Reasons to like Stars hockey

The first day of NHL free agency this past July, the Dallas Stars signed six new players. Last week, they acquired another through trade (there were salary cap issues).

I love hockey because it's a very fast-paced, high-energy game. And, well, also because of this. These are those seven new players:

Sheldon Souray

Jake Dowell

Eric Nystrom

Vernon Fiddler*

Radek Dvorak

Michael Ryder

Adam Pardy

Seriously. Damn.


*This whole little exercise, my Googling² the new players' photos, started when they showed a picture of Vernon Fiddler on the Jumbotron during the game last night. He was in a suit and tie, clean shaven, hair combed, and he had his teeth in³. He was so handsome, it made me curious about the others.<sup>4

2</sup>The photos all came from Google images, BTW, and I have no rights to them whatsoever. I suppose they'll stay up here until I get caught.

³Vernon doesn't put his teeth in when he plays. Actually, during games he kind of looks like a caricature of a hockey player: all craggy, with stringy hair, dark stubble and missing teeth, very much like someone you really don't want to mess with. But he cleans up real good.

⁴Yes, we can see them during games, but they're wearing their helmets and they're really sweaty (not so much in a steamy, tantalizing way as much as a "Dude! You're dripping on me," kind of way). It's pretty hard to tell what they really look like. The photos are much better.

Really, much better!