The Aussie Who Chose Dallas: Tee’s Journey to Stars Fandom | Stars’ Fan Stories #2 | July 8th, 2025
[Music] hey everybody welcome back to Starcast Remarks As always we appreciate you guys being back here for the next episode of Stars Fan Stories our ongoing offseason series where every Tuesday at 7 on YouTube it goes live where we meet with different Dallas Stars fans not just from Texas but from all over the world We got lots of other interviews coming up for you guys over the next couple of months But while you’re here please consider clicking like and subscribe Hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode of the Stars fan stories or of our continuing offseason coverage of this team Today we have a good fan of the Dallas Stars His name is T Haynes T thank you for being here I appreciate you uh coming on and hanging out with me No it’s a uh it’s a pleasure Ryan Thank you for having me Uh I think that I have a a pretty different kind of stars uh fandom story so happy to share it with you and your audience So uh before we get into anything else tell us like some nonhockey related stuff about you because honestly I I think that’s the most interesting thing about some people sometimes cuz like I’ve interviewed a couple of pe other guys for this series and like one’s a pilot and the other is like from Finland and there’s another guy that lives in like Canada and and it’s just cool to see that it doesn’t it’s not just relegated to the DFW area So tell us some things about you Yeah Well I mean the first thing I should uh that just springs to mind is uh it’s it’s a little bit uh embarrassing Uh I mean getting to I’ve actually never been to Dallas I’ve been to Dallas in uh when I was 12 uh stopping in the airport on the way to New Orleans I think it was Uh or maybe it was New York But um other than that I’ve never been to Dallas It’s definitely on the bucket list to get there Uh I’ve thought about going down there for some playoffs um at some stage but it hasn’t quite happened uh just yet But yeah I was uh I was born in Darwin Australia I grew up in uh in Perth Western Australia I was always always pretty enamored with uh with with hockey Um it wasn’t the sport that I grew up playing because it’s very very limited There was one rink in in Western Australia which was uh about an hour drive from uh where we were And uh you know so it wasn’t really something that was too accessible So I grew up with your traditional Australian sports of uh cricket in the summer and Aussie girls football uh in the winter Um I love my Jalong cats of the uh Australian Football League Um and uh yeah I moved to uh Vancouver Canada when I was 28 I came over here to work on the uh the Winter Olympics Uh and then I just sort of stayed here I met my wife and now I’ve got the kids in the house and all of that Um so yeah um I work in uh event management and fabrication I’m currently actually working for the Greater Vancouver Zoo Um I’m doing a uh a big project at the uh the Vancouver Zoo which I can’t say too much about at this stage Um but yeah Oh man You got to give us the the the down low on this I’m just I’m just kidding I’m just kidding Yeah And uh yeah in my spare time um I have a uh a side hustle You can see a little bit of it up behind me but um I have a uh uh a store that I sell Lego parts and sets on Um as well as also selling uh used uh and some new uh records as well I’ve got my decks just sitting off to the corner there So yeah that’s kind of what keeps me busy as long along with my uh my two kids and and coaching their hockey as well That is absolutely awesome So I it’s it’s almost like you could say you were born in the wrong country right Kind of kind of sometimes say that sometimes people will come up to me here I mean the first thing that they’ll say you know they say how do you become a stars you where are you from You know you’re Australian you’re a stars fat has you know um I answer that question so many times and of course the answer is always when you’re an Australian and you start liking hockey you can pick whichever team that you want um so I mean we can get into that but um yeah uh it’s it’s um it’s definitely been an interesting path and and and sometimes people say to me like oh what are you what are you doing in Canada like why would you move from Australia and I sort of say u I’m not moving back there’s not enough hockey back in Australia So okay So I got to ask there there’s one thing I am actually very curious about The So you said you moved to Vancouver when you were 28 to to work on the Was it the Winter Olympics I think Winter Olympics Yep Winter Olympics And And that’s is that when uh when Sydney Crosby scored the golden goal That is that is Yeah Yeah That was So go ahead So how did how did you get in how did you get a job working you know with the Olympics like how did you how did that come about cuz like I don’t even wouldn’t even know where to look if I was curious in doing something like that Yeah Well I was at I was at the age where I was sort of thinking to myself uh I’m getting towards 30 now and uh as Australians we have a lot of opportunity that Americans don’t Um with regards to working holiday visas where you know especially countries that are part of the Commonwealth you can um apply for a working visa and uh those sorts of opportunities end around about age 30 So I was thinking to myself well if I’m going to go and do some some work overseas it better be soon Um and at that stage it was very very typical and I’m not sure still as much but a lot of Aussies end up um in London working in bars and you know that wasn’t really