Aki Kaurismäki and the Dallas Stars?

For those of you not aware of Kaurismäki, you might be thinking “Hmm, Finnish SM-Liiga product, likely finesse player, maybe goalie.. did the Stars sign him?”

BZZT. Wrong!

After I watched the game on Saturday, I almost lost my mind. I've been trying to get motivated ever since but it's been rough. There were some brilliant plays but in the end the Stars lost. Not just lost, but lost to the ISLANDERS. That's 2 steps and a bus ride away from losing to a small market AHL squad. So yeah, it's been rough. When I get burnt out or uninspired I tend to watch a film by one of my favorite directors. It seems that the Dallas Stars need a little more direction (bad pun, I know) and a little more Kaurismäki.

Kaurismäki is a world renowned film director known for his deadpan, depictions of working class and everyday Finns, and unexpected warmth in even despair-ridden times. Sound like Dallas lately? For all of the stress we've had to endure during the Raycroft error.. err.. era, there have been bright sides and solid plays. Sure, in the end Dallas is on a rough slide and it's hard to find the shining diamond in the hunk of coal that the latter part of November and the first part of December have been, but it must be done by any real fan.

The injury front is something that can’t be helped and the team as a whole shouldn’t be blamed for that which they cannot control, yet they can play harder to make up for the gaps. It’s obvious at this point (and obvious for several years to anyone who had to endure the ‘national feed’ of Hockey Night in Canada during the dreaded ‘Nothing but Leafs’ era) that Andrew Raycroft is anything but an elite goalie and needs extra help from the defensive pairings.

.Yes, a lot of these pairings are in disarray. Some of the younger guys have a chance to come into the forefront of the public mind though. It could take one single show of brilliance and they could be the next Morrow. They've got to get motivated and think bigger than one game. They've got to stop thinking “We're shorthanded, Kari is out.. nobody expects us to win”.

We do expect you to win, and we know you can do it. With the midseason having came and passed and each win becoming more crucial, it's time to stand behind our team win or lose. Let's grind our teeth and instead of yell obscenities, let's find one good thing to take home with us.

.. and if that doesn't work for you, here's a clip from one of Kaurismäki's most well known franchises in the West, Leningrad Cowboys. We can remember the meteoric rise earlier in the season and know that our favourite Finn will be returning sooner rather than later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEORJ3_EQ_A&feature=related

- Trenton Ray

Refs Give Raycroft, Stars Victory in Spirit of Holiday Season

Dallas Stars goalie Andrew Raycroft has been through enough, don't you think? He has essentially gone from the best up-and-coming goaltender in the league (Calder Memorial Trophy-winner in 2004) to a washed-up has-been that wasn't even able to stay on with the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite tying a team-record 37 wins in 2006-2007. Sure, he sucked in "earning" those wins, but it seems to me that, looking at Toronto's situation right now, the Leafs would gladly trade off some their actually competent goaltending for a few victories every now and then (and they could add in "defenseman" Mike Komisarek as a gesture of goodwill while they're at it). Now he's resorted to becoming the Mike Sillinger of goaltenders, going wherever a back-up is needed and then quickly cutting tail and running out of town out of fear of being discovered for the charlatan he really is. I mean, he does share a nickname with Ray Emery. Riding on his coattails will only get you so far.

In any case, it being near Christmas and all, I can kind of see why the league would want to throw some charity his way. That charity came in the form of a disallowed goal for the Washington Capitals on Thursday night that saw referee Dan O'Rourke waive off what would have been the game-tying 2-2 goal with less than 10 seconds left in the game due to supposed goalie interference on Alexander Ovechkin. In truth, I can kind of see why O'Rourke would make the call he did based on his vantage point, but the truth of the matter is Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins should really not have been given the benefit of the doubt, because he's just that clumsy of a blue-liner. A career +/- of -40 (should be -41 after last night) will reveal as much. It's a case of O'Rourke needing to know just who he's dealing with, and that includes Raycroft. Wouldn't the real Andrew Raycroft give up that critical goal late in a game? Why yes, he would. And perhaps five more up to that point.