It's finally happened! As I mentioned last month right here in the Dallas Observer, something quite extraordinary is unfolding in the DFW sports landscape. Both the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and the NHL’s Dallas Stars have successfully advanced past the first round of the playoffs in the same season for the first time since 2003. Needless to say, we're in for another thrilling couple of weeks filled with intense playoff drama.
This rings particularly true for the American Airlines Center, where emotions run high and tensions soar. Few things ignite local fervor and passion quite like a playoff series against a bitter rival. And once again, we find ourselves immersed in exactly that scenario as the Stars launched into a seven-game showdown against none other than the Colorado Avalanche. Yes, the despised Colorado Avalanche.
Having ousted the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, in the first round of the playoffs, our local heroes are now squarely focused on their age-old adversaries and, let's not forget, the 2022 Stanley Cup titleholders.
Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I detest the Avs. Amidst the 32 teams in the NHL, it's the Avalanche who hold the dubious honor of being the team I despise most passionately.
But you know what? Rivalries are what make sports truly exhilarating. They add a unique flavor of intensity. You relish the victories against them, and, perhaps even more so, you despise the bitter taste of defeat at their hands. And for those of us who have been devoted Dallas Stars fans for many years, the Avalanche bring out the very best in us.
I've mentioned before in this space how hockey wasn't really on my radar during my upbringing until the Stars made their move to Dallas in the fall of 1993. I was just a teenager then, intrigued by this sport played, of all places, on ice, in a state known for its scorching summers reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel's unfortunate encounter with an oven.
Back then, I knew the Galleria had an ice rink, but it was more of a seasonal attraction reserved for Christmas festivities and window shopping. It wasn't exactly a place where one could casually drop in for regular sessions of honing their hockey skills. The old Prestonwood Town Center mall had an ice rink too, but it met its demise not long after the Stars set up shop in Dallas. The point being, ice for hockey was a scarce commodity around these parts when the Stars first arrived. Instead of gliding and crashing on ice, many of us fledgling hockey enthusiasts took to the streets, donning rollerblades and pretending to be the legendary Mike Modano.
Of course, our fervor was fueled by the fact that the professional team on the ice was, without a doubt, exceptional back then. Led by Modano himself and a roster boasting other notable stars like Derian Hatcher, Guy Carbonneau, Brett Hull, Sergei Zubov, Joe Nieuwendyk, and goaltender Ed Belfour, the Stars of the late '90s were a formidable powerhouse brimming with A-list talent.
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