what I wanted to do which was to come back to Australia with a gap on my resume that said um yeah I worked in a bar or something like that and I just sort of thought wherever I want to go and work overseas I’d like something that uh at least looks like I’ve been productive while while overseas So um it was at that stage that um I realized the Olympics were in Vancouver and I thought well I can get a visa really easy for Canada Um and it was actually at the stage where the uh global financial crisis in 2008 had hit uh where things were really bad and I already had flights booked at that stage Um I didn’t have a job with the Olympics guaranteed I thought I’ll go over there and and give it my best give it my best shot and the worst worst thing that’ll happen is uh I come back home with my tail between my legs Um uh I was quite fortunate when uh I got here and then uh they eventually um they had a hiring freeze on uh for a good a good portion of uh the first few months that I was here Um so it was looking for a while like I was going to have to go back with my tail between my legs Um but when they did end up opening um and start uh when they when they dropped the freeze and started hiring people again I had a pretty good advantage because typically there are a couple of ways you can get hired by um an Olympic organizing committee Um one is they organize a working visa for you if you are just you know really really qualified um or if you are a local Canadian citizen or if you have your own working working visa which I which I did I sort of had a bit of a head start So um yeah and then and then it’s just sort of applying by the you know the traditional ways that you’d be applying for any job I mean there was Olympics jobs that were posted on job sites and the Olympics website Um it’s a it’s a really big workforce there was you know thousands of people working you know a year in advance And it sort of builds up when the Olympics are announced You have a team of you know 10 or 12 people that are involved in a bid And then uh you know as the time goes further and further on you have the people that start working on the marketing and then on this and you know a couple of years out you got people that are getting hired for all of the operations type stuff And uh yeah that that’s actually really interesting I didn’t know about any of that And that that is actually really awesome that you you took a shot in the dark like that And uh I mean look at you now That’s that’s awesome That’s really fantastic Yeah I I sort of looked at it a little bit I heard someone else with a a similar sort of uh not a story but um that he he was telling a story and said that he kind of like pressed control altdelete on his life Uh and I and I was and I was kind of looking at it a little bit like that Um there are a number of things that I was disassoc uh I was dissatisfied with in my life at Perth at that stage and I just sort of thought you know what you’re starting absolutely fresh you can pick a whole new set of friends anyone that you don’t like you can just you know not be in contact with So yeah it was just a bit of a bit of a reset It was a good good way of putting it But uh I didn’t realize at that stage um I actually ended up getting when when the games were finishing I got a working visa for uh England and was going to go and work on the London games Uh and I ended up getting getting a better offer here Um actually went manage uh project managed uh Shambala Music Festival for anyone in the uh EDM scene uh listening that’s uh familiar with Shambala Music Festival out in the uh the Coupney Valley region of uh of BC Um you know that was just an amazing experience and uh I weighed things up The difference between waking up in Nelson and walking into the office and shoveling snow and that sort of stuff or going to London and spending two hours sitting on a tube and living in a shack somewhere So yeah I understood that That’s cool That’s that’s very cool Well okay So let’s talk about the like I I have I have no idea Well I I I kind of do because I kind of cheated a little bit We talked beforehand but like how how like how did it become Dallas And I understand hockey because you were interested in it all the way back when you were in Australia Uh but you know when why Dallas and when did it start and you know tell us how that came about Yeah So like I said I was always pretty enamored with uh with with hockey but you know I didn’t even know anyone that liked hockey or just had any connection with it whatsoever the first house that I lived in when I moved out home at age 18 Uh and I moved in with one of my friends and you know it turns out he was he played uh roller hockey and he was really into hockey and um yeah we started playing uh the uh NHL 999 um was on the uh Nintendo 64 uh and we uh we started started playing that pretty seriously Um I played the earlier games you know on uh I think it was uh NHL 93 and NHL 94 which were good fun but it started getting serious with NHL 999 Um you know living out of home and no parents you had a lot more time to play games and um yeah it was that sort of scenario where going through just picking teams and you’re going through looking at which ones are which ones are ranked well Um but then also kind of looking at all of the uh back back in the 90s there were a lot of NHL teams with some really gaudy logos and colors and things Um so I was looking for a team that was both uh ranked well but you know also looked kind of cool and remember it just got to the star and I was like yeah that’s that’s cool Those those those colors th that logo