Lessons learned, and applied

Wednesday April 09, 2008 @ 08:46 AM EDT

Welcome to the NHL Connect blog page for Willa Ford. Willa Ford burst onto the music scene in the late 1990s. The singer/dancer recently appeared on Dancing with the Stars. She will chronicle the Dallas Stars’ Quest for the Cup, led by her fiancé, Stars forward Mike Modano.


So welcome everyone to my blog!


Thank you so much for reading, especially those of you who followed my entries last season and have come back for more. I’m very excited for this 2008 playoffs, I believe we have a team that can go all the way, and I’ll be here, blogging all the way up to June and (hopefully) into the Stanley Cup Final!


But that is getting ahead of where we’re at. Right now, the team, the fans, everyone is focused on the first series because we’ve drawn maybe the toughest opponent in the first round. The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Anaheim Ducks.


You can look at it a couple of different ways, but for me, I think its great to play the Ducks, first because we won our series against them in the regular season, and second, because if you want to win the Stanley Cup you have to beat everyone. Anyone and everyone.


To take down last year’s champs in the first round will obviously be a tall order, but it would also be a huge confidence boost for all the guys and great for momentum heading into the next round.


Now, I won’t say this team needs a confidence boost, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt. In the final few weeks of the season it seemed that a lot of people were down on the team. The fans were getting frustrated, because suddenly they went into a slump, and it seemed like it was coming at the worst time. But I think people are forgetting that this season, a lot of the great teams had slumps. The Stars’ just came at a tough time. But I think we have come out of it now, and the guys are better off for it.


Our biggest issue is going to be injuries. Zubov will be a huge loss if he doesn’t make it back – he might be the most important D in the league – and not having him in there, the team is in a lot of pain. His loss will be felt. But we have remarkable young guys, and have to expect big things out of them, because its all about playoffs, and you never know who is going to step up and be the hero.


I know Mike loves playoffs. He’ll be ready, and other guys are able to step up: Morrow is a great captain, I think the coaches have been under scrutiny but they’re coming together and remaining positive. It’s really about each individual guy going in there and doing his part.


I think another guy that is really going to step up his game is Stu Barnes. He’s been there before, he’s an older guy, and he can perform when you need him to.


Then you have a guy like Lehtinen, and it’s going to be a key that he’s healthy, because he is so valuable to the team.


Another guy is Loui Eriksson, and when he amps his game up, hes a very dangerous player. I look at him as almost the Modano of the future. And Niklas Hagman, when he’s on he’s on. And of course it’s going to hinge on that young defense. They’re going to be nervous, but they’re a great group and I’m positive they’re ready to get up for this.


I think as Stars fans, we have reason to be confident. If you look back at last season, you saw some great things happen: you saw the team rally back from a 1-3 deficit, you saw Marty Turco emerge as one of the best goaltenders in the league, and you saw some young players take some huge strides. That’s the team we have, a group that really pulled together over the last season and a half…and then you go and add a guy like Brad Richards to that mix.


Now, I know he’s still relatively new, still trying to figure out the game plan and he’s learning a brand new style of play. But he’s shown flashes of how incredible he is as a hockey player. I believe that this 2008 playoffs will be when he completely steps into his own as a Dallas Stars hockey player, as a key member of this team, and both he and the Stars will learn just how much they need one another.


And let’s not forget that we’re talking about Brad Richards, former Conn Smythe trophy winner. This is the time when guys like Brad are able to step up. This is what they got him for.


The other thing that’s great about this team is that the guys are so tight, and Brad has fit right in. I mean, if the guys aren’t practicing together, they’re playing golf together, they’re spending time together, you can see that they really love each other.


And that is another reason I believe they’ll step up. This team is tight. They don’t want to let each other down, they want to win together, and they want to prove that they remain one of the league’s top teams.


But of course, it’s going to be difficult. And we may have won the regular season series but Anaheim has added some big pieces since then. Our boys will have to be right on top of their game if they’re going to take down the Champs.


For this first round, as of now I’m going to be around for most if not all of the games. I work in LA now, which is good because I’ll be close to Anaheim, and then of course I’m home when I’m in Dallas.


Like a few of you, I’m sure, I’m going to be there in Anaheim to attend the first game, with my Stars hat on. Hopefully I don’t get heckled too badly – remember people, good competition, not bad.


And then I’ll always be back for the home games, unless there is some crazy reason for work purposes.


So again, it’s good to be back. I’m happy that you made it this far and I hope you continue to join me watching this team – because I think we’re going to see something special.


Until then, you know what to say…


Go Stars Go!

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