One thing that’s a bit frustrating about the NHL is that a lot of weight is attached to well-known names.
It seems that a lot of GMs look at names rather than stats before they make a move.
How else to explain all of the interest in Mike Modano, he of the 14 goals and 16 [...]

The Mike Modano semi-retirement story keeps getting stranger.
As you may recall, first Modano announced this would be his last season.
But then, as he reconsidered that, the Stars announced they weren’t re-signing Modano.
Yesterday, Modano held a press conference to discuss his disappointment in the Stars’ lack of interest in re-signing him.
People in Dallas are upset the [...]

New Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is off to a dramatic start, firing coach Rick Tocchet and GM Brian Lawton.
Vinik said he wanted a clean slate to work with.
Not helping things was the fact that Lawton and Tocchet spent much of the second half of the season at each other’s throats.
The team definitely imploded [...]

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Was last night Mike Modano’s last home game as a Star?
It depends on how you look at things.
The Stars are playing their last game of the season in Minneosta. And if you recall, the Dallas Stars used to be the Minnesota North Stars. You also might recall Modano was drafted by the [...]

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Mike Modano and Brett Hull are denying they’re part of a group trying to buy the Stars.
Modano told the Dallas Morning News he wouldn’t get involved with anyone from outside of Dallas.
Wayne Gretzky was also supposed to be in on the deal.
Modano isn’t sure if he’s retiring after this season but he seems [...]

Who will buy the Dallas Stars?
I guess no one knows, but Mike Heika says he keeps hearing the name Doug Miller.
Miller has experience with minor league hockey in addition to running a non-hockey Dallas-based business.
The interesting name, though, is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who was recently brought in by Mike Modano to [...]

I like the Kari Lehtonen to Dallas trade because it gives the Stars options at a position where they’re vulnerable.
The Stars will soon be parting ways with goalie Marty Turco. If he’s not traded, he won’t be re-signed next season.
Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk doesn’t want to wait until the off-season to get his goaltending future [...]

Everyone is looking at Atlanta, wondering where they’re going to trade Ilya Kovalchuk.
But don’t forget to keep an eye on New Jersey, a team that also might be active before the trade deadline.
Not so much for Kovalchuk, but for a goal-scoring center who can help out on the powerplay.
I don’t think Kovalchuk is enough of [...]

Mike Heika has a nice column reminding fans how long it took Dallas GM Bob Gainey to build a championship team.
By Heika’s math, it took around three years, so current GM Joe Nieuwendyk has some time. Fans seem to be losing patience as Nieuwendyk seems quite content to see how many of the Stars younger [...]

This weekend, the sportswriting world lost Mike Penner of the LA Times.
Penner was probably best known for his brilliant writing about his decision to become a woman. His byline changed to Christine Daniels. He subsequently returned to living as Mike Penner.
Penner covered the Ducks when they first joined the NHL and it seems he might [...]