This event will pay homage to the State Fair. The Midway will be open as part of the Truly Hard Seltzer NHL PreGame. The boots belonging to Big Tex, the famous 55-foot talking cowboy who welcomes visitors to the fair, will sit alongside the rink with a rodeo clown and a longhorn steer. The second intermission will feature a rodeo clown, sword swallower and fire breather, plus trick roping, horse riding and more.
The game also comes at an interesting time for Bishop and the Stars. Bishop, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third time last year, is having another strong season; he is 13-9-3 with a 2.34 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and one shutout.
The Stars replaced coach Jim Montgomery with assistant Rick Bowness on Dec. 10 and are 22-14-4, third in the Central Division. The Predators, whom they defeated in six games in the Western Conference First Round last year, are sixth in the Central, six points behind.
Here are Five Questions with … Ben Bishop:
What do you remember about attending the State Fair of Texas?
"I don't remember riding the Ferris wheel. I just remember playing some of the games and eating the food and seeing some of the pigs and the farm animals. It's kind of like any other type of carnival that you go to, but obviously on a bigger scale. They have all the livestock and the pigs and all the animals. Yeah, it was a fun time."
You have Big Tex in a Dallas Stars Winter Classic jersey and the Ferris wheel on your mask, and you have some special gear for the game. How did you design it?
"I worked with Bauer. I had a couple ideas, but then they came out with a new pad. They kind of wanted me to be one of the first guys to wear it in the League. So [we] kind of worked with the new design they had and kind of went with the old-school look. It's fun watching the guys in the Winter Classic in these special games who kind of get to wear that old gear. To have an opportunity to do it yourself and try to make it look a little more vintage is pretty neat. Got the dark tan and some green in there. Kind of the old leather look."
How has the team adjusted to the coaching change?
"Obviously it was shocking news to all of us when it happened. But Rick Bowness is a guy who has been around the League longer than anybody as far as coaching, so we knew we were in really good hands. He's the type of guy that has respect from every single player in this league. … [Bowness] has done a great job. Very passionate coach. Cares about all the players. You can tell that, and guys want to play for him. He's that type of coach that you want to go out there and work hard for, because you know he's got your back and you know he cares so much. It's been a pretty seamless transition so far."