"I'm a big believer in team building," DeBoer said. "I don't think it's an accident that every arm of the military and every major corporation does it. We've got new players, we've got young players we're incorporating here. It has a place, for sure."
While the NHL holds skill competitions at every All-Star Game, the Stars have not had one of their own until now. They went through myriad activities before a crowd of fans at AAC, and a team captained by Joe Pavelski beat a team captained by Jamie Benn, 40-38 in points.
"It was a nice little Sunday," Pavelski said. "It's better after a win, that's for sure."
Dallas has started the season 2-0-0 after home and home wins over the Nashville Predators. They play the Winnipeg Jets at home on Monday but decided to eschew practice for the day of fun. It was probably the right move.
Benn and Pavelski picked the teams, and that in itself created some great "drama" and great times. Pavelski said he selected Jani Hakanpää first for his hardest shot skills, and Hakanpaa ended up winning the competition with a 98 mile-per-hour slapshot. Pavelski also selected Luke Glendening to do the accuracy shooting, and the wily veteran was the quickest on the team.
"He was my sleeper pick," Pavelski said. "He didn't want to do it, he was a little nervous, but I had a good hunch about him. He's a gamer."
Jake Oettinger beat Scott Wedgewood in a battle of goalie stick taping, and Pavelski's team won the shootout competition at the end thanks in large part to Jason Robertson. Ty Dellandrea, meanwhile, won the puck juggling competition to help keep the game close for Benn's squad.
All in all, it was a great time.
DeBoer said earlier that as the team comes together, it needs days like this. There is a new coaching staff in place, as well as a lot of new faces in Mason Marchment, Nils Lundkvist, Wyatt Johnston and Colin Miller, so things like this do help.
"The fact that we got into a team building event as early as we did probably tells you that I'm not just about what happens between the boards," DeBoer said. "There are a lot of elements outside of the rink that goes into building a team and building individuals. There's importance placed on that."
The fact that Pavelski and Benn were the two captain also tells you about the inner workings of the team operate. Benn is starting his ninth season as captain and has done a spectacular job of making the dressing room a close-knit place.
"He's really excellent in a lot of ways," DeBoer said. "Every captain has a different demeanor. Jamie leads by example but has tremendous respect of the room that he's earned over time. He's inclusive of the young guys. You can see his appreciation for the best players on the team but also the depth players on the team. He treats everyone the same."
Pavelski and his family, meanwhile, opened the doors of their house to Johnston, the 19-year-old who is making the jump from junior hockey.
"It's obviously great for him and Sarah to do this. It just means a lot," said Stars GM Jim Nill. "It's a big jump. They're acting as the billet family for Wyatt, and that's something that helps him right now. We have always prided ourselves on a good family atmosphere here, and this is just part of it."
Pavelski, 38, and Ryan Suter, 37, are the team's elder statesmen, and both had their sons on the ice to help with the skills competition. It brought just one more element of family to the proceedings.
"The team building is good," Pavelski said. "Those little things, you hope it helps out here and there."
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.
