Lessons from 'Ted Lasso' could help Stars find way through difficult year

I've been watching a lot of "Ted Lasso" lately, and to tell you the truth, I'm kind of falling in love with the show.
The bran-child of former "Saturday Night Live" funnyman Jason Sudeikis and his buddy Brendan Hunt (who plays his assistant coach on the show), the concept of "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV Plus is a bit absurd. A Premier League football team is seeking a new coach and decides to hire an American football coach from the college ranks. When you start watching, you realize that the owner of the team is trying to ruin the team because of a recent divorce from her husband, and that's why she hired the unwitting Ted.
But, as you peel back the layers of the drama, you see that Ted needed this change in his life and that he's not all that unprepared to turn this team into a winner. As you see his beliefs unveiled, it really is a charming little exercise in understanding sports psychology -- and life psychology.

Which brings us to the Stars.
That are a lot of parallels in the experiences of the people on "Ted Lasso" with the people involved with your local hockey team. I say people, because that's one of the key lessons of the TV show. Yes, they are players, but they are first human beings. They have lives and emotions and histories -- and all of that plays a big role in what kind of performance you might get on the field.
Ted takes time to find out what makes these people who they are, and he genuinely tries to help them deal with their problems.
It reminds me of the Rick Bowness I saw on video in the playoff bubble. He wasn't just diagramming forechecks or pointing out missed assignments, he was coaching people. It rubbed off. Captain Jamie Benn had a similar attitude. Same with Joe Pavelski and John Klingberg.

Bowness said he believes that the team really did come together in the bubble last year. It was perfect timing, in a lot of ways. One, Bowness was still feeling his way in his first head coaching job in nearly two decades. Two, Pavelski had an emotional first run with the Stars after moving on from the only team he knew. And three, a group of 30-something people were forced to get to know each other.
"The bubble made us become a much closer team," Bowness said. "We spent so much time together that it just happened. We were a family."
Bowness is a naturally friendly guy, and he's been a person who gets to know his players throughout his career as an assistant coach and head coach, so that was a perfect fit for the bubble. Is that tougher now that the team has to socially distance and avoid too many friendly gatherings? Bowness said no.
"It's not that hard," Bowness said. "You just have to make an effort to get to know the players, and I think those opportunities are everywhere. It could be just skating before practice, it could be in the hallway or in the dressing room, it could be you call them into the office to talk. If I need to talk to somebody, I definitely can do that."
The head coach said his assistant coaches and his leadership group also feels the same way. For instance, Benn was a huge part of building that family in the bubble and continues to do that.
"The leadership did a wonderful job of making everyone feel a part of it, and I do think that helped us," Bowness said. "Jamie set the tone from Day 1 that we planned on being there for a while, and we were. He should get a lot of credit for that."
It retrospect, it might be one of the reasons the Stars came up with so many big plays. Whether it was a last-minute goal from Pavelski or an overtime goal from Joel Kiviranta or a big block or big save, this group of people came together and found a solution together. I'm pretty sappy when it comes to making sports a great story, but I think that brotherly bond made a difference.

Now, I'm also sappy in thinking all of this stuff can carry over. I've had so many coaches and players say you can't live in last season, that you have to forge ahead, that you have to define new goals … and I get that. But I just think the things you have done in the past can form a blueprint that can be repeated. You can look at the mistakes and learn from them, but you can also look at the good things and maybe dissect why they happened and what can be repeated.
Isn't that what practice is all about -- muscle memory and repetition?
So I think maybe it is time to look back a bit. Watching "Ted Lasso" reminded me just how important the personalities of the people can be. It reminded me that sports is so much more than just X's and O's.
Now, to be fair, AFC Richmond does not have that many successes on the field, and pro sports is about winning and losing. My guess is Ted will learn that in future seasons of the television show. But, if I'm reading the storyline right, then finding the right balance of body and mind will be the solution that's perfect.
It sure seemed that way for the Stars in the playoff bubble -- and it sure seems something the team could lean on this season. When you look at the hardships that lie ahead because of scheduling and injuries and weather and COVID, this team can use all of the help it can get.
"We're a tight group. I think from what we went through last year and all being together for two-plus months, it brought us even closer," said Benn. "We know we have each other to lean on in tough times. A lot of this group went through the start we had last year, which obviously wasn't good, but we battled our way out of it, and we'll do it again now."
Hmmm, sounds like something Ted Lasso would say.
Photo credit: Getty Images and Apple TV Plus
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.