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Looking for more Stanley Cup not enough for Dallas
Posted: Thursday May 11, 2000 07:53 PM
DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Stars don't want to be remembered as just another team that won the Stanley Cup. The Stars go into the Western Conference finals driven to become back-to-back champions so they can grab a spot among hockey's all-time great teams, and hopefully get some of the recognition that didn't follow last year's title. "We got our rings and our trophy last year," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Now we want the respect that goes with being a two-time champion." Dallas' quest continues Saturday night with the opener of a best-of-seven series against the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars won a thrilling seven-game series last year, then beat Buffalo for the first title in franchise history. Both teams have advanced this far by going 6-0 at home and splitting their road games. Dallas went through the bottom two seeded teams (Edmonton and San Jose), while Colorado faced tougher foes in Phoenix and Detroit. "Dallas is a great team," Colorado's Peter Forsberg said. "The series all get tougher as you go along in the playoffs, so it's going to be that much tougher for us than it was against Detroit." The Avalanche are seeking a second Cup in five years. Colorado won in 1996, then the Red Wings joined the elite group Hitchcock mentioned by winning championships in 1997 and '98. Consecutive titles used to be the norm in the NHL. From 1974-88, the Cup was shared by only four clubs and all but one of their titles was followed by another. Philadelphia began it off in '74-75, then Montreal and the New York Islanders each won four straight. Wayne Gretzky led Edmonton to four championships the next five years, with the Canadiens interrupting the streak. Before Detroit, the only other repeat performance was Mario Lemieux's Pittsburgh clubs in '91-92. Should Dallas pull off the feat, the Stars would likely be remembered as Mike Modano's team. Although he isn't the captain nor did he win the Conn Smythe Trophy last year, his superb two-way play embodies Dallas' approach. Modano was in his second season when the then-Minnesota North Stars lost to the Penguins in the 1991 finals. It took nearly nine seasons to get back to the finals, so he fully appreciates what it would mean to be two-time champs. "You'd like to ride the wave as long as possible because you don't know when the tide is going to turn in your organization and changes are going to be made," he said. "You don't know when you're going to have a group of guys like we've had here the last three, four years. You don't know how long that can last, so you have to make the most of it." Joe Nieuwendyk, who won a Cup with Calgary in 1989 then again with Dallas a decade later, also understands that the Stars have a special opportunity. "Not many team can say they won back-to-back Cups," he said. "That's the biggest challenge for us. We've put together a good team and we'd like to ride this as far as we can." Hitchcock, though, has labeled the Stars as the underdogs in this series. Others share the view because Colorado has been playing so well this postseason. The Avalanche have been on a roll since adding Ray Bourque and seem inspired by his quest for the first title of his wonderful career. Goaltender Patrick Roy has played at his highest level in years. Still, Colorado coach Bob Hartley isn't buying into Hitchcock's labeling. The Stars did win the Pacific Division with a slightly better record than the Avalanche, who won the Northwest. "It's tough to say you're playing the underdog when you're playing the Stanley Cup champions," he said. "This year, they had another season over 100 points. I think he's just trying to play a little mind game."
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