Brunnstrom Sweepstakes

The Dallas Stars have won the Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes, as the talented free agent Swede has signed a two-year entry-level contract through the 09-10 season.

Honestly, I didn't even know who the guy was a few months ago.

Then I heard that a lot of teams in the NHL were sending a representative of some sort to investigate said Brunnstrom and see if he could be signed. I thought it would be interesting to see the Stars sign him, at the time. Dallas normally didn't sign many undrafted free agents, and I thought this guy might have some potential.

That was on the day teams started taking interest. Then I forgot about him.

Moving to now, apparently our fabulous Fabian has taken Farjestads BK Karlstad by storm, and has exciting many NHL fans who follow other leagues. On a team where only David Cullen, Jonas Hoglund, and Rickard Wallin would be recognizable names to most American fans, Brunnstrom led the team in assists (28) and placed fifth in points (37). Although having 9 goals doesn't smell of superstar-in-the-making, Brunnstrom has electrifying potential.
Watch this:



See? The kid ain't half bad.

Brunnstrom has the kind of game that isn't exactly Gretzky's 2.75 steps ahead, but at least a step ahead most guys. That last goal in the video, on the zoom in, the guys he goes through are standing stock still. He knew the pass was coming, and he knew he could put the puck in before anyone expected it.

Stars fans, be excited about the now, and about the future. Yes, we're still fighting against the Wings to reach the Cup Final. But with our excellent tandem of co-GM's, one can focus on the current games while the other makes important moves for our future, like this signing. Brunnstrom will be a huge key soon, and hopefully he'll have a good showing in his first season.

This is likely one of the rare days that I'll post twice. I had the extra time with limited mobility from a sprained ankle today. But most often, I'll barely have time to write once a day for half of this length.
Adios, and good luck to Brunnstrom!

STARS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've returned...

...from the computer-dead. I've had a new computer for a few months now, but for some reason I just haven't posted on this blog. A lot of my recent writing ended up on http://fans.nhl.com/hockeyfreek22.
However, talking with some other people strong with hockey recently, I'll start this page up again.
So, let's get started...
It's the Stanley Cup playoffs already, and we're down to the Final Four, or, to steal a College Basketball phrase, the Frozen Four. Pittsburgh faces Philadelphia in what should be a furious battle of Pennsylvania.
In that series, the key will be goaltending. Both teams can score (but Pittsburgh has a slight edge) and both teams are tough (Philly gets the nod there), so it will depend on who can keep out the goals.
An interesting thing to watch is Philadelphia's defense. Kimmo Timonen was the main anchor, but he has been lost to injury. Will someone else step up, like the underacheiving Jason Smith? Or will they collapse without a stud, and allow Pittsburgh a quick series?
The main attraction in the Conference Finals, IMHO, is the match between the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings. Yes, I'm a Stars fan.
I'm pretty frustrated about the loss last night, but I'll live. I definitely agree with the words of Brenden Morrow (Interview snippet from http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/15902-Stars-captain-Morrow-says
-his-team-played-on-tilted-ice-against-Red-Wings.html)
"I think we had a good two or three shifts to start the game, but then the ice got tilted the other way."
No kidding. I'm sure that a 4-1 loss wasn't exactly what most Stars fans were expecting. However, I believe that the Stars can come back. Marty Turco has a horrible record in 'The Joe', but if he, and the rest of the team, can shake that mentality, a win is definitely possible.
As for all of you who are saying that the Stars have no match for Johan Franzen, think about this. Last night, Franzen scored. So did Morrow. Each player is the leading goal-getter on his respective team. Also, each one is probably the best playoff player in general, other than Turco and Lidstrom on each team. Just think about that before you say that the Stars suck and the Wings are better.
Here's 10 of the best goals from the Stars' 07-08 season.



Those are pretty sick...Hagman's got some wicked hands, way under appreciated.

So, that's my first post for now. Soon, I'll get my own URL for this, and then I'll post more consistently. Adios!


STARS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!