The Dallas Stars picked the week before a big road trip to go on a bit of a tear, winning-wise. Four consecutive victories, three of them at home, felt like a great holiday gift that arrived just a couple of days late – at once a delight and a relief.

Which means it's a great time for Wes and Mark to start rolling sports takes. In this episode, they discuss the resurgence of Jason Robertson, the frustrations of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque, and what it means to have Lian Bichsel carrying the entire defense for the Texas Stars rather than playing on the third pair in Dallas.

Heads up: Matt Dumba gets his flowers in this one. That should be all the reason you need to go Stargazing with us. The whole thing is brought to you by BetOnline.

Any predictions for the trip East? Tell us about it at Defending Big D. We’ll probably bring it up in a future cast. (No, really!)

And hey, let us know you’re listening in the form of a like, review or share. Thanks for listening!

The Dallas Stars are still in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs race, but they're not ranked as highly as we all thought they would be. If that feels like a big fat lump of coal in your Christmas stocking, well, you're probably a longtime Dallas Stars fan.

Wes and Mark make the case that we're not seeing anything we didn't expect from a team on a learning curve – which also happens to be a team with three rookies playing as starters. The Hot-Takery Bakery is wide open, so spend a bit of your pregame time with them, won't you?

Chaos is just a doorway to opportunity. Or something. Let's think on it over a little Stargazing. It’s brought to you by BetOnline.

What's your biggest worry about the Stars' stat sheet so far? Tell us about at Defending Big D. We’ll probably bring it up in a future cast. (No, really!)

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History tells us how the Dallas Stars embarked on their fateful 1999 Stanley Cup run, and now we will, too: It was a time of magic and fantasy, brought to you by hard work and hard decisions.

Few have forgotten that the deal that brought the Stars Joe Nieuwendyk also cost them Jarome Iginla. And fewer would take that trade back – even knowing the face-of-the-franchise, first-ballot Hall of Famer Iggy would become – considering what it ultimately brought.

With all this being true, and assuming the Stars are one player away from taking it all again in 2025...what would Stars fans consider a fair trade for the piece they're missing?

Wes and Mark decided to address the fannish conversations about this issue, and the scenario they relate is not the one you want to hear. Reality is what it is – but there's always the possibility you can substitute a different one. And they discuss that, too.

Magic is fun when you know the secret. Join us for a little Stargazing. It's brought to you by BetOnline.

And if you don't like talking hockey, but like talking business...tell us about it at Defending Big D. We’ll discuss your ideas in a future cast. (No, really!)

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It's never a bad time to overthink your Dallas Stars opinions. But with a new year just around the corner, and the Stars looking like an inevitable playoffs contender once again, it's a good time to fire up the special holiday hot-takery bakery.

Wes and Mark are on the case, but then again, they're always on the case. In this episode, they discuss:

• • the Tyler Seguin injury,

• • the quiet advent of Oskar Bäck,

• • the meat and potatoes of the Miro Heiskanen-Matt Dumba pair,

• • the historical impact of letting Alex Goligoski walk,

• • Jim Nill, and what becomes a legend most,

• • and so very much more.

All this, plus Mark's latest Dallas Stars trivia question, can be yours! Just hit that play button. This is Stargazing – brought to you by BetOnline.

What can the Stars do with Seggy's LTIR cap space? Tell us at Defending Big D. We’ll talk about your ideas in a future cast. (No, really!)

And please don't forget to leave a tip in the form of a like, review or share. Thanks for listening!

As a team, the Dallas Stars are building a fine season. But as an organization, they're building fine seasons in all their affiliates, and over time as well. And a couple of times a year, we like to take a closer look at how that's working for them.

In case you've just met Mark Zimmerman, he can talk about the Texas Stars all day – but it's more fun to listen when he can bounce off someone who has as much passion for Cedar Park hockey as he does. For that, he's joined by Stephen Meserve, founder of the seminal T-Stars news site 100 Degree Hockey and co-author of We Win Here: The Definitive Essays You Need About The Texas Stars.

