Right. I know a good deal about the three other major American sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB), but know nothing of NHL. Is anyone willing to help?

goochnorris · 4 months

Don't focus so hard on the puck- watch the players.

ISISFieldAgent · 4 months

Meet some local fans and go to a game. Hockey is great to watch in HD at home drinking beer but go to a loud live passionate game in person and you will be hooked for life. Especially the playoffs if the Stars make it.

Hockey is a bit different than other sports. I would say it is a game where the little things count like hits, blocks, shots on goal, great passes, great saves, fights, etc. and continue to build up momentum one way or the other. Often you can tell when a team is about to score or who will win simply because they have all the momentum. Hockey is about a lot more than just set plays and goals/points like some other sports. You don't have to understand exactly whats going on but realize that just because someone hasn't scored a goal in a while doesn't mean that "nothing is happening". From non hockey fans that's often the biggest complaint I hear is that they think "nothing is going on" and they just skate back and forth. In fact Everything is happening! A tight 0-0 game that is decided in the 3rd can often be the most fun to watch.

The best teams this year and over the last few years have been Boston, Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and the New York Rangers.

The worst teams over the last few years and decade have been the New York Islanders, Columbus, Maple Leafs, Panthers, and Atlanta Thrashers(Now the Winnipeg Jets). Those teams have all been the subject of a lot of jokes. Although the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jets are both playing pretty decent hockey this year and The Panthers have been pretty outstanding. To put it in baseball terms I would call the Leafs the Cubs. They have very passionate fans and spend a lot of money to typically put a losing product on the ice year after year. But the fans never give up. The Islanders are kinda like the Mets. They are the other New York team that seemingly no one cares about and they always lose.

Ohh yeah i'm sure you know this but realize that your team moved from a hockey Mecca in Minnesota to Dallas in 93'. It's always good to know your teams history. Here is the Dallas Stars Wiki so you can learn some more about them. It's good to know when they have been good and when they have been bad and stuff like that. This season I would say they are exceeding a lot of expectations after losing their biggest star in Brad Richards to New York over the Summer. They also could use all the fans they could get right now their attendance, although it's usually rather strong has been pretty bad this year. Rally up some friends and go catch a game!

Anyway, that's at least a few things I hope that helps. Feel free to ask me anything i'd be more than willing to oblige.

dafreshprince · 4 months

Yay! A new Dallas Stars fan!

First. GO TO A GAME. Seriously it's 9 fucking dollars for a ticket. Cheapest seats in the entire league. The DART rail will take you directly to the AAC. Take the DART downtown via the red line and transfer to the green line. Once you're on the green line take it two stops to Victory Station and you are there - easy peasy.

Second. Stars games are aired on FS-SW and FS-SW+. On saturdays they are aired on TXA-21. Ralph and Razor are great commentators. Razor is a bit of a homer but a pretty entertaining guy.

Third (The team). Stars lost their Star player last year in Brad Richards, but Jamie Benn (Alternate Captain) really stepped up to fill the void; he leads the teams in points and assists. Benn's contribution to the Stars isn't measurable by numbers alone. He brings a lot of intangibles to the Stars team. For starters he is always, again always, the hardest working player on the ice. He's gritty, a leader, and willing to drop the gloves (ask Inginla). Loui Eriksson is arguably the most talented member on the team (Riberio and Benn give him a run for his money) and unarguably the best shooter on the team. He's not one to throw his body around, as he relies more on finesse to make plays. Benn and Eriksson share a line together (they're also roommates), and have undeniable chemistry. Teams give these two players a lot of respect when facing off with the Stars.

Brenden Morrow is the Captain - a real leader, and highly respected - and a real gritty player who knows how to drive the net, and gets most of his goals off of rebounds. Consequently, he takes a beating for it from opposing team.

Kari Lehtonen is the starting goalie. Stars acquired him from the late Thrashers franchise last season for a 4th round pick and a prospect and he has surpassed expectations. Kari isn't a flashy player; he relies on sound positioning and athleticism to secure wins for the Stars Team.

Steve Ott is probably the most hated player in the western conference. He started his career as an agitator (a player whose sole purpose is to get under the opposing team's skin), but since has been a key member of the Stars team - not only as a leader but as a point scorer who really adds depths to the stars roster. He has garnered a reputation across the league and among hockey fans as an 'douche' and 'dirty player' but Stars fans will be the first to tell you most of that in unwarranted. Off the ice Ott is the nicest guy you'll meet; on the ice Ott may be a chirper (as is his job) but one thing he is not is a dirty player. Ott has had a couple dirty hits in his career but nothing at all consistent.

