The Dallas Stars season came to a sudden stop with their last game played March 10. The organization and the NHL are now hopeful hockey games can be back by as early July, but both are committed to finishing the 2020 season at whatever date makes sense from a business standpoint.
“We’ve got to get back to the point in a lot of sports and businesses that house big groups of people and spectators, you need to get people back in the stands,” said Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill. “We want to get to the place where it’s safe enough to get people back in the stands. Because of that, I think we’re flexible with our time.”
Flexible on a start time, with a Stars roster with differing opinions on how to proceed, with some players wanting to do whatever it takes to get back on the ice, and others, especially players with families, wanting to take a more cautious approach, according to a source. But whenever the league does decide to return, Stars general manager Jim Nill believes players would need about five to six weeks of training to get ready for game action.
“Our sport is kind of different in that way, in that you can train all you want, when you get on the ice, skate is a funny dynamic,” Nill said. “You can train as much as you want, run, ride a bike, but until you get on the ice, it’s a whole different muscle movement you have to work on.”
Work on the ice the Stars could optimistically return to at their practice facility as early as in June, while balancing a commitment to finishing the 2020 season at a date that makes business sense as well.
