The Stars got exactly what they were hoping for in Traverse City: a few days away, a couple of good practices and enough time together to make the most of a long gap before the regular season.
What started as a scheduling quirk turned into a useful little working trip. General manager Jim Nill knew the Red Wings were not using Traverse City this year, and that opened the door for Dallas to take over the hotel, the rink and the rest of the setup for four days.
“I knew the Red Wings weren’t up there this year, so I called and they said it would be okay with them,” Nill said of a four-day sojourn for the Lads in Victory Green. “Honestly, everything worked out perfectly.”
The Stars left right after their final preseason game in Minnesota on Friday and settled in for Saturday through Tuesday in northern Michigan. The schedule was simple enough: two practices, plenty of team meals and some time for golfing, fishing and just being around each other.
“It was really good for us to be up here,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said after Tuesday’s practice. “We had really good weather, we had two great practices, and we just had a lot of time to be together.”
That last part was the point. Gulutzan said that kind of time can help build the kind of structure a team leans on once the season starts turning difficult.
“It’s important, because you want the team to be bound together pretty tight,” he said. “When things get tough, that can make a real difference.”
For Dallas, this wasn’t some unfamiliar group learning each other’s names. Jamie Benn is entering his 18th season, Tyler Seguin has been around since 2013, and the core of the roster - Esa Lindell, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger - has been together for seven years or more. Wyatt Johnston, still the “new kid” by comparison, is beginning his fifth season.
“It’s good for some of the newer guys to get to know everyone. And it’s good for the older guys, too, just to sort of get ready for the season,” Johnston said. “I think it goes a long way for the team to be close off the ice.”
Traverse City also carried some familiar history for several Stars. The club has long taken part in rookie tournaments there, and a number of current players have already spent time in the same Centre Ice building where they practiced this week. Benn was there with James Neal when Dallas won the 2008 tourney, and Robertson, Oettinger, Johnston and Lian Bichsel have also skated there before.
“It’s pretty neat,” Benn said. “You hear some good stories.”
In the end, that mix of work, weather and downtime is what made the trip valuable. The team got away from Texas, reset for a few days and used the setting to prepare for what comes next.
“We’re lucky that Jim has been here,” Gulutzan said. “It worked out great.
The weather was incredible, we’re right here by the water, it was easy to just go out walking. It was just really the perfect environment.”
The Stars are back in Texas now for practices on Wednesday and Thursday before the games start for real. They open the season at home against St. Louis on Friday and then head to Nashville on Saturday for the second half of a back-to-back.
“It gets going pretty fast, so you need to be ready,” Benn said. “I think this should help with that.”
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