All in

- Wonderful change of pace move for the Stars yesterday. With one trade, Tom Hicks gained some cred back with me.

- Although I know all he had to do with it was say 1 word, "yes". But that 1 word is the final deciding vote, and he allowed it.

- I love the all-in attitude, but there was also a touch of forward thinking in it as well. They're set up with 2 very effective scoring lines, a stable of young defenseman, and Turco for the next 4-5 years. This was a very un-Hicks like move, at least recent Tom Hicks.

- More reasons to love the trade -

1) Halpern never lived up to his potential while here, and was not getting much ice time. He was just a guy.
2) Jokinen is talented offensively, but really that isn't even evident unless you get him on a shootout or sometimes on a power play. His scoring numbers just weren't there this year. His build and style is not suited for the playoffs.
3) Losing Smith hurts, but you've made your bed with Turco and his contract. Tampa Bay had to get a goaltender back, that was their main goal at the deadline. Stars management is hoping Turco stays confident and repeats last year's playoff performance. You were also going to lose Smith at some point, he's destined to be a #1 goalie in this league soon, so why not get a top 10 player back?
4) You've now gotten younger and set up your future. Zubov, Modano, Lehtinen, etc aren't getting younger.
5) The salary sucks, but they're confident he'll be a top 10 player in the league for the length of the contract, and that will be worth the salary.
6) They didnt have to touch any of their top 8 players, their #1 goaltender, and none of their top defenseman. And they get back a former Finals MVP who is 26 years old.
7) They finally get a 2nd scoring line to complement Morrow and Ribeiro's line. In the playoffs, teams can shut down top lines. The teams that are most successful have secondary lines that they can rely on for goals.
8) Hull makes good on his promise to get a scorer to play alongside Mike Modano on that 2nd line.
9) He's as versatile as Jere Lehtinen, but 10 years younger and more skilled offensively. He can kill penalties, be a major player on the power play, can play defense, and do pretty much anything on the ice that they need.

- Wonderful move. The Stars are telling their players, coaches, and fans that we're in this bitch to win it. This year. And we're ready to take on the big salaries and the big talents in order to do it. Let's rock and roll.


Dallas Stars' move shows team's desire to win now

Never mind the long term, this move's all about '08 playoff run

02:53 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Brett Hull did what he set out to do when he landed the job of co-GM, finding a scorer to play with Mike Modano.

It came at a high price.

On the bright side, the Stars get Brad Richards, who is 27 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for Tampa Bay three years ago.

On the down side, they lost maybe the league's best backup goaltender in Mike Smith and one of the keys to their No. 1 penalty-killing ranking, checking center Jeff Halpern.

The Stars also lost Jussi Jokinen, who is mostly useful in shootouts and little else, and they got back Tampa Bay goaltender Johan Holmqvist, whose numbers aren't bad, but he isn't as good as Smith.

There are many ways to look at deadline deals in the NHL. This trade probably has more cons than pros, and yet it's something the Stars almost certainly needed to do in their desperation to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Dallas has lost four straight series and cannot afford to alienate its skeptical fans with a fifth. From a 2008 playoff standpoint, this is a very, very good trade for Dallas. Here's why.

Smith is Marty Turco's backup. He has no real playoff value.

Jokinen, as stated, is a shootout specialist whose all-around game is not good. There are no shootouts in the postseason.

So from that standpoint, the Stars traded Halpern for Richards straight up. For one playoff run, you make that deal in a second.

But then there is next year and the next year and the next. Richards' contract averages $7.8 million. Nothing about his game suggests he is a $7.8 million player or anything close to it.

A year ago, Richards tied for 40th in NHL scoring. His minus-19 was second-worst on the Lightning.

This season, Richards' 51 points in 62 games have him tied for 49th in scoring. His minus-25 is the worst in the league.

Does that sound like an elite player?

Perhaps the change of scenery will restore his game. If it doesn't, the Stars have just taken a major salary hit in a league that does not allow teams to circumvent the cap as they do in others.