those those uniforms they’re they’re badass Um so that was was just kind of what I’d uh what what I went with We ended up playing a um a full season I mean it was crazy We’d we’d be out at the bar and you know things would just be kind of winding up and we’d just kind of look at each other and be like “Okay that means we’re going to go home and uh and and and play some play some uh some hockey.” and and kind then there was there was a point shortly after that my office downtown uh there was a a store um right between the train station and my office which uh popped up and had hockey jerseys and I was like they’ve got Stars jerseys there So I bought a Stars jersey and came home in the Stars jersey and he’s like you’re unbelievable Um so it was at that stage No I I I was I was definitely a Stars fan And of course then I I went and bought the uh the the white jersey as well So if I was playing a home game in the game I was wearing the home jersey You I change it if we was if I was playing in away game So yeah that was uh it was definitely definitely quite fun Well uh I I can’t uh I’m a little bit of a jersey snob myself if I’m being honest like like when like Fanatics took over the jersey making for the NHL and I was really worried and they’ve done okay They’ve I haven’t heard anything bad about it but I’ve I think in my jersey collection I’ve got about I think I have about 17 or 18 stars jerseys and and they’re all just random random different ones Like uh for those of you that are watching on or listening on the audio side like behind T there’s a there’s a what they would call the retro jersey uh from like the 99 era when they won the cup And then he’s also got uh the quote unquote rebrand when they when with the the the big D within the Star which is what they currently use Um and and then I’ve got jerseys like you know like all-star jerseys that are just kind of random and really ugly but amazing Uh I have uh the the infamous Mutterus jersey That’s that is the only jersey I have ever spent more than $200 American on like the only jersey because because I could never find a jersey that was within my price range that was my close to my size that wasn’t outrageously expensive and it it’s literally it’s just a blank so there’s no name number on the back but and it’s a large so it’s a little bigger than I wanted it to be Uh but I I think I spent $225 on it and and like I think originally the person was trying to sell it for like 300 and I was like “Please I will get a really good use out of this I promise it I have a podcast I send him the link.” He’s like “Oh you’re awesome Here I’ll give you a $75 discount.” And I was like “Oh that’d be awesome I’ll take it.” Yeah I remember um actually I didn’t sort of get into it but uh it was it was the late ‘ 90s sort of mid mid mid to late 90s when Australia actually got cable television So that was really our first chance to get any kind of like actual games uh on on TV and uh yeah so a lot of the time the games would be sort of like early on a Saturday morning So if we’d gone out to the bar or something you know the next morning there was uh you know they there’d be a game on and you know it was usually the it was usually Western Conference teams more than Eastern Conference teams and it was teams that were pretty good at the time So there was lots of Dallas Detroit Colorado games So um yeah that was that was when really started to actually get to watch some of the games and and and learn a lot more about the the sport and some of the intricacies Um and uh yeah so um there was uh yeah sorry lost lost my train of thought there but No that’s okay Oh that’s I was actually going to say yeah the the Mutterus jersey Um I was actually watching uh one of the games when they kind of uh unveiled that Mutus logo I was like “Oh my goodness it is ugly.” It’s it’s it’s it’s a it’s a little different It’s a little different Yeah Well you you also didn’t didn’t mention I got Sochi Ben up there as well Oh yeah Yeah Oh you can’t see it because of that Here let me put you full screen so people can actually see it on YouTube But yeah got got Sochi Ben up there as well You know obviously you got the the goal in the the only goal in the semi-final which uh people often forget about but you know it’s definitely one of one of Jamie’s biggest goals Um I’m in the process of sort of moving everything upstairs so um I don’t have everything properly kitted out and it was it was a bit of a Yeah what jerseys I’m going to be put up behind me cuz uh I’ve also got the the first jersey that I ever bought which was the uh the the black one from when the Stars first moved to Dallas So it’s got a little bit Oh yeah Yeah So the the I and it it was the the same logo that they used in Minnesota in the ‘ 92 93 season but it just didn’t say Dallas across the top Right And then they and then they moved to Texas kept the same logo and everything They just hadn’t put Dallas over the top And then they started adding Dallas over the top Yeah I remember that Yeah And a lot of people forget like and uh when they when they see that jersey uh you have to ask is it a 92 93 jersey or is it a 93 94 jersey because it might be a Minnesota jersey or it might be a Dallas Stars jersey and a lot of people don’t don’t know that about that So yeah there there is a bit of a bit of a difference I think the the Dallas one is actually a little nicer because the Minnesota one I think it’s the white band at the side which is just a little thicker and it just doesn’t quite look as Yeah it doesn’t look quite as polished as as as the Dallas Dallas one does But um um well and it