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.
- Trenton Ray
