In 1958, the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, played out one of his pet
phobias in the voyeuristic classic, "Vertigo."
In 1999, another Hitchcock -- Ken, the master of defense -- demonstrates no such
anxious preoccupation with heights. As he glances down at the lemmings
gazing enviously up at him, the view from high above the rest of the NHL couldn't be more spectacular.
|  | | Ed Belfour's back for another year, and that's another reason Hitchcock feels good about another Cup run. |
And there's no reason to think Hitch and his Dallas Stars will suddenly
become dizzy and fall.
"Let me tell you, it's a hell of a lot of fun being up there," he said.
The time has come, however, to stash the confetti, streamers and
commemorative T-shirts away. NHL office hours open this week.
Don't get the idea Hitchcock is a sourpuss or anything. But he senses danger.
"We've got to stop putting on a happy face," he said. "Nobody
feels sorry for the guys who had the shortest summer, who've had less time to
recover from being banged up.
"If we're expecting sympathy, well, it's gonna be a long wait. Yeah, yeah, we're 4-2-2 in preseason. Not bad. Not great. We've had good stretches of play but not enough. Look, it's easier to play well than to play poorly. It's like a golfer with a five handicap, right? If he shoots 90, he puts in a lot of work shooting 90."
Can the Stars repeat?
Certainly.
Jersey didn't suddenly manufacture an offensive superstar to pull it out of the marshlands and over the top.
Philly's goaltending quandary remains just that.
Buffalo hasn't addressed its firepower woes.
The Wings are
getting a might frayed around the edges.
Colorado lost Theo Fleury, Valeri
Kamensky and for a good part of the early season, Peter Forsberg.
Ottawa continues to spat with Alexei Yashin.
The Leafs? Puh-lease.
That leaves Dallas, surely nobody's reincarnation of the mid-80s Oilers or
mid-to-late-70s Canadiens, but nevertheless a good, solid, extremely
well-coached outfit.
There is, of course, always the problem of mindset after having pushed so
hard, so long for something, having attained it, then trying to delve into
the emotional tank to find a reason to push as deep, or deeper, this time
around.
Hitchcock has a name for it: Happy-Face Syndrome.
"We're not naive enough to think we're guaranteed anything," argues Conn
Smythe Trophy winner Joe Nieuwendyk. "Complacency won't be a problem. I don't
see any of that in here, quite honestly. We're not stupid. There's a fine
line between winning and losing.
"But we look at the Western Conference and really nobody has bulked up from
last season. San Jose's going to be better. Detroit still has a strong club,
but they did all their damage at the trade deadline last year, and it still
wasn't enough. Colorado lost a bit when Theo and Kamensky left. So, yes,
there is a confidence level to this club.
"But cockiness, no."
Craig Ludwig, Dave Reid and Pat Verbeek are gone, and
there is an unspoken concern that the young bucks who inherit their jobs may
be more prolific but not as timely.
Still, the Stars won't be caught in the trap that ensnared the early '80s Islanders
after their storied Cup run -- everyone growing old together.
"We're going to be a lot different team, with six new faces opening night -- a
goalie, two defensemen and three forwards," Hitchcock said. "We've done
that out of necessity. We felt we maxed out at the end of last season.
"Our average age on opening night should be down to around 26 years, which is
a big difference."
In training camp, outwardly at least, everything seems as it was a year ago,
when the Stars were aiming to win, not defend.
"We're going about it the same way," Nieuwendyk said. "We did the Vail thing
all over again. Same schedule as last year.
"It was an incredible thing, winning, far bigger than when we won in Calgary
in '89. Then it was kind of like 'We did it!,' celebrated and bang! It was
over. This time, with the media and all the attention, it was quite
overwhelming."
C'mon now Joe, wipe off that happy face.
But when Nieuwendyk scans the Dallas dressing room, why shouldn't he at least
be permitted a small smile. What don't the Stars have?
In Mike Modano, a charismatic superstar who proved he could play and thrive in big situations.
In Jere Lehtinen, the best defensive winger -- perhaps the best two-way winger -- in the game.
In Eddie Belfour, a goaltender who has finally exorcised his professional demons.
In Nieuwendyk, the finest No. 2 center around.
In Sergei Zubov and dashing Darryl Sydor, a
power-play defense pairing that combined for 99 points.
In Jamie Langenbrunner, an uncut gem ready to dazzle.
In captain Derian Hatcher, a Godzilla patrolling the blue line.
Last season, the Stars put up their third 100-plus point season in succession. They were
the top defensive team in hockey, and sixth in penalty killing and power play.
Yeah, yeah, Nieuwendyk (33), Belfour (34), Mike Keane (32), Brian Skrudland
(36) and Brett Hull (35) are all a year closer to retirement.
But general manager Bob Gainey and chief scout Craig Button have quietly assembled a deep organization. While the Rangers went out and threw money around willy-nilly to try to patch together a competitive team for the
moment, the Stars have a team that will remain elite for the
next few years.
And they've got the luxury of having Tom Hicks' bankroll to hit the big
free-agent home run if necessary.
They brought in Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Pavel Patera, and
he's already graduated to playing left wing alongside Nieuwendyk and
Langenbrunner. Richard Jackman, the '96 fifth-overall pick, is waiting in the
wings to join the defense. Blake Sloan, Jamie Wright and Juha Lind are on the
verge of playing regularly.
Hitchcock is going to demand the Stars be more up-tempo this year,
justifiably tired, perhaps, of the critics labelling his team a blight on the
hockey landscape for their defense-first posture. Because they're so adept at
playing the trap, Hitch naturally figures who better to solve it.
"Our forwards are going to be quicker, a lot like St. Louis'," he said. "It's going to take some time to make the adjustment, but our top-end
potential is greater than before.
"I have two major challenges, as I see them. No. 1: To strengthen the
leadership on this club. Craig Ludwig was such a big part of that, on and off
the ice, and that lost responsibility has to be absorbed by an individual or
a group of our veteran people. And No. 2: To bring the new players up to
speed.
"From what I've seen in camp, the second problem will be easier to solve than
the first."
Problems? Problems are relative. Twenty-seven other teams should have such problems ...
"One thing that's added fuel to our fire," said Hitchcock, almost
thankfully, "(is) that our guys have noticed, in whatever magazine or periodical
we seem to pick up, no one's picking us. For some reason no one seems to
think we can repeat."
Well, look no further. You've got this vote. After all, we're talking Big D here. That'd be D, as in Double.
George Johnson covers the NHL for the Calgary Sun. His Western Conference column appears every week during the season on ESPN.com.
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ALSO SEE
Dallas Stars preview
San Jose Sharks preview
Anaheim Mighty Ducks preview
Phoenix Coyotes preview
Los Angeles Kings preview
Pacific Division: Stars stud of the group
Atlantic Division: Rangers up the ante
Northeast Division: Depth is a strength
Southeast Division: Fighting for respect
Central Division: Wings unflappable
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