doesn’t look bad It it doesn’t look bad It’s just the the Stars version in 93 94 just looks so much better than uh than the Minnesota version And we we also are probably a little bit biased too if we’re being honest So yeah of course Of course Yeah You know it was sort sort of quite interesting to to I sort of kind of look at it I’ve heard um people talk about uh Tyler Aan the fact that he won a cup in his first year and then he’s just been searching for it since Uh and it’s almost like I can imagine you know in your rookie year you you win a title and then you know a lot of it’s a lot of it’s for granted and um uh I could remember also hearing um a similar story a guy called Cameron Mooney who played for Jalong and in his I think it was his first season He he played in a grand final and won a won a Premiership when he was with North Melbourne and he spent a couple of minutes on the field and had like two possessions and that was it And uh he’s been asked about that before because again he he went the rest of his career and he ended up winning another two championships with uh with Jalong at the end of his career but uh people would ask him about that premiership and he just said “Where where’s your premiership medal?” And he’s I don’t know it’s in a draw somewhere I don’t kind of really think about that one kind of kind of too much but you can you can have that first one where you really you’re taking it for granted and then then you’re really you know searching for that next one And I sort of feel like my fandom is a little bit like that because I became a Stars fan and then later that season we won the cup and I was like “Yeah this is this is awesome.” And and you just kind of hang in for that that next one which just obviously hasn’t hasn’t come yet but hopefully we’re not too far away Yeah And and a lot of people take that for granted and and like you know people make fun of uh like the the big gag in the NHL is like everyone makes fun of the Maple Leafs right Because they haven’t won a cup since 1967 and they’ve had a really good team now for almost a decade and like but the the thing is is that that when the last time they won the cup there was like less than half the league that there is now there’s 32 team that that’s hard to do and considering that a lot of these teams you know are good for a good long while in the cap era you know about five six years I’d say I mean you got the Florida Panthers who just won backtoback cups you had the Chicago Blackhawks and the 2010s who won three in five years Uh you’ve got the the LA Kings who won two within three or four years stuff like that So that it makes it even harder to win a cup just because that’s just the way it is But uh let me move on because I I I do want to I I do want to talk to you about a couple of other things too Um so your so your first experience with the Dallas Stars was the cup winning year correct Like 1998 1999 So uh so give me your favorite player from that era or you know around there and then give me your favorite current Dallas Stars player and and you can tell me whatever you want to about either one of those guys Yeah Yeah it’s tough You uh you can end up with a lot of love with for a lot of the players for a lot of different reasons Um yeah uh back in the day I think that uh you know Hatch was was was definitely uh you know I I really like the way that that Hatch went about it You know there was there was he reminded me of of some you know grizzled old Aussie rules footballers and the way that they went around their business went about their business in the 80s and 90s Um and then obviously uh the moment when he took his run at at Ronic I uh I fell in love and still lives rent free in my head too Yeah that’s that’s that oh man it’s so gruesome but at the same time Jeremy Romanik is like he’s not one of those guys you like hate because he’s a terrible person He’s way he’s one of those players that you hate and but you would love him if he was on your team So like like Jamie Ben or a Brad Marshand or a Tom Wilson like one of those guys but man it was so awesome to see Daren Hatcher do that I still remember that I was only six years old when that happened Yeah And and um I mean obviously you know a hit hit like that is is definitely not something that’s tolerated anymore nor should it Oh well actually he got suspended for it anyway but he was Yeah Um which was which was probably deserved but um yeah Uh yeah so there was there were a few guys back then I mean from the from the cup year as well I don’t know what it was but there was something about uh Benoir Hogue which which I really liked I’m not really sure exactly what that was It’s difficult to sort to to kind of uh quantify Um you know Jamie Langenbrunner as well I remember being really disappointed when he moved on to to New Jersey So uh yeah there there was quite a few guys and and and obviously Mo I mean Mo’s just he’s he’s a legend Um you know there’s a reason that statue exists out the front I hope to go get a look at it one day Um so yeah Yeah it’s fantastic Uh we we you got you got to come you got to come here at at some point If you ever do hit me up because I I I want to I want to meet up with you Um uh but I mean yeah for me Hatcher was one of my favorites And uh I I said this in one of the other Stars fan stories but a lot of people don’t uh know this about me but I actually played uh youth hockey from the time I was four until I was 11 So I started skating when I was four started actually playing hockey when I was five And uh they used to do the the little mini mites mites uh shootouts in the intermission