Cold but Not Frozen

All week long I listened to the doom and gloom of what was to transpire here in North Texas weatherwise. Quite frankly it was nothing remotely close to the original calls of rain and ice and sleet and snow with possible accumulations.

Much like my days in Seattle it's as if Dallas fall prey to the Banana Belt or the Pineapple Express. This is a phenomenon where snowy or cold weather will by-pass you north or south and miss your area altogether. Once again I get the NW flashbacks.

Granted, it got cold today. Heavy rains and temps that stayed close to 35 kept things dreary but nothing near icy. About the only thing worth writing home about were the snow flurries that were found atop some vehicles in downtown Dallas and up towards the Plano and Denton locales this night.

The cold windy weather was ideal for a hockey night with a longtime rival of the Dallas Stars. Do I even begin to lament the way we got clobbered in the 2004 and 2006 playoffs by the team from Denver?

To their credit, even with a retired Joe Sakic, the Avalanche sit atop the top of their conference. In this their first visit to Dallas this season, the Stars were hopeful of continuing a winning streak. Seven straight since the loss to Vancouver back on 1/2/10. 

Alex Auld has taken on the role of goalie for Dallas and while there are looming issues on the blue side of life, the system that Marc Crawford tries to implement is slowly taking shape. If the Stars can learn to win on the road, then the skies the limit. Age favors a majority of the Dallas Stars.

Mike Modano had another epic night in the twilight of his career. 2 goals and a 3-2 won over Colorado. I was sitting next to 2 Avs fans and they swore that Colorado decided to just mail it in after the 1st stanza. I begged to differ.

You want to talk about a Jekyll and Hyde team, in the last 18 games for Dallas at home they are 8-1. On the road a paltry 1-8.

Still not confident enough to declare them playoff worthy for April. Defensively it's not enough. For guys like Niskanen and Neal, age is a plus. Time and experience will heal all remaining issues.

Cold night and all it was worth the nightcap to head out to the River and take in the sounds of Limelight. A great band that does admirably with the rock and roll covers. Horned section and all, they reminded me of Emerald City... and then it occurred to me...They'll be back soon. Great job guys!

A cold day got better as it progressed. Already January is about to become a memory. A great month it has been. Bring on February!

Over and out in Big D

Mr. Will