Making the most of his opportunity

Remi Elie was an emergency call-up when Antoine Roussel went out with a hand injury, and the Stars needed a 12th forward. But you can take the emergency label off Elie because he's appeared to have earned himself a regular roster spot for now.
"We need the speed in the lineup," said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. "The one thing we've been missing in the lineup is that ability to get in behind, hard to play against and [Elie's] done a nice job in the two games he has played."
The Stars recalled Elie from the Texas Stars on Feb. 25, but he sat out as a healthy scratch for two games before being sent back to the AHL on March 1. After Roussel went out with his injury, Elie was called up again on March 3 and made his debut at Florida the next day. After a strong showing in the Stars' 2-1 victory in that game, Elie earned the opportunity to stick around even as Adam Cracknell came off injured reserve and play in the 4-2 win at Washington on Monday.
"I felt after that first game, even with Cracknell being healthy, he could help us win another game," Ruff said of Elie.

And now, it appears Elie will be sticking around for a while. Ruff was asked if Elie could with Dallas the rest of the season.
"I look at what we need to be a better team on the road, a harder team to play against, and I think he fits what can help us," said Ruff. "I think the line of Cody] Eakin, him and [Ales] Hemsky did a really good job. You look at the number of chances he created, the duress he put their defense under and the fact that he is a physical player. You take Roussel out of the lineup, and that's a good replacement to continue down that path where we are hard to play against."
For the 21-year-old Elie, the past few days have been quite an experience. He was caught off guard and excited by that first call-up in late February and excited again when the second call came, knowing that this one would mean his dream of playing in the NHL would become a reality. He soaked in the experience of hitting the ice at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida for that first game.
"Just seeing the NHL rink, seeing the size and realizing that my dream had come true, it was unbelievable," Elie said. "My family was able to be there [in Florida], and it was a dream come true for them too."
Elie is in his second year of pro hockey, earning the call-up to the NHL with some solid play in the AHL this season with the Texas Stars.
"What you saw in the first two [NHL.**