in during Dallas Stars games And I got to do that I think at least three or four times And and one of the coolest Yeah one one of the coolest things I ever got to do and it was I think it was the last time I did it I was actually uh the goalie uh for the shootout for one of the teams and uh Ed Bell for was coming off the ice It was between the first and the second period and he just took his stick and just whacked the crud out of my uh out of my pads and like so he was acknowledging me It was like goalie goalie It was the coolest thing ever And I’m sitting there just like you know all struck and starruck and everything And at the same time I’m like “Oh that really hurt.” But like so that that’s why Eddie the Eagle has has been one of my favorite players for a long time And and that that particular story is the reason why it is is just it just because of little things like that And he and and sometimes those little plays like you talked about with with Hatch uh sometimes they’ll just stick in your brain and they become your favorite player because of that So that’s awesome So okay Uh And then current players Yeah Uh so current players obviously I’m a I’m a huge Jamie Jamie fan I mean uh uh Jaime’s um arrival at at Dallas coincides with with the time that I arrived in Vancouver Um and because I was on the same time zone then I’m in Canada I’m surrounded by other hockey people my fandom sort of went from a bit more of a casual fan to a a whole lot more involved uh when I got here Um and you know the stars really weren’t very good um at that stage Uh it was the tail end of uh Brad Richards and you know Mike Rivero Um and I call it the dark ages The dark ages of bankruptcy Yeah bankruptcy years which weren’t too great but you know there was uh there was a couple of little bright things that happened with you know James Neil coming along and then and then Jamie Ben and uh I could remember watching him when he first got called up and I was like wow that that’s that that’s my guy you know he’s he’s going to be something and I I said to one of my uh my my French Canadian friends Pierre I said you watch this kid Jamie Ben he’s going to be something this is uh this is one of my first big calls kind of thing and he sort of looked at me he’s just like come on man like you know you you got a to learn about you got a little bit learn about hockey You you know you not a you’re not a scout You can’t judge you So I was happy I proved him wrong um on that one Um but uh yeah I got got to see see Jamie get his first goal here in Vancouver which was one of the first games that uh I’d been been to here So yeah it’s really hard to go past past Jamie I mean it’s it’s it’s in some ways a little bit disappointing that there’s there’s been a couple of incidences which are which are really kind of pretty unforgivable that aren’t real hockey plays The uh the cross check he did in Detroit against um name escapes me but um you know sent the guy injured um which which wasn’t too cool And obviously I was really disappointed with the uh Western Conference Finals uh three years ago against Mark Stone And I like Mark Stone no more than Jamie does but um you got to do things to help your team and not not hinder them So um it’s kind of a little bit disappointing because I I’ve been rocking my Jamie Ben jersey for you know uh I I wear it I wear it all the time I I I wear it all the time and and there does sort of come that point a little bit now where he goes from like an awesome player but sort of like now he’s that player that other teams like to hate Um and you know for some with with some reason and some legitimacy but um yeah it’s not going to stop me being a huge Jamie fan Anyway well let me ask you about this because this is not the first time this has popped up in a Stars fan stories uh recording that I’ve uh done and I think there is some legitimacy to this and I think the deal the guys on DLS have kind of talked about it too a little bit It it almost feels like that instance the one you’re talking about when he crossed uh Mark Stone in the back of the neck and and he he’s he’s remembering the 2020 days right Like I everyone the the hardcore fans who have at least been around for five years they remember that scene of the second to last Dallas Star member leaving the locker room in Edmonton and it’s just Jamie Ben in there with the laundry in the center of the room and he’s just sitting there just like looking around putting his head down and wondering whether he’s going to get to that point again And I’m sure he was thinking about that during that Western Conference final but it almost feels like that particular instance has diminished his ability to be physical and be that rat that Brad Marshawn can be right It almost feels like that right there was the turning point of his career and when his physicality started ramping down a little bit He’s still got that in his game but like the the what’s the what’s the right word The butttheaded the butttheadedness of his game that makes people hate him Like people hate Mason Marchment and and stuff like that Like yeah that’s not as much there anymore And I wonder if that instance is because of it and ever like ever since then he’s been less effective in that part of the game Do what do you think about that Yeah Yeah it’s a good it’s a good point I’d never really quite so much thought about it like with that lens but but I think you make a really fair point Um you know I’ve s thought a lot about the coaching as well and how Jaime’s game’s going to be affected by uh a coaching change You know how much he was being stifled with um you