THE OHS

They say the decade is coming to a close.

It is I guess, if a decade is now counted as nine years. Curious, eh?

But let's not bog down in semantics (or proper math). This is intended to be a look back at things since Hully dropped 600 on us in 99'

So what was the biggest moment of this last 9 year decade in Starsland?

Unfortunately it was a moment in hockey-time that stood still. It was a lost season. It was The Lockout.

The NHLs decision to shut operations down for the entire 2004-05 season while they dropped the gloves with the Players Association was the defining event of the segment. No pro league had ever done that, ever.

In its wake the game came back strong and two young phenoms became the faces of the "new" NHL - Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

For the Stars it meant a cap on their payroll - a payroll that was always amongst the highest in the league.

Draft and develop became the new wine and sign in Big D.

And the results remained similar to the pre-lockout years of the "decade", top notch regular seasons followed by mostly disappointing post season results.

The 2000 Final appearance and the 08' run to the Conf. Final were highlights. And so was breaking the seal on American Airlines Center and the team's new practice facility, the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco (now Dr Pepper Arena).

Four different men coached the team (Hitch, Rick Wilson, Tippett and Crawford). Five guys Managed the Stars (Gainey, Armstrong, Les Jackson, Hull, and Joe Nieuwendyk). And one man owned them - Mr Hicks.

The Dallas Stars Ice Girls, um, developed.

But it's that lost year, for all the good it has produced as well as all the bad it made many endure, that will forever be synonymous with the "Ohs".

So says me.

Happy New Year Stars Fans and Edge-ites!

Here's to another meandering 9 years full of health and wonderment.