NATURAL REGRESSION?

Funny joke from an exacerbated former goaltender/analyst:

How many Stars fans does it take to change a light bulb?

Four.

One to change the light bulb, and three to stand around and talk about how great the old bulb was back in the late 90s.

But I digress.

Talking about how great the Stars goaltending has been is probably not the topic most people have on their mind right now but the cold reality is that the Stars have been blessed with stable excellence in net for well over a decade.

Eddie Belfour arrived on the scene in the summer of 1997 and then put together a stellar body of work over his five years – especially in the post season.

Marty Turco took over the number one job to start the 2002-2003 season and has taken claim to virtually every franchise goaltending record since.

However.

A juxtaposition of the two talented target’s tenure (marvelous alliteration by me) reveals a slow expansion of their goals against average thru the years - a shared ballooning that would support a sense of inevitability to the growing need to once again, pass the torch.

Of course stats are only part of the equation; these two also share an expiration of contracts. The Eagles deal was up at the end of the 01-02 season just as Marty’s is set to expire at the conclusion of this season.

What the Stars don’t seem to have this time though is an heir apparent.

Turco was brashly demanding Belfour’s mantle back in that 2001-2002 season. His stats were better, and his presence was unsettling to Eddie who was also dealing with an increasingly tempestuous relationship with Hitch.

Fast-forward eight years and there is no young, talented goaltender ready to take the net over.

Mike Smith might have been that guy but he was sacrificed in the Brad Richards trade.

Jonas Gustafsson was a targeted “next one” this summer but decided to sign in Toronto.

So if we are witnessing the final months of another chapter in the lineage of larceny in the pipes in Dallas then the organization’s birddogs better have eyes peeled for a replacement, because it’s the most important position in the sport - Turco and Belfour have proved that, and spoiled us.