And so now the Stars must go out and be better, even if it is only preseason.
I know I get dinged for living in the past sometimes, but I am an old man who has a few old stories. One of the things I loved about the turn-of-the-century Stars was the fact they loved the pressure, they wanted the expectations, they fed off of the hype. They had swagger, because they knew what they could do.
They had plenty of fun, to be sure, but they also knew when it was time to get serious.
It's that time for this group.
Oh sure, it's just the first wakeup call, and there will be many times the factory whistle is going to blow this year. Heck, the Blues proved last season that the game of hockey can be very forgiving at the highest level.
But if the first four preseason games have shown anything, it's that you need to take this stuff a little more seriously. Because in pro sports, the other side on most nights is doing just that.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.