Stargazing: A Dallas Stars Puckcast | Defending Big D

The Dallas Stars are still in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs race, but they're not ranked as highly as we all thought they would be. If that feels like a big fat lump of coal in your Christmas stocking, well, you're probably a longtime Dallas Stars fan.

Wes and Mark make the case that we're not seeing anything we didn't expect from a team on a learning curve – which also happens to be a team with three rookies playing as starters. The Hot-Takery Bakery is wide open, so spend a bit of your pregame time with them, won't you?

Chaos is just a doorway to opportunity. Or something. Let's think on it over a little Stargazing. It’s brought to you by BetOnline.

What's your biggest worry about the Stars' stat sheet so far? Tell us about at Defending Big D. We’ll probably bring it up in a future cast. (No, really!)

One more thing: Please let us know you're listening in the form of a like, review or share. Our New Year's resolution is to appreciate you even more. Thanks for listening!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

History tells us how the Dallas Stars embarked on their fateful 1999 Stanley Cup run, and now we will, too: It was a time of magic and fantasy, brought to you by hard work and hard decisions.

Few have forgotten that the deal that brought the Stars Joe Nieuwendyk also cost them Jarome Iginla. And fewer would take that trade back – even knowing the face-of-the-franchise, first-ballot Hall of Famer Iggy would become – considering what it ultimately brought.

With all this being true, and assuming the Stars are one player away from taking it all again in 2025...what would Stars fans consider a fair trade for the piece they're missing?

Wes and Mark decided to address the fannish conversations about this issue, and the scenario they relate is not the one you want to hear. Reality is what it is – but there's always the possibility you can substitute a different one. And they discuss that, too.

Magic is fun when you know the secret. Join us for a little Stargazing. It's brought to you by BetOnline.

And if you don't like talking hockey, but like talking business...tell us about it at Defending Big D. We’ll discuss your ideas in a future cast. (No, really!)

One more thing: Please leave us a tip in the form of a like, review or share. It'll be our favorite holiday gift ever. Thanks for listening!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's never a bad time to overthink your Dallas Stars opinions. But with a new year just around the corner, and the Stars looking like an inevitable playoffs contender once again, it's a good time to fire up the special holiday hot-takery bakery.

Wes and Mark are on the case, but then again, they're always on the case. In this episode, they discuss:

All this, plus Mark's latest Dallas Stars trivia question, can be yours! Just hit that play button. This is Stargazing – brought to you by BetOnline.

What can the Stars do with Seggy's LTIR cap space? Tell us at Defending Big D. We’ll talk about your ideas in a future cast. (No, really!)

And please don't forget to leave a tip in the form of a like, review or share. Thanks for listening!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As a team, the Dallas Stars are building a fine season. But as an organization, they're building fine seasons in all their affiliates, and over time as well. And a couple of times a year, we like to take a closer look at how that's working for them.

In case you've just met Mark Zimmerman, he can talk about the Texas Stars all day – but it's more fun to listen when he can bounce off someone who has as much passion for Cedar Park hockey as he does. For that, he's joined by Stephen Meserve, founder of the seminal T-Stars news site 100 Degree Hockey and co-author of We Win Here: The Definitive Essays You Need About The Texas Stars.

In this episode, they discuss the players to watch, the state of the feeder leagues, and the organizational depth the Dallas Stars organization has been working to build. They also measure the Texas Stars as a Calder Cup playoffs team, and how that will help the big team in Big D during a deep Stanley Cup run.

Been wondering if FloHockey TV is worth getting? We discuss that, too. This is Stargazing – brought to you by BetOnline.

What do you want to know about the Stars organization? Tell us in the comments. We'll use them in a future cast. (No, really!)

By the way, here's a link about that "ECHL Unfiltered" series on the Idaho Steelheads. And a trailer, while you're here.

One more thing: Please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. We love you all.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Dallas Stars are in a pretty good place right now. They're in Stanley Cup playoffs position as Thanksgiving approaches, if that old measuring stick still means something. But even so, are they living up to their own outsize expectations?

As the only podcast that didn't get invited to Finland last week, Stargazing has been stewing in its long-distance thoughts about that. Wes and Mark have questions:

Will the Stars find another gear before the end of the year? Discuss it with us. We’re Stargazing, and we’re brought to you by BetOnline.

What do you want to see as the quarterpole approaches? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re still there, but only for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. We love you all, always.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October is over for the Dallas Stars. They're sitting comfortably near the Central Division's top spot. They have an appointment on the world stage with the 2024 Stanley Cup champions. And this may not even be as good as it gets this season. So...what's wrong with this picture?

As we wait with bated breath for the NHL Global Series, Wes and Mark took a close look at how the Stars started the season – and whether their hot start is sustainable. In this episode, they discuss:

Will the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers bring the Thunderdome to Tampere? Get your Auntie Entity GIFs ready, just in case. We’re Stargazing, and we're brought to you by BetOnline.

What’s your take on the Stars' season so far? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. It'll be the best Halloween treat ever. We love you all.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Dallas Stars begin their regular season today! It's the perfect time to talk about (almost) everything that could go wrong. Wes and Mark have something of a feel for adversity, and in Stargazing's annual Doomcast, they let most of their darkest thoughts roam free in the pre-Halloween hellscape.

We do have rules, sort of. We'll never include injuries to specific players in our contemplation of worst-case scenarios. But that just leaves sleep-disturbers like these at the top of the menu:

What worries you more, the penalty kill or the power play? You've all been dreading it. We're just talking about it. We're Stargazing. And you can thank BetOnline for making that possible.

What’s your biggest irrational fear for the season to come? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please don't forget to give us a rate, review or share. It's hockey season! Live a little.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As of this posting, the Dallas Stars are 3-0 in the 2024-25 preseason. And here we were thinking Victory+ might be the best thing to come out of September.

It's a great environment for Stargazing's annual Brightside Cast, and Wes and Mark are definitely feeling it this year. In this edition, they talk about:

When you're penciling in Tyler Seguin as your third-line center, you mmmmight have a surfeit of talent. We're Stargazing, and we might just turn you into Mr. Brightside, too. Thank BetOnline for making that possible.

What's your most optimistic prediction for the season to come? Tell us in the comments, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And don’t hesitate to give us a rate, review and share. We love you all.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's September, and the Dallas Stars are back on the ice. You can almost smell the "Mr. Brightside" in the air, can't you?

Wes and Mark are firing up the Victory+ and getting ready to watch some hockey. And on the eve of the Stars' preseason opener, they have so, so, so much to share with you. In this episode, they discuss:

Do you have a man crush on Jim Nill? It's OK to talk about it. We're Stargazing, and for us, it comes up a lot. (A lot.) And our friends at BetOnline still sponsor us. It's kind of beautiful.

How many minutes did it take for either of our hosts to drop an "I like where we're at"? Tell us in the comments, or DM us with your weird questions @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And while you're here: Please don't hesitate to give us a rate, review and share. We love you all.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We made it! September is here, and as if by magic, the wait for more Dallas Stars hockey has grown ever so much shorter. It's time to start making appointments. Or setting alarms. Your choice.

Wes and Mark check the milestones up ahead and point out the landmarks you don't want to miss:

How many days until Victory+ TV? Here at Stargazing, we're counting it down. And you can, too, thanks to our friends at BetOnline.

What are you most looking forward to this month? Let’s discuss it in the comments, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And because these two always call it – always – here's a look at the Stars' 2024 Traverse City lineup, posted literally minutes before we sent out this episode. (Thanks, I think.)

Last thing: Please do us the favor of a rate, review and share. Let’s get ready for Stars!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.