Hull said that going to owner Tom Hicks' office to discuss the financial commitment the trade would demand was a scary moment. "But when we laid it out for him what [Richards] can do for our team, Tom did what he always does. He said, 'Get it done,' " Hull said.

The potential of having a line of Richards, Modano and Jere Lehtinen to go with the team's top scoring line of Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson is reason enough for Stars' fans to get excited about this postseason.

The Stars already were a good scoring team before this trade. Now they are better.

It might be the move that energizes Modano, who has been stuck in a checking role most of the season, yet still is third on the team in scoring.

"Maybe he plays left wing on Modano's line, or maybe Modano plays wing on his line," Hull said. "Mike can keep playing as long as he wants, and when he's done, then we have Ribeiro and Richards as our 1-2 centers.

"For now, we have three quality centermen."

Although I think the Jason Kidd deal is a much easier trade for Mavericks fans to embrace than this deal is for Stars fans, there are similarities. I think both trades should make the teams more of a factor in very hotly contested Western Conference playoffs.

And, like the Mavs, I think the Stars instantly become a better offensive team and a weaker defensive one.

You have to give Hull and co-general manager Les Jackson a higher grade at the deadline than Doug Armstrong got for trading two No. 1 picks to get Ladislav Nagy and Mattias Norstrom.

But it's a move that has to pay off in April and May to not only deliver a message to the fans but convey a sense of accomplishment in the locker room that the Stars are once again a real factor in the West.


STARS' NEW ACQUISITIONS

BRAD RICHARDS
Position: Center/left wing

Born: May 2, 1980, in Murray Harbor, Prince Edward Island

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-0, 198

Contract: Three years remaining at $7.8 million per year.

Notable: Drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round (64th overall) of the 1998 entry draft. Named to the NHL All-Rookie team in 2001. Named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and won the Lady Byng as the league's most gentlemanly player in 2004.

Brett Hull said: "He can play anywhere and fit into our lineup. He's a talented player and a great leader, and you can't have enough of that."


JOHAN HOLMQVIST
Position: Goalie

Born: May 24, 1978, in Tolfta, Sweden

Height, weight: 6-1, 198

Catches: Left

Contract: Remainder of this season at $1 million

Notable: Named MVP of the AHL playoffs in 2003. Drafted by the New York Rangers in the seventh round (175th overall) in 1997. Signed as an unrestricted free agent with Tampa Bay in 2006. Went 27-15-3 last season and earned the starting job. Is 20-16-6 this season as the Lightning's top goalie.

Brett Hull said: "Let's call a spade a spade, he's played in front of a pretty weak team defensively and has a winning record. I think he's a great goalie, and I hope that we have him here for more than just one year."


- More Commentary.

Western NHL teams use trades to jockey for position

11:49 PM CST on Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The NHL's Western Conference didn't quite follow the example set by the NBA last week, but it didn't fall that short.

Although Marian Hossa and Olli Jokinen stayed in the East, Dallas acquired former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards, Colorado added future Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg and San Jose found the perfect fit in All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell. The moves have helped change the structure of the West this season. So here is one guess at who will be the favorites in the playoffs:

Anaheim: The Ducks made their moves by getting Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer out of retirement. Anaheim is well-rested and looking to peak right on time.

Detroit: The Red Wings' air of invincibility has been shattered by injuries and their potentially shaky goaltending. GM Ken Holland however, expressed his confidence in the current group by adding only defenseman Brad Stuart.

Dallas: The Stars still have some questions about chemistry, but Brad Richards adds a lot of playoff moxie. It never hurts to add a leader.

San Jose: The Sharks filled their most pressing need with Campell. The solid puck-mover, who eats up 25 minutes a game, should help every member of San Jose's thin defense by moving them each down a slot in the lineup.

Colorado: The Avalanche still has to battle to make the playoffs, but a power play with Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny and Andrew Brunette has to be feared.

