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The past couple of weeks have been hard for the Dallas Stars and their fans. We've seen some insanely debilitating losses and break downs during games like we've never encountered before on a game-to-game basis. This has caused an outcry of differing emotions from fans, including a near-unanimous mentality that the Stars desperately need to make a trade, any trade, in the near future to get back to the winning way's we've enjoyed.

On last night's podcast, Mike Heika reminded us that Rome was not built in a day and Stars fans should not expect instant success from Joe Nieuwendyk as he builds this team in his image. Today on his blog, Heika went into more detail:

While Bob Gainey had a lot of money at times thanks to the new ownership of Tom Hicks, he also made some really slick trades to get the ball rolling, and I think those need to serve as a model for Nieuwendyk. Gainey spun his wheels and even made some frustrating moves (Ulf Dahlen to San Jose for Doug Zmolek and Mike Lalor, Mark Tinordi to Washington for Kevin Hatcher, Neal Broten to New Jersey for Corey Millen) before he started on a streak of finding the pieces. He picked up Guy Carbonneau as a desparation move simply because Bob Bassen blew his knee out. He used Hicks' money and a darn fine prospect named Jarome Iginla to get Nieuwendyk. He took on a young defenseman named Darryl Sydor who the Los Angeles Kings had tired of watching make mistakes (it cost him Shane Churla and Zmolek). And then he pulled the trade of the decade when he sent Kevin Hatcher to Pittsburgh for Sergei Zubov.

Nobody saw the potential for how big that deal could be (maybe not even Gainey), but he was smart enough to listen to his scouts and make that deal work. And having been there, nobody knew about it and it came out of nowhere. That's what a good GM does, he finds the deal that nobody else is thinking about.

....

I know that's a lot of history, but my point in all of this is that it took Gainey from Oct. 1995 to June of 1998 to put his team together _ and he had been a part of the organization since 1990 and GM of the team since 1992. We want to think he put that team together in a couple of months, but it took a long time.

Nieuwendyk deserves that patience.

I'm certain that Stars fans will come to understand this "rebuilding" process that Nieuwendyk is going through. Yet at the same time, fans are still looking for progress and something positive to hand their hat on; a team that produces nothing by negativity is destined to fall into the abyss of failing sports franchises.

Good thing the Stars aren't one of those teams.

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We'd like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Mike for taking the time last night to talk to us. We discussed the inconsistency from game to game, the financial issues of the Dallas Stars, the issues with the young defensemen and spent a long time discussing the overall structure of this current team.

Personally, I walked away from the show with a bit of a new outlook on the team. The Stars are not the same team that they were five, even two years ago and we cannot expect them to be. They are 30 games into a new coaching and general manager regime and while it's ugly right now, Joe Nieuwendyk deserves some time to rebuild the Stars into what his vision for a successful hockey team would be. The Stars are young, and it's going to take some moves before things come together in the new direction he wants to go. We'd all like for the Stars to be successful in the here and now, but perhaps we all need to be a bit more patient.

Even Bob Gainey didn't build a champion in a month. Thanks Mike, for reminding us of that.

In case you missed it, you can find the archived show here at our Defending Big D LIVE homepage. You can also find all of our past episodes there as well.

Our show is also available on iTunes, and you find our download page here:

For those of you that download last night's show, there is an extra 15 minutes of conversation with Mike about the future of the Dallas Stars that was not aired during the live broadcast.

I would have posted this sooner, but I tend to shy away from BTB for a bit following a loss like that. Plus, my Dallas Stars aren't doing much better and I'm lost in a sea of sports-fan depression. At least the Longhorns are doing something.

Anyways, I attended the Cowboys game this weekend at Giants Stadium and thought that I would share a few of my personal observations of the game from a Cowboys fan's perspective, as I fought off drunk New Yorkers for most of the afternoon. I'll keep this simple and brief, and leave the in-depth analysis to the experts.

• I've attended a number of games at Giants Stadium, but this was the first time I've tailgated before the game. Nothing like shivering from the cold around a small gas grill as we fight to sufficiently cook teriyaki chicken. At least the beer was cold. What absolutely appalled me however was the way the fans treated the parking lot; I know it's just a parking lot but absolutely nobody tried to use a dumpster. Maybe this is the norm for every stadium, but I couldn't believe the piles and piles of disgusting trash just left all over the parking lot. And I mean PILES.
• Giants Stadium is incredibly out of date and small, so I can understand why they're moving. Every time I go there I'm surprised by how freaking hard it is to follow the game.
• Along the same lines, they show replays about 30% of the time, and then just once. We were constantly left wondering just what the hell had happened a number of times throughout the game.
• The Cowboys played timid on defense. No aggression whatsoever.
• The Giants were run-blitzing nearly every down while playing their safeties in cover-2 for most of the game. That's how a QB can compile 1,675 yards in a single game (or whatever ridiculous number Romo had).
• At least this game can't be blamed on Tony Romo. Nevertheless, if he had been able to hit Roy for the wide open touchdown with just over three minutes left, there's a great chance we're talking about one of the greatest games ever by a Cowboys QB.
• Anthony Spencer is a beast and getting better every game. I know he didn't take the best angle on Jacobs' big run, but it was obvious he was the best defensive player for the Cowboys that game. Not that that's saying much.
• Mike Jenkins, you proved me wrong.
  
• Several times throughout the game, several of the Giants fans around me were heard muttering, "Damn Romo is good. He's still a (expletive deleted) though."
• Giants fans were celebrating after the game like they had just won the Super Bowl. That hurt. Cowboys fans had to take the walk of shame out of the stadium, as beer, fries and pretzels rained down amid curses and taunts.
  
• There were an incredible amount of Cowboys fans there.

