By the end — with Sean Avery wearing his earphones in the dressing room, texting and e-mailing in the hallway outside the dressing room between periods, and refusing to take part in team functions — the distance between Avery and the rest of the Dallas Stars organization had grown vast. But as much as the Stars’ mantra is about moving forward…

Click the title of this article to read the rest of the story.

The Dallas Stars went into Calgary, Alberta, last night, and after Sean Avery took himself out of games for the forseeable future, still had to face a hot Calgary team on the ice. The 3-2 victory over the Flames was one of the best wins for the club so far this year, and has fans all over hoping that this is the start of something good. With the victory on Sunday over the Oilers, it was the first back-to-back regular-season wins for the Stars since February of this year.

The Stars have a tough stretch ahead of them to keep the momentum going. They will immediately take the ice again tonight for another match against Edmonton, and then return home for a 3-game stand with the Avalanche, Coyotes & Red Wings. And while many people may argue that schedule isn’t filled with the conference’s top competitors (excepting the Red Wings, of course), the Stars are still playing with a very depleted roster, and even games that might once have been forgone conclusions will be closely contested.

And, the Avs may be starting to come together this season. After a host of setbacks (injuries, poor performances), similar to those of the Stars, Colorado is beginning to look pretty dangerous. They’ve won their last two games and look more like the team they were forcasted to be this season.

To quickly return to the Sean Avery issue – and I won’t stay here long – I’m interested in hearing what you all might think about how his role with the Stars in the future will be effected. Eklund (that anonymous hockey blogger) – has told me he believes this to be the ticket for Sean Avery out of Dallas. While I don’t know that I agree 100%, I can’t see how the rest of the team can welcome him fully back into the fold, when they didn’t seem to be very happy with him before the comments. Mike Modano’s response is also interesting:

“It’s unacceptable. Our perception around the league has been tarnished a bit. Our attitude with the refs has been rough this year. We don’t get the benefit of doubt because we’re very vocal in those areas. In the past, we’ve been a quiet, confident group, and we simply need to get back to that.”

Sean Avery has a guaranteed contract in Dallas, which limits how the Stars can react to this kind of situation. But, they still have the ability to place him on Waivers or trade him, if another team is willing to take this mess on. In a response about Avery’s return to the team, if that happens, Modano hinted that it might not be an easy thing:

It’s going to take some time. It certainly will be a situation we’ll have to address when that time comes … if it does.

I know Mo wasn’t 100% comfortable with the “C” on his chest, but those are the kind of quotes that come from a good captain. And I think the Stars should let him take this team again, and make it official. I also believe that Mark Parrish would make a nice “A” alternate as well to take Modano’s place.

It’s hard to believe it’s hockey season again already, but the Dallas Stars will kick off their 2008-2009 campaign on September 19th, as training camp opens at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. The first full day on the ice will be the following day, Saturday, and all training camp practices will be open to the public.

Of course, this will be Stars fans first chance to check-out new Star Sean Avery. Avery is one of those players you hate when they’re on the other team, but love when they’re on your roster. And, he brings back some of the same grit and attitude the ’99 Stanley Cup winning team had in players like Derian Hatcher, Richard Matvichuk and the “Little Ball of Hate”, Pat Verbeek. He’s also shown he knows how to bury the puck, scoring 15 goals twice in the last three seasons.

Many fans will also be eager to see some of the new, young faces that have been impressing scouts around the league at the 2008 NHL Prospects Tournament which has been going on this week in Traverse City, MI. The Stars finished tournament play with a 3-0-0 record, and will be facing the Atlanta Thrashers Prospects (also 3-0-0) in the championship game on September 17th at 5:30 PM CDT.

One of the most heralded young Stars that fans will be looking to see on the ice is Fabian Brunnstrom. The 23-year old played in the Swedish Elite League last year, and is looking to return to the form that allowed him to net 38 goals and amass 79 points in just 49 games playing for Boras HC. While the Swedish Elite League may still lack the skill you’ll find at the NHL level, it’s more than comparable to the talent at the major junior and even AHL levels, and Brunnstrom shows that he is ready to take the next step.

James Neal, the Stars 2nd round pick in 2005, had 3 goals and 3 assists for the Stars Prospects this year in the tournament, and has proven he can play well on the penalty kill. Neal will most likely start the year in the AHL, but if he continues the strong play he’s shown thus far, he might be a callup sometime this season.

Another young standout that will be fun to watch is Jamie Benn. Last season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL (a junior league), Benn scored 33 goals and 32 assists (65 points) in 51 games, and had 11 points in 7 playoff games. He also turned heads in Traverse City. With just 50 seconds left in the game against the Columbus Blue Jacket Prospects on Sunday, Benn scored the game-winning goal.

This year is shaping up to be a very interesting and promising one, and fans will want to keep their eyes on these rising Stars.