Calgary: Flames did nothing on Tuesday, but still have one of the conference's improving teams. GM Darryl Sutter wanted to trust this group.

Minnesota: Adding Chris Simon is a head-scratcher, unless the Wild believes it will have to outslug Anaheim at some point in time. Minnesota still is thin in the goal-scoring department.

Vancouver: Roberto Luongo is the ultimate equalizer, but the Canucks have to be disappointed they added nothing to their paper-thin lineup. The Sedins are good, but they needed help. Every Canucks fan has known this for two years.



- Richards can help Dallas Stars achieve goals

05:09 PM CST on Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Defense and goaltending has been the Dallas Stars' hallmark for years.

But without adding another proven goal-scorer this season, we knew they had no chance to realistically compete for the Stanley Cup.

Now they do.

Scoring by committee is fine, but in the playoffs, you need guys who understand how to put the puck in the net.

And that's what co-general managers Les Jackson and Brett Hull have done by acquiring Tampa Bay forward Brad Richards.

Now, it cost them quality in Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern. Each of those guys, however, was a role player with the Stars. Richards, who should be placed on Mike Modano's line, is not here to be a role player - not when he's scheduled to earn nearly $8 million this season.

The Stars expect Richards, the playoff MVP in 2004, to have his own marquee just like Modano, Mike Ribeiro, Brenden Morrow, Marty Turco and Sergei Zubov.

Richards has had a disappointing season with only 51 points in 62 games and owns a league-worst plus/minus rating of minus-25, but you can attribute some of that to playing on one of the league's worst teams. Joining the Stars should rejuvenate Richards and his game.

Detroit remains the favorite in the Western Conference – no doubt – but the Stars just moved closer to the Red Wings.




- Great 3rd period comeback. 15th win in 19 games. Stars win 3-1.



Eriksson scores twice as Dallas Stars beat Blues, 3-1

12:50 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

ST. LOUIS – Les Jackson said this week before the NHL trade deadline that one of the keys to the Dallas Stars' future success is protecting the kids and trusting the kids.

The Stars' co-general manager seems to have found another convert to his plan in Loui Eriksson. The 22-year-old forward was a pet project of Jackson's, as he has pushed all season to use Eriksson in key situations and allow him to develop by making mistakes.

Eriksson scored two third-period goals Tuesday in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues and has five goals in his past three games.

"Confidence," Eriksson said, when asked what the difference in his game was. "I just feel confident, like I can make plays out there."

Eriksson has been moved to the top line with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow, and that has played a huge role in his resurgence.

"He's been playing very well defensively for a long time, and that's been a good sign," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "I think that's helped his confidence. He's taking it one step at a time and he focused on an overall game, and that's leading to the opportunity to score some goals."

The Stars needed a spark Tuesday. The emotion of getting Brad Richards in a trade had not yet hit the room. Instead, the emotion was focused on losing goalie Mike Smith and forwards Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen to Tampa Bay. Mix that with injuries to Nicklas Grossman (facial bruise) and Matt Niskanen (bruised foot), and the return from injury of Stu Barnes (eye), and Dallas had a patchwork lineup that was battling to find chemistry.

"It's a hard day," said forward Antti Miettinen. "You're losing good friends, and you wonder about yourself, too. There's a lot of emotion."

But for the Stars to overcome that emotion and find a way to win has to be a good sign. Dallas has won 12 of its last 14 games and is the hottest team in the league. It pushed its record to 40-22-5 (85 points) and is creeping up on slumping Detroit (90 points) for the best record in the NHL.
"We just seem to be in every game and find ways to win," said goalie Marty Turco. "I think it was good to get this day over with, and we'll just get back at it on Thursday."

Boucher plays: Philippe Boucher returned to the lineup after missing 38 games because of shoulder surgery.

"It's a process and it takes time," Boucher said of his quest to get back into top playing shape. "I'm ready, but I know I have to do some work to get back to where I need to be."

