What Would Iginla Have Meant to Dallas Stars?

The Stars traded young Jarome Iginla five months after making him the No. 11 pick in the 1995 draft, which helped bring the 1999 Stanley Cup to 777 Sports Street. Iginla – who will face the Stars again on Friday night in Calgary – has proved to be as good as his draft pedigree if not better, developing into one of the NHL’s superstars at age 32. (The Hockey News dropped him to No. 11 in their annual player rankings following an “off” season of 35 goals and 89 points.)

Getting Joe Nieuwendyk was obviously one of the keys in the Stars’ drive to the 1999 Stanley Cup. (Dallas, unlike Calgary, was willing to pay him $11 million over five years.) For all of Iginla’s production, his Flames have made it to only one Finals (losing in seven to Tampa Bay in 2004). And he hasn’t embarrassed his old organization in head-to-head play – only nine goals in 45 career games, his lowest output against any opponent. (Quickie quiz: what active player has the most points compiled against the Stars?)

The son a Nigerian father and white American mother, Iginla has become the first black player to captain an NHL team, the first to lead the league in goals. He has finished second in the MVP selection. He doesn’t need an enforcer, plays hard, too hard for Oilers coach Pat Quinn on Thursday night.

No one in Dallas has ever wanted a do-over on the trade. Last March, noted DMN hockey scribe Mike Heika speculated on what the Stars’ on-ice future might have looke like if the trade wasn’t made. But what might Iginla have meant to the Stars off the ice had he played his NHL career in Dallas?

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Game Plan Friday: Kansas City Chiefs

A few things we must consider about this week’s Cowboys opponent, their former Cotton Bowl co-habitants, the Kansas City Chiefs.

1) – This is the worst team they will play all year. I know it is popular to assume that Oakland is the worst team they will play all year, but Oakland won a game at Arrowhead Stadium already this season. With that in mind, I think we should be able to say for now that while Oakland is really, really bad – at least they can beat the Chiefs. Seriously, after trying to absorb as much knowledge as I can from watching the last 3 Chiefs games (vs Oakland, At Philadelphia, and vs New York Giants), there is very little to be impressed with regarding this former powerhouse.

2) – The Cowboys do not have the luxury to assume that they can beat the worst team on their schedule after losing last year (BADLY) in the 16th toughest game on the 2008 schedule when they were blown out by the St Louis Rams. A team that on October 19, 2008 beat the Cowboys like a rented mule so handily that even the absence of Tony Romo doesn’t explain why you trailed that team by 4 touchdowns for most of the 2nd half. That Rams team was so bad, that they haven’t won a game since that day. That’s right. The Rams have lost 14 straight since they drilled the Cowboys about a year ago. So, any team with that on their ledger, is not allowed to assume they can waltz into Kansas City and leave with an easy win.

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