Finally, keep your head's up guys. Still four games left and the season is far from lost.

Game 30: Dallas Stars @ Anaheim Ducks

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 · 9:00 p.m. CT

Honda Center - Anaheim, California

TV: FS-SW | Radio: 1310 The Ticket

by Matt Slocum - AP

4 days ago: Washington Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, from left, of Sweden, Dave Steckel, Mike Green and Alexander Semin, of Russia, celebrate after Steckel's goal against Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Philadelphia. Washington won 8-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

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Since we last updated on the race in the Pacific Division, the San Jose have been able to maintain their lead in the Western Conference while expanding their lead in the division to six points. Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas have tightened up together, with just three points separating the three teams. Anaheim, while they did enjoy a brief good spell, have dropped back to the bottom of the conference standing and are eight points behind Dallas.

Dallas has been able to barely hold on in the standings, but are just three points ahead of 11th place Columbus. With seven of the next nine games against Western Conference teams deep in the positioning race, the Stars have an opportunity to either make a big move or significantly fall behind.

A detailed look at the division after the jump.

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More photos » by JACK DEMPSEY - AP

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The Dallas Stars have announced that defenseman Karlis Skrastins has been placed on injured reserve, while defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy has been recalled from the Texas Stars.

When news first came that Skrastins was out indefinitely with a cut finger on his hand, it was just about inevitable that he would have to go to injured reserve at some point. The cut is on the hand that grips the top of his stick and it's going to take at least a week for it to heal to a point where he can play comfortably. What I hoped would happen is that the Stars would recall Maxime Fortunus or Garrett Stafford when this happened, in order to provide some intelligent and physical relief on defense while Skrastins was out. Neither are flashy guys, but both are solid defensemen who won't make many mistakes.

The long-term plan was supposed to be to allow Vishnevskiy time in Austin to learn the intricacies of being the number one defenseman, and he's had the chance this season to play next to veteran Brad Lukowich. The Texas Stars have one of the top defenses in the AHL, and Vishsnevskiy has been solid while growing into an offensive threat on the blue line. This doesn't feel to be the right time to boost him up to the NHL, right in the middle of the season.

If the Stars made this move, it should be for good. Vishnevskiy is not a player I'd prefer to see yo-yo'ed between the AHL and NHL, especially if the Stars are expecting him to develop into a major force for them in the near future. And yet, there is a chance I completely understand the reasoning behind this move.

Earlier today, Mike Heika posed the question of whether the Stars are just going through growing pains on defense and should be patient with their young players. There are certainly a number of issues with the Stars right now, yet these defensemen have the potential to develop into something special. Heika brings up Chicago as an example of a team that struggled early, yet now has one of the most coveted defenses in the NHL. What's frustrating is that this is now the third season we've seen a combination of Grossman, Niskanen, Daley and Fistric and yet the same shortcomings still present themselves. I am willing to be patient however, especially since the young players are now in a new system, yet how long the team is patient is the big question.

The Stars could see Vishnevskiy as a boost to the team. He's a high-energy, exciting player to watch and he showed last season that if given the chance he has the ability to open up the offense and create chances. He has a booming shot, is a great puck handler with good vision and he's improving on his play on his own end. He hasn't exactly lit it up in the AHL this season (4 goals, 6 assists, plus-1 in 27 games), yet it's his potential and energy that could help this team more than his actual production.

What remains to be seen is how long the Stars stick with Vishnevskiy and how many minutes Crawford let's him play. If he's up in the NHL, he should not be babied and needs the chance to show what he can do both on the power play and on even strength. Skrastins could return next week and the Stars send Vishnevskiy back down, yet if they are making this move this early the Stars should at least see what he can do if given significant time on ice.

UPDATE: Heika says that Skrastins could possibly come back to play Friday and that his injury is not expected to be long term. If so, that makes the recall of Vishnevskiy essentially pointless and nullifies the reasons I stated above that this move could work. So, refer to my statement that the plan for Vishnevskiy does not call for him to come up to the NHL for just a game at a time.

Full press release after the jump.

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Vancouver Canucks - Nucks Misconduct

Pack Your Bags & Walk To Work

Roberto Luongo (Canada) - Let's get the big one out of the way. The meltdown that was the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino left a bad taste in Lui's mouth. Everyone knows he's been eying these winter games in his own city like a fat kid froths at a cake from 100 yards off. Let the haters hate on him, but he's a lock and we all know it. But the starter? Probably not. Brodeur is still the pony to bet on and his November numbers were ridiculous (8-2-1, 1.67 GAA, .939 S%). Expect Luongo to pass Fleury and be Canada's #2 man between the pipes.

Daniel Sedin (Sweden) - I don't think any other team can offer what Vancouver offers Sweden: an entire scoring line. Daniel had four points in eight games in 2006. And unlike in Vancouver, Daniel won't necessarily have to shoulder the offensive load with guys like Alfredsson, Backstrom, Eriksson, Zetterberg and Holstrom around. And I didn't even have to mention that Forsberg character either.

Henrik Sedin (Sweden) - Yeah, see above. Same deal with points from 2006. Creepy.

Washington Capitals - Japers' Rink

Pack Your Bags

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin (Russia)

Ovechkin has represented Russia in at least 80 international matches (including eight in the 2006 Turin Olympics), and Semin brings another 50 games of international experience to the table. The two were instrumental in Russia's gold medal win on Canadian soil in the 2008 IIHF World Championship, both finishing in the top six in the tourney in scoring. The only thing that can keep the pair from hunting for a loonie to dig out of the ice in Vancouver is injury.

Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden)

Only three Swedish NHLers have more points than Backstrom since the Caps pivot made his NHL debut, and he'll play an important role in Sweden's bid to repeat as Olympic champs.