The Stars also called up Dan Jancevski and inserted him into the lineup. He will probably stay with the team.

Briefly: Tobias Stephan was recalled from the minors and served as the Stars backup goalie. ... Mike Ribeiro set a career high for assists with his 46th and 47th. ... Ribeiro has the most assists in the NHL since Jan. 1 with 25 in 27 games.



- Hammerin Hank is back.



Rebuilt Blalock back in Texas Rangers' lineup

Third baseman returns after surgery, ready to test improvements

12:42 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Texas Rangers will begin the exhibition season today with Hank Blalock back in the starting lineup at third base.

For the Rangers, this qualifies as a big moment. For Blalock, eh, not so much.

Yes, it will be the first time he has been back at the position since his arm blew up like a purple balloon last May. Yes, it will be the first game in which he gets to use the fielding and throwing refinements that he worked on daily during his rehab. But, dude, Blalock would say, it's no big deal.

"Honestly, I'm not champing at the bit to get out there and play third base to test it," Blalock, 27, said recently while downing a cup of instant oatmeal in the clubhouse. "I feel so far removed from the injury, it's like it never happened. I don't think about it at all. It will be like the next day after the last day I played there."

Perhaps. But only if that day took place on Venus, where they last about eight months.

Blalock last started at third May 15 against Tampa Bay in Orlando. In the third inning, he noticed his right arm felt "heavy." When he looked down, it was swollen and going from lavender to mauve by the minute.

His first thought: A blood clot. His second: "Man, they are going to have to cut my arm off."

It was not a blood clot. It was Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a condition in which a rib presses against a nerve, artery or both, leading to poor blood flow. Within days, he had surgery to remove the rib. The surgeon also rerouted a nerve that had some scar tissue around it. Blalock was told he'd miss at least 12 weeks, maybe more.

The injury seemingly couldn't have come at a worse time for Blalock. He'd come to camp acknowledging his career was at a crossroads. His offensive performance had fallen slightly in 2005 and more dramatically in '06. He had become stiffer in the field, partly because of a partially torn rotator cuff that had impeded his throwing.


Worked on other things

But that's not how Blalock sees things. He confronts them straight on. When he realized he had a fear of heights, he booked a parasailing expedition. So when playing the game was taken from him last year, he said he looked for other ways to make progress.

"It was frustrating for two weeks because I couldn't do anything at all," Blalock said. "But the frustration wore off pretty quick. Once I could do more than lay on the couch, I said there is still a way to make myself better. I could work on improving my weaknesses and on making my strengths even better.

"I had always been the strong, healthy guy. What the injury did, I think, was make me want to be a better player."

That was the opening manager Ron Washington needed. Though Blalock was unable to hit or throw, he could work on his fielding. He, Washington and infield instructor Art Howe worked daily. Blalock worked on footwork, angles and the way he fielded balls to his backhand. Blalock admitted he had never had much confidence fielding balls to the backhand side and that he would either stab at those balls or short-arm them.

Washington taught a sweeping, attacking motion. It's the same motion that helped make Oakland's Eric Chavez a six-time Gold Glove winner while Washington was a coach with the A's.

During the latter stages of Blalock's convalescence, he also saw Washington working on similar technique with second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler, who was on the disabled list for a month, returned as a better fielder.

"It's easier to buy into something when a guy has a résumé," Blalock said. "Once I started trusting the mechanics, it was simple. You do it right, you trust and the ball goes in the glove. I saw that with Kinsler. I saw that stuff first-hand. I bought it into 100 percent."

Said Washington: "I just think he found out how much he loved the game during the time he wasn't playing it."

More than a year ago, when he proclaimed himself ready to take the successful fork at the crossroads in his career, Blalock said he had matured. To demonstrate it, he first admitted he had become stubborn as a hitter, then turned himself over to hitting instructor Rudy Jaramillo for a makeover.