In this episode, they discuss the players to watch, the state of the feeder leagues, and the organizational depth the Dallas Stars organization has been working to build. They also measure the Texas Stars as a Calder Cup playoffs team, and how that will help the big team in Big D during a deep Stanley Cup run.

Been wondering if FloHockey TV is worth getting? We discuss that, too. This is Stargazing – brought to you by BetOnline.

What do you want to know about the Stars organization? Tell us in the comments. We'll use them in a future cast. (No, really!)

By the way, here's a link about that "ECHL Unfiltered" series on the Idaho Steelheads. And a trailer, while you're here.

One more thing: Please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. We love you all.

The Dallas Stars are in a pretty good place right now. They're in Stanley Cup playoffs position as Thanksgiving approaches, if that old measuring stick still means something. But even so, are they living up to their own outsize expectations?

As the only podcast that didn't get invited to Finland last week, Stargazing has been stewing in its long-distance thoughts about that. Wes and Mark have questions:

• • How reliant can the Stars afford to be on the Tyler Seguin-Matt Duchene line?

• • While we're on the subject, is Tyler Seguin a wizard?

• • Should we be worried that there are NHL netminders who have more goals than Miro Heiskanen does this season?

• • What will it take to get Jason Robertson going at full speed?

• • What's holding the rest of the roster back?

• • And so many, many more.

Will the Stars find another gear before the end of the year? Discuss it with us. We’re Stargazing, and we’re brought to you by BetOnline.

What do you want to see as the quarterpole approaches? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re still there, but only for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. We love you all, always.

October is over for the Dallas Stars. They're sitting comfortably near the Central Division's top spot. They have an appointment on the world stage with the 2024 Stanley Cup champions. And this may not even be as good as it gets this season. So...what's wrong with this picture?

As we wait with bated breath for the NHL Global Series, Wes and Mark took a close look at how the Stars started the season – and whether their hot start is sustainable. In this episode, they discuss:

• • how luck has factored into the Stars' power-play resurgence,

• • the one positional lack that hampers the first unit,

• • what stickwork will do for Mavrik Bourque's ability to stick his landing in the NHL,

• • the right way to think about Oskar Bäck's skill set,

• • why the fourth line has become a difference-maker,

• • the issue with the faceoff percentage, and why time may be the only thing to fix it,

• • how the Central Division is putting the #MurderDeathKill back into the all-important competition for playoff spaces,

• • and so very much more.

Will the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers bring the Thunderdome to Tampere? Get your Auntie Entity GIFs ready, just in case. We’re Stargazing, and we're brought to you by BetOnline.

What’s your take on the Stars' season so far? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please give us a rate, review or share wherever you listen. It'll be the best Halloween treat ever. We love you all.

The Dallas Stars begin their regular season today! It's the perfect time to talk about (almost) everything that could go wrong. Wes and Mark have something of a feel for adversity, and in Stargazing's annual Doomcast, they let most of their darkest thoughts roam free in the pre-Halloween hellscape.

We do have rules, sort of. We'll never include injuries to specific players in our contemplation of worst-case scenarios. But that just leaves sleep-disturbers like these at the top of the menu:

• • What happens if the entire defense rides on the ability of the right side to overachieve?

• • How do the Stars deal if it takes weeks – or months – to put together a top line that works?

• • Who's left in Cedar Park if they still can't find their scoring mojo?

• • What if Jake Oettinger has another uneven season and Casey DeSmith can't pick up the slack?

• • What if they struggle with finding a team identity, either as an offensive threat or a defensive stalwart?

• • And so very much more.

What worries you more, the penalty kill or the power play? You've all been dreading it. We're just talking about it. We're Stargazing. And you can thank BetOnline for making that possible.

What’s your biggest irrational fear for the season to come? Tell us at Defending Big D, or DM us @WesALawrence or @KETibbetts on the short app. (We’re only there for you. Don’t leave us hanging.)

And please don't forget to give us a rate, review or share. It's hockey season! Live a little.