Robidas is the veteran defenseman for the stars. He is sound defender and probably the stars best 'stay-at-home' defenseman (as opposed to offensive defenseman like Daley and Golagoski).

New additions to the stars roster include:

Burish (last season) has fit in well with the team and is a sound depth player.

Nystrom was picked up earlier this season in order for the stars to reach the salary floor and is having a career season.

Ryder was picked up during the offseason and has great chemistry with Benn and Eriksson on the first line

Goligaski (I doubt im spelling this right) was picked up last season in a trade to Pittsburgh for James Neal. He did great things for us last season but has yet to impress this season.

Other mentionable players:

Rebiero - talented offenseman with a mean penalty shot.

Fiddler & Dvorak - I'm not sure where these two came from (our AHL affiliate, maybe?) but they are amazing third liners and add great depth to the Stars' roster.

Fistric - Defenseman and a hard hitter. He leads the Stars in hits.

I'm sure im missing some guys but you'll learn them all eventually.

Last, the Stars are exceeding all expectations this year without Brad Richards. they're sitting at sixth place in the West halfway through the season (keep in mind 1-8 are separated by 6 points or something). Places 1-8 in the west and east make it to the post season. They just got a new owner and there is an air of excitement and hope that surround the team and the fans. Especially considering how, with the new ownership, the Stars have roughly 20 million dollars in cap space to spend on talent in the off season. So there ya go, a lowdown on the Dallas stars. Go to the games, have a blast, and support Dallas hockey :).

sophic · 4 months

Louis eriksson and jamie benn are great players, the stars are an underrated team in my opinion and they deserve a lot more attention so so im glad you are picking them up.

puck-eyes develop, but its more important to focus on the play as a whole keeping in mind player position and watching the plays as they develop.

ballhit2 · 4 months

Bill Meltzer has a really good Stars blog on hockeybuzz.com called Star Gazing

Jankinator · 4 months

The best way to get acquainted with the team and the game is to find a good beat writer for Dallas. For comparison, I read Capitals Insider, which provides several daily posts about injuries, stats, story lines, as well as pieces about certain players. A similar blog for the Stars can get you caught up in the game quickly.

TheGoodSedin · 4 months

Right now the best player in the game is Sidney Crosby for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's injured right now with a concussion. Head shots are a hot topic in the NHL right now, lots of players are going down with concussions. As goochnorris says, don't try to watch the puck. It's tiny and moves crazy fast, instead try to watch for the guy stick-handling the puck.

Also offsides, you'll probably ask before getting through a game. The puck must cross into the offensive zone before attacking players. If you go in before the puck does, the play is stopped and they will face off in the neutral zone.

Ask away on r/nhl. Lots of knowledgeable hockey minds!

thefootisconstant · 4 months

Hockey to me takes the best aspects from other sports and makes them its own. Take the hard, jarring hits from football and instead put guys on ice with skates to make them even harder and faster. Use basketball's intricate back and forth passing to confuse defense and open up a lane to the goal (net). From baseball we get that, "at any time this game could change" mentality as all it takes is one little bounce of the puck or deflection and instantly you get a goal which could change the entire outcome of the game (this is one of the reasons hockey nuts will watch every second of the game intently, as you never know when something unexpected will happen and it only takes a few seconds to go down).

But then you get to what makes it unique. Sure soccer has goalies but Hockey has a guy getting 90-117 mph pucks flying to his face. I think hockey goalies have to be the most bat-shit crazy people on the planet, and the way they can react as quick as they do to catch this tiny little disc is fucking asounding.

As for keeping an eye on the puck, goochnorris is right focus more on the players (look for the one guy who has his stick on the ice, he usually has the puck, and then you can watch others how they react if they put their stick down they may be looking for the pass).

Do yourself a favor and find someone who loves the sport and go to a game with them. This will teach you more than anything you can learn online.

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention, its the only sport where guys can beat the ever-living shit out of each other :)

stajus67 · 4 months

Welcome to hockey!

cubbyspace · 4 months

Thanks everybody so much for your insights and perspectives on the game of hockey. I've started to look at the under the 'Stars' section on ESPNDallas.com, as well as watching video highlights for the Dallas Stars. I'll definitely be clicking through the links that come up in the comments, some of which I've checked out already and have been a boon for information (Turns out, I don't mind Jimmy Wales staring into my soul every couple of months a year if I have that much information available at my fingertips). Hopefully I'll be able to refer to the Stars as 'we' as opposed to 'them' someday, much like I've done with the other area franchises, and preferably sooner rather than later.

In your opinions, what makes hockey different from any other sport? And would it be wrong to call hockey a fast-paced 5-on-5 soccer game?

