dallas Stars in a fourth overtime late Sunday was the fact the teams had just taken part in an instant playoff classic. Maybe it's the enormity of the numbers - the 56:23 in ice time for Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell, the 19 hits by Dallas captain Brenden Morrow, the combined 114 saves by both goalies. Maybe it's the incredible acrobatics behind many of those saves - the Sharks' Evgeni Nabokov stretching to get his glove on a can't-miss shot by Brad Richards just 1:31 into the first overtime, the Stars' Marty Turco throwing his leg high into the air to block a shot by Patrick Marleau about 10 minutes later. Maybe it's the relentless end-to-end action"

"The Red Wings utterly destroy Marty Turco nearly every time they see him, rendering him with numbers that belie just what a good goaltender he is. Turco, who helped Michigan to national titles in 1996 and '98, is 2-10-5 against the Wings in his career, and not once in 10 tries has he beaten them at Joe Louis Arena. Now, though, beginning Thursday with Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Dallas, the Wings will see Turco in a new light: For the first time in his seven NHL seasons, the Wings will meet him in the playoffs."

"Turco played at Michigan from 1995-98. According to the Let's Play Hockey newspaper, Turco was one of 22 former Wolverines to play at least one NHL game this season. That's the most of any college. Wisconsin was second with 19, and Boston College and North Dakota were third with 15. Michigan State had 13, Lake Superior five, Michigan Tech three, Western Michigan two, and Ferris State and Northern Michigan one."

" The make-up call is part of the fabric of the NHL. Generally speaking, officials will balance things out and give each team a "fair" chance to win the game. "Even" is probably a better word than fair, but you get the picture. So it was in Game 6 that the Stars and Sharks each received one power play in overtime. The Sharks earned their man advantage when Patrick Marleau drove so hard to the net in the third overtime, the refs were forced to call hooking on Nicklas Grossman. But as soon as Dallas killed that penalty, the general feeling was that the Stars were going to get the "make-up call." It took officials 26 more minutes to find that opportunity, but they needed a clear-cut penalty. "

" We may never know how many people really eyeballed Brenden Morrow's series-clinching goal at 1:24 a.m. Monday. But we do know how many Dallas-Fort Worth homes were tuned into the game on Fox Sports Net Southwest from 1:15 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. The television rating for that quarter hour was a 3.9 with an 18 share. The rating translates into 94,988 homes, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 18 share means that 18 percent of all homes with televisions in use were tuned to the final minutes of the Stars' 2-1, four-overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks. "

" In the span of a month, Marty Turco has taken his team to its first Western Conference finals in eight years. He has beaten a Stanley Cup-winning goalie and a Vezina Trophy finalist in consecutive rounds. His overtime sprawling pad save on Patrick Marleau might be the stop of the playoffs. As he stood in the Stars' dressing room after the 2-1 quadruple overtime win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 6, he seemed to have answered every question but one. What about his struggles against the Detroit Red Wings and at Joe Louis Arena? "

" The handshake line is one of the great traditions in hockey. After a series in which two teams try to kill each other, they line up, shake hands and wish each other well. It was clear early Monday morning just how well American-born hockey icons Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick were wishing each other. The two players, who have known each other since their teens and have competed together for Team USA in the Olympics, World Cup and World Juniors, shared a hearty embrace and a long chat after Game 6 between the Stars and Sharks. "

" Now you should fully understand why the Stars put the captain's C on Brenden Morrow's sweater. See, it was never really about anything Mike Modano wasn't doing, though management certainly bungled the transition. Instead, it had everything to do with what Morrow could potentially do when placed in the ultimate leadership position. He proved that during the Stars' 4-2 series win over San Jose, which ended in the wee hours of Monday morning – 1:24 to be exact – when Morrow redirected a pass from Stephane Robidas in the fourth overtime. "

" Dave Tippett was quietly impressed Monday afternoon. The players he talked to weren't tired or sore. They were excited. "Adrenaline is a very strong thing," the Stars coach said. Tippett gave his players the day off after they played the third-longest game in franchise history in ending their Western Conference semifinal in six games."