So the Stars lost last night. They weren't humiliated. I think most honest fans fans will admit they expected San Jose to get at least one win at the AAC. But don't panic unless Matt Niskanen goes on Michael Irvin's radio show to discuss marijuana and attending Josh Howard's raging birthday party. Then you can panic, but don't look to Avery Johnson for advice. Sheesh, what a mess!
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It's going to be raucous. This will effectively be the night that many Mavs fans end their misery and grab a comfy spot on the bandwagon. Judging by local TV ratings — about 25,000 Dallas-Fort Worth homes tuned in to Ch. 27 for Game 2 — there are plenty of good seats available on that bandwagon (or stretch Zamboni).

Yep, that lock out still stings. But I predict a revival (SportsDay's Chuck Carlton says it's already happening) replete with convenience store merch hanging from cars. This will happen when Dallas meets Detroit in the Western Conference Finals. Thoughts? These guys — SportsDay's Mike Heika and Carlton — have a few.

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I’m not much for tom-goonery in hockey. But this clip of the fierce Avs/Wings rivalry of the mid-90s makes me hope that these teams’ second-round matchup has some intensity. It also really makes me miss Gary Thorne, the best American-born play-by-play hockey broadcaster, hands down. He’s certainly better than the rotation that Versus throws at us. Thorne is great on MLB broadcasts for ESPN. But hockey’s where he’s really at his best.
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