Proof in the results

Though Blalock didn't play a full season, he seemed to get results from the work. In 58 games last year (he returned as a DH in September), he had a .358 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage; both would have represented career highs over a full year. He returned from the injury to hit .313 in September with a .405 on-base percentage and also hit five home runs. He hadn't had that big a month since April 2006.

"His words are he wants to be a complete player," Washington said. "He doesn't necessarily feel like he has to prove anything to baseball, but he wants to prove something to himself."

Blalock can be a free agent after the season if the Rangers don't pick up his 2009 option for $6 million. Though he has switched agents to hard-lining Scott Boras, he said his contract status has nothing to do with his frame of mind.

"My contract is never going to be an issue about how I play the game," Blalock said. "This injury made me reflect back a little. I'd see guys make the same mistakes over the course of a series, and I'd say, 'How many times was I the guy who ran through the red lights and kept making mistakes? How many times did I let bad at-bats snowball?' I realized I needed to be smarter and more mature. I know I'm a better player."

And if he is, regardless how nonchalant Hank Blalock might be about his return, it is a very big deal for the Rangers.



- CJ Wilson in trouble in the locker room.



Texas Rangers closer in jam over blog entry

03:16 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The exhibition season hasn't yet started, and already Texas Rangers closer C.J. Wilson has found himself in a jam.

In his own clubhouse.

Wilson recently made comments about his teammates' lack of political education in an ESPN.com article and then made subsequent posts on a Rangers-related blog that referred to the average major leaguer by an obscene remark. On Tuesday, teammates confronted him about the comments.

"I had a very direct talk with him," said shortstop Michael Young. Young declined to elaborate further on the conversation. Kevin Millwood and Frank Catalanotto were also among those who questioned him after several players whispered about the comments during Tuesday's workout.

In the ESPN.com article about players' indifference to the presidential election, Wilson was quoted as saying "it's frustrating" in reference to the lack of political discussion.

That sparked plenty of political conversation. Teammate Brandon McCarthy criticized the article in a lengthy post on lonestarball.com. Wilson, who posts on the blog under the name "blueglovelefty," added several posts, as well.

In response to McCarthy's post, Wilson offered praise for the commentary, but added: "Come on man you have to admit the median or average guy in a baseball clubhouse does drive an SUV, drinks beer, golfs, likes college sports, chews or dips tobacco and is relatively a [expletive]."

In a later post, on the same thread, Wilson also commented: "I'm paying taxes no matter who the president is, just please god not hillary."

By late Tuesday, all of Wilson’s posts had been removed from lonestarball.com.

Although players didn't argue their affinity for SUVs or golf, they did take exception with the derogatory description.

"I think if you are going to be online, you have to choose your words wisely," Catalanotto said. "And if you have something to say to someone, I think you should say that directly to them. Otherwise, it can misconstrued, even if it was meant in a joking manner. That doesn't come across on the Web. Hopefully, C.J. has learned his lesson. You can say something online that makes yourself or your teammates look bad."

Wilson, who also has his own blog, twice declined to comment on the matter Monday afternoon.

It is quickly becoming a tradition for Wilson to be involved in a bit of Web-based controversy during spring training. Last year, he posted a captured image from a movie scene on McCarthy's Myspace page that could have been interpreted as racially offensive. After that was highlighted, Wilson removed the picture and apologized.

Rangers officials have cautioned Wilson, who also has a contract with the club to help brand the team to the "hip" audience, about word choice on blogs and in forums.

Said general manager Jon Daniels: "I've spoken to him about his blogging in the past – using good judgment, what's appropriate and what's not – but not about this specifically. My understanding is the players are handling it themselves.

"We're a family, and it's important to handle things internally. I don't see much benefit in getting into it publicly. In this case, C.J. used poor judgment in what he wrote and that reflects poorly on him and by extension the team he represents."




- The love fest continues, Mavs get a backup center.....



Dallas Mavericks' Kidd, Nowitzki making a connection

Mavericks' superstars finding there's a lot in each other to admire

12:27 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

Through four games, the Mavericks have been singing praises about Jason Kidd, that he's even more impressive as a teammate than he was as an opponent.

