by Larry MacDougal - AP

Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, bottom, celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 . (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

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Per the Chicago Blackhawks official Twitter page:

Coach Quenneville after practice: C Dave Bolland to undergo back surgery. Timetable for return will be addressed after surgery.

Bolland has been bothered by a back injury all season, and has missed the past two games and several practices. He had been considered “day-to-day” with the injury, but it appears he and the team have opted for surgery to get his back fully healed. The center has two goals and four assists in 13 games this season.

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Leading up to the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal this summer, we here at Defending Big D spent countless weeks debating which direction the Stars should go with their eight overall pick. There were a number of defensemen that could be available, as well as some tantalizing European scorers. We had some interesting conversation regarding Oliver Ekmann-Larsson, but there was one voice here that kept calling for one name: Scott Glennie.

A few eyebrows were raised when the Stars selected the speedy winger from the Brandon Wheat Kings, but many of the scouts I talked in Montreal were convinced it was a great pick.

Defending Big D recently had the chance to talk to Scott Glennie. He currently has eight goals and 12 assists so far this season for the Wheat Kings, and recently scored a goal and an assist in Brandon's 5-1 victory over Medicine Hat on Saturday.

I'd like to thank the Brandon Wheat Kings and specifically Matt McNish for arranging this interview with Scott.

Interview after the jump.

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More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

Yeah...the Stars need this guy back.

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A couple of quick, interesting notes from today's practice where Marc Crawford had the lines all askew. In the wake of another disappointing loss, the Stars are searching for the perfect combination of players to give the team consistency from game to game. Last week, the Stars had two games where they combined for 87 shots and just four goals; they showed some incredible offensive firepower but the team as a whole is still 1-2-2 in the past five games.

After the jump a glance at the new look the Stars had at practice today, and is Steve Ott in trouble again?

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Scott Clemmensen is learning first hand the difficulties that come when you go from a great defensive team to one that..isn’t. Clemmensen, who posted a 2.39 GAA and .917 save percentage in 40 games with New Jersey last season, has struggled mightily in four games with the Panthers (5.13 GAA and .838 save %).

After allowing seven goals against Washington on Saturday, he wasn’t exactly laying the blame on himself either. Here are a few choice quotes from his locker room interview where he calls out his defense and the practice habits of the team:

“A lot of guys walked out front from behind the net so we weren’t protecting the front of the net very well.”

“It was total chaos from my perspective around the net.”

“I’m not sure how it gets so bad at times, you know, but it’s just a matter of knowing your responsibilities.”

“I’m still learning how to play for this team, it’s very different than what I’m used to in the past with New Jersey.”

“The four games that I’ve gotten in for me so far have been just kind of surviving for me.”

The Panthers are allowing a league-high 35.1 shots and 3.60 goals per game. For the entire interview, head over to Litter Box Cats.

by Frank Gunn - AP

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Yes, it was a goal.

In just three seasons with the Dallas Stars, Brett Hull made his mark as one of the most important players in franchise history.

With the Stars seemingly on the cusp of greatness, this was a team that needed that one player who could put them over the top, the one that could get them past Colorado and Detroit and into the deep levels of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Bob Gainey had built one hell of a defensive team with Ken Hitchcock as coach, bolstered by several big midseason trades that further strengthened the core of the team. What they were missing was the home-run hitter, a flashy goal-scorer that would provide the offensive firepower to compliment the goaltending and defense.

When he was signed in the summer of 1998, many questioned just how well Hull would fit in with the Stars. He was a loud, brash and outspoken player who was pretty much the hockey equivalent of a wide receiver. He was coming from a team in St. Louis where he was allowed to let loose offensively and rarely asked to play a defensive role. Yet in the Stars' system at the time, he would be held back a bit as the team focused on shutting down the opposition first. This was the same system that transformed Mike Modano from a golden-boy scoring machine into one of the NHL's best two way players, but no one knew how Hull would respond when asked to do the same.

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More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

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Let's break this down, shall we?

The Dallas Stars are now 7-4-6 after 17 games. That's not bad, and much better than last season (6-8-3).

The Stars have 20 points, good for 6th in the Western Conference. Not bad, and much better than last season (14th in the West).

The Stars allowing 2.82 goals per game, 15th in the NHL. That's ok, but much better than last season at this point (3.64 goals per game).

The Stars are scoring 3.18 goals per game, 8th in the NHL. That's pretty good and better than last season (2.82).

Seeing a trend here?

The Dallas Stars have been good this season, sometimes great. They've played some complete, tough games against good teams on the road. We've seen some incredible goaltending at times and an offense that can quickly put goals in the net, not to mention an insane amount of shots on goal. The Stars have shown determination and grit while learning a new system under a new coaching staff and have shown that they have the potential to really do some great things on the ice, especially with the number of young forwards the Stars have.

Brad Richards has emerged as the best player on the ice for the Stars and is finally embracing his role as a leader in the locker. Brenden Morrow can't do it all himself and it's starting to look like the pressure is off him a bit to be Superman and he can just get back to being himself. Marty Turco is playing the best he's played in a very long time, and only seems to be gaining more confidence each night. The penalty killing unit has started to get it's feet underneath it and is no longer the liability it was early in the season.

So why is this team so frustratingly inconsistent?

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