I wouldn't call this a rant, but...

Tuesday April 29, 2008 @ 05:13 PM 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 husband, Stars forward Mike Modano.


The Stars lead the series 2-0 going back to Dallas. It was pretty exciting being at my now-famous sports bar again (famous because honestly, nobody knows why this large group keeps coming back to cheer for the Stars) – and get this! We saw the same crew plus some new people and there were more Stars fans than Dallas Mavericks fans this time.


There usually are just about 15 Stars fans, but usually there are more basketball fans at the bar. For Game 2, there were many more hockey fans than basketball fans.


Both of the games so far have been amazing , but to be honest, I don’t think the games were very well officiated. The Stars were shorthanded three times in the first period and I knew when the Sharks didn’t go up by more than one goal that Dallas was going to come back and win.


Now, I know these guys have a tough job; the game is so fast and the margin for error is pretty small. But the teams and not the refs should decide the outcome. Enough with the power plays! If the refs see a blatant call it should be made, but they’re tough guys and they can handle some rough play – let them play through it sometimes.


I was screaming in the bar when the refs were penalizing the Stars and I think people were staring at me. Then in the middle of the game the satellite feed went out so we couldn’t see the game and we were screaming at people…it got pretty heated. I even missed Mike’s goal – I heard about it on a text. But I caught the replay of him smiling : ).


You know, despite the refs, despite people saying we don’t have what it takes, we’re going out every game and proving people wrong. Our guys finish every check and it’s as if the puck is attached to their stick.


Other teams can’t handle the Stars if they keep playing this well. You can tell by the comments San Jose coach Ron Wilson is making that he’s a loose cannon and even the coaching is unraveling. The Stars just stick to their game and grind it out.


Turco was fantastic and made so many key saves. He keeps Dallas in the games so that a key Stars goal can decide the game.


The first goal in Game 2 was the biggest goal of the night and the Stars started going crazy and you could tell the Sharks were frustrated, and the Stars just kept coming on.


It takes a long time though, to get your momentum up from something like the first period the Stars went through. And when someone goes back and replays some of those calls, they look questionable and it’s aggravating for any team – let alone an underdog team – so I don’t blame the Stars for starting slow. I’m not saying everything shouldn’t be called, but call it evenly.


So for today, I have been filming all day and I finish at nightfall, but my mom brought out our satellite radio to listen to the game. When the sun goes down I won’t have any more work any more, but the sun goes down at like 8:00 now and game starts at 6:30 here, so mom will keep me updated until the sun sets.


I feel good about Game 3, but nobody feels safe and they know that it will still take a lot to win. American Airlines Center is going to be loud and my bar will be loud even though I won’t be there.


Dallas is getting better and better every game and the last period of Game 2 might have been the best of the playoffs because it was so much fun to watch. When it all boils down it isn’t about shutting one guy down, but instead it’s about shutting a whole team down. The Stars are a deep team and if one line stops scoring than another line will pick up the slack.


The Stars have a lot of heart and they’re up against Joe Thornton and Jeremy Roenick, but Mike has two goals, but he was no better than Brenden Morrow, Niklas Hagman or the defense.


Getting Sergei Zubov back from a foot injury is important and he’s only going to get better. The people in the bar cheered when they saw him out there.


For my final thought – and I’m speaking as a Dallas fan here, not as a wife – but as a Dallas fan, I want people to start realizing that WE ARE A GOOD TEAM!


I think that all of the fans will believe me here. The commentators never talk about what the Stars are doing well, they talk about what the Sharks aren’t doing. Give this team some credit!


So sorry about that. Like the title said, I wouldn’t exactly call this a rant but I’m getting frustrated with the lack of respect this team gets.


So fans, show some support – let this team know you’re proud of them tonight! If you’re in a bar, start screaming loud and proud! Win, lose, or draw, lets show this team we love them, we support them, and we believe in them!


GO STARS!

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