Turns out, the feeling is mutual.

Kidd has had a crash course in all things Mavericks, not the least of which is learning what makes Dirk Nowitzki one of the NBA's best scorers, and last season, an MVP.

Kidd got a close-up example when the team was in Minneapolis over the weekend.

"You hear whispers about his work ethic," Kidd said of Nowitzki. "Being on the other side, you can say, 'Yeah, OK.'

"But to see it in person, you just say, 'Wow.' That's what happened in Minnesota. I told him I wanted to shoot whenever he'd go because you hear about him going to work out all the time.

"It's a lot of fun in the sense that you just don't understand how hard he works at his game. That can only make me better and hungry, because if he puts in that kind of time, I need to do the same thing."

Kidd has had the good fortune of catching Nowitzki at his absolute best. The key question is whether it's a coincidence, but it doesn't seem likely. Since Kidd joined the Mavericks, Nowitzki has averaged 29 points and made better than 50 percent of his shots in all four games.

It's the first time all season he's had four consecutive games of making at least half his shots.

Nowitzki has credited Kidd. Kidd credits Nowitzki.

And you can envision the two of them on a deserted practice gym in frozen Minnesota and only think of one thing: It's reminiscent of all those hours Nowitzki and Steve Nash put in at dozens of gyms across America when they were teammates.

Those sweat sessions produced a beautiful relationship. And it sounds like Kidd and Nowitzki have established the foundation that could yield a similar bond.

"He's helped me from Day 1," Kidd said. "Going out to dinner in New Orleans, just talking basketball and working out in Minnesota. With everything else we're counting on him to do, that just shows his leadership and maturity."

And, of course, Nowitzki has been downright bubbly about the addition to Kidd. There are times when he still has to work hard for his shots. But mostly, he is getting easier looks at the basket.

And when he's pulling up for a 3-pointer, the confident look is back.

Nowitzki is 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the Mavericks' three-game winning streak.

What has Kidd more intrigued, however, is another side of Nowitzki's game. In the first quarter against Chicago on Monday, Kidd hit Nowitzki with a pass on a fast break, and the 7-footer made a two-handed tip pass to Jerry Stackhouse.

The play ended up yielding no points as Nowitzki missed a fadeaway, but it was a terrific sign to Kidd.

"It's like everybody is passing the ball now and having fun," he said. "That's a huge key for this team. And with Dirk, passing is in him. He can find the open guy."

It is that unselfish nature that the Mavericks hope will be a pillar for success in this mutual-admiration society.


- Dallas Mavericks sign center Jamaal Magloire to 1-year deal

Center expected to be available when Mavs face Spurs on Thursday


01:11 AM CST on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

Center Jamaal Magloire became a Dallas Maverick on Tuesday after clearing waivers and signing a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $1.03 million, which will be prorated.

The 6-11 former Kentucky standout is in his eighth NBA season. He was waived by the New Jersey Nets on Friday and should be in uniform when the Mavericks visit San Antonio on Thursday.

Although he played sparingly for the Nets, Magloire was a full-time starter with Milwaukee in 2005-06, when he averaged better than nine points and nine rebounds per game.

The Mavericks needed a backup big man behind Erick Dampier when DeSagana Diop was included in the trade for Jason Kidd.

The Mavericks still have one roster spot available and are holding that open in case either Brent Barry or Sam Cassell agrees to join them.

Briefly: With the exception of players who needed treatment for assorted injuries, the Mavericks had a full day off Tuesday. "The gym's closed," coach Avery Johnson said. ... In his first four games with the Mavs, Kidd is averaging 8.3 points, 11.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds, slightly different than the 11 points, 10.4 assists and 8.1 rebounds he was averaging with New Jersey. ... The Mavericks will host a watching party for Thursday's game against San Antonio at Dave & Buster's at Walnut Hill and Highway 75. Tip-off is 7 p.m.