I know the answers are going to be obvious for this, greatest player ever to live? Gretzky. But, are there any solid arguments for anyone else? (A la NBA, Jordan is considered the runaway favorite, but Wilt definitely deserves a mention).

playingwithfire · 4 months

If you want a local winner, the Rangers and the Mavericks are still better bets than the Stars. Stars are not bad at all, but the other 2 teams are championship quality ones.

tickle-teh-pickle · 4 months

If you watch a game on television, pay attention during the intermission. That's when they'll break down a play, talk about how it developed, and give you a better understanding of the game.

Koss424 · 4 months

It's the coolest game on earth!™

keslehr · 4 months

Some of the better teams right now (in alphabetical order)

Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals.

phonymahoney · 4 months

I'm a Bruins fan, but here's a little bit about the Stars:

Eriksson and Benn are underrated.
Lehtonen may be made of glass but he can stop the puck.
Hab or not, Ribeiro is still a dirtbag.
Michael Ryder may look like nothing more than a passenger for the regular season, but he's a guy you want on your team in the playoffs. Absolutely clutch. Also, when he was a Bruin, I ran into him buying rubbers at Target.
Bachman looks like he'll be a good goalie in the future.
Ott is a dirtbag.
If you want to bug anyone here, mention Brett Hull and the Cup to Sabres fans.

As for understanding the flow of the game, learn about offside, icing and delayed penalties- those are the big ones... NHL.com has a video rule book.

Good players and teams? Too many to list, so I'll name a handful:

New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St Louis Blues
Steve Stamkos (Tampa bay)
Sidney Crosby (hurt, out indefinitely - Pittsburgh Penguins)
Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
Daniel and Henrik Sedin (creepy ginger twins - Vancouver Canucks)
Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames)
Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks)
Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Niklas Lidatrom ( Detroit Red Wings)
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Jonathan Toews (pronounced "Tayves" - Chicago Blackhawks)

gilmourfan93 · 4 months

If you don't get good local coverage, but have decent internet, you can stream the audio for free. You can also stream the video of any game for free if you know where to look, seeing it makes it a lot easier to learn. I love this game.

notn · 4 months

Welcome to that party!

watch a few games with someone who knows the game, ask any question you want, after a few games you'll start to figure things out and within six months you'll be a raving lunatic like most other hockey fans on this site

most important thing to remember not all penalties are called and a team that is winning will tend to get more penalties it called Reffing game management and it can drive you a bit crazy

IS THAT BACON! or toast? OHHH I WANT BACON, why is my arm numb? God dam ref's give me a beer

/edit for adding beer after getting beer.....

Markussh · 4 months

I hope this explains well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w4MV_LwMw

brokenyard · 4 months

Good Stars blog.

Nick29 · 4 months

This might be helpful as to who the best/worst teams are. . . http://espn.go.com/nhl/powerrankings

WiscDC · 4 months

The comments here have been great, but here's my input - realize hockey is a sport, much bigger than just the NHL. A ton of American hockey fans, especially those outside of that hockey belt (upper midwest and northeast) seem oblivious to this, and think hockey=NHL and nothing else. These players aren't made from factories. It is played across the country at countless local rinks, by kids and adults of all ages.

The players you see in the NHL worked their way up through junior hockey. (Wikipedia will help you see the structure of junior hockey in the USA and Canada.) About a third of NHL players played D-1 NCAA hockey, and it's growing. (As you can see by my username's logo, I'm a Wisconsin Badgers fan.)
Being in Texas, you won't have much access to junior or college hockey, but if it interests you, the NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) now has college hockey on Friday nights, and the Big Ten network carries games. I recommend to any hockey fan the Frozen Four. The semifinals are on ESPN2 in April, and the Championship is on ESPN.

As far as other levels of hockey go, the AHL has 3 teams in Texas. The AHL, the American Hockey League, is like the Triple-A of professional hockey.

Lastly, another point. Watch the games. With the internet, you can easily look up anything that really confuses you, but it's a sport that tends to explain itself. That's the best way to learn about the sport itself.

Offsides - you can't go across the far blue line before the puck. Keep the puck in the zone, or everyone's gotta get out before re-entering.

Icing - You're not allowed to clear the puck down across the goal line (unless it goes in the goal) from your half of the ice (behind the red line). If you do this, there's a face-off in your own end. The referee will only call icing on a blatant clear; the defenders can't just watch the puck slowly go by if they can easily get to it.

Now you know offside and icing. Congratulations. Now you're not one of those people who says, "I hate hockey! I mean, what's offsides? What is icing?" As if those are valid reasons.

you'll need to login or register to do that

create a new account

login