know with his physicality um you know whether he was being told to stop Yeah Yeah Yeah So um yeah it’s an interesting point that you make because yeah there definitely hasn’t been quite that that sort of grit in his game and you can sometimes see it I I felt like in was it the series against Winnipeg I can’t remember exactly but I remember there was there there was a moment uh I think that Jamie’ been stoned in the game and then there was an instance where something happened behind the net and I just saw this look on Jaime’s face and I thought I wonder if he’s going to unlock that again I wonder if he’s going to tap into it And you know I think that it’s that it’s still there You know he’s definitely still got the the Papa Bear in him For sure I don’t think you’ll lose that Yeah it’s still there And and honestly that’s something that you know a lot of Stars fans are talking about Oh well the the scoring is missing out of the Stars game and they’re looking at the Panthers and they’re and they’re looking at what Edmonton did to us in the Western Conference final and the fact that we didn’t have any of that you know that butttheadedness at all in in that series And Jamie and and at the time we’re recording this uh Mason Marchman has been traded to Seattle So we lost that physicality aspect off the team And and also at the time of this recording uh Jamie Bin has resigned a one-year deal for 1 million which is great and everything He’s we need that physicality from him We need him to bring that part of his game back And I understand the the like the I don’t think the leadership ever left And I don’t think that the the trust from his teammates ever left but that physicality aspect seems to have left from his game And even at 35 36 I think he’s going to be 36 in like a month or so Um he’s he’s got to get back to that We need that more than ever because we’re going to have less players that can do it Um yeah No you’re Yeah you’re you’re absolutely right I mean sometimes when people have seen me with the Jamie Ben uh jersey on in or or we’re we’re chatting and people say “Oh I don’t don’t like his contract He isn’t sort of” and that that contract’s been absolutely fine from um you know you’ve got to you got to pay someone right So the cap the cap space is is is in there Um and people had sort of said “Well were you expecting to be an As Art Ross trophy winner every year?” Um you know the year that he won it was a a pretty darn uh low total So what lowest lowest total ever perhaps for a for an Art Ross winner Can’t remember exactly but um the thing that I’d always said to people was I I don’t care He plays playoff hockey and he always turns it up when the playoffs come along Um and I think that it has just been that little bit different last year and the year before to an extent as well where you haven’t felt like he’s gone into that that playoff mode right That that’s a very good point Yeah Um I cannot believe we’ve already been talking for 30 minutes Hasn’t felt like it But I’ve got like three more questions for you that I I want to ask you and then we’ll wrap it up here Um so uh what’s a game in your mind that you think about way too often even years later Like is there a specific game from any playoff run or is it just like a random regular season game Like for me I don’t know why this sticks into my head but there is a and well I understand why There was a game on New Year’s Eve against the Boston Bruins that my wife bought me tickets to and it was me and her and we got to sit in the lower bowl which I don’t get to sit in the lower bowl very much And even now even though I get to go to the games I’m up in the press box So it was so cool to watch how fast and how ridiculously uh quick those guys are and the the timing and everything So and we ended up like completely destroying the Boston Bruins that game It was like five to nothing or six to one or something like that So that one sticks in my head Is there a game like that that sticks into your head Yeah I thought for a second when you were asking the question something that sticks in my head as in as in like a like a bad game and I was kind of thinking back straight away to that game in Minnesota game It could be bad or good either one This out on on on the playoffs See I’ve been I’ve been really lucky that um you know I haven’t haven’t got to get to a game in Dallas but I’ve been to a lot of games here in uh in Vancouver and and there was uh there was one one that I went to which was a few years ago and the wife I think had got me she got me her company tickets which were uh a few rows back from from the from the glass where the where the players are behind the bench Um and it’s kind of a good thing about um being a a Dallas fan uh and being in in Vancouver is um the tickets they’re not the biggest market team So if I decided to be a Maple Leafs fan or an Oilers fan or something the opportunities to get to games at a at a decent price would be a lot more a lot more limited But uh it’s also one of those things where people find out you’re a Stars fan and they go “Oh yeah the Stars game this year is on a Tuesday night I’ll see if I can get you our our company tickets or I’m probably not going to use mine So So that that’s usually pretty cool But yeah the wife managed to get the tickets for the the the game and uh it was the game that um Henrik Sadine broke the record for the most number of uh career points with Vancouver And I remember that I remember that Okay Yeah And it was I think that the I I can’t remember exactly how the game went went along exactly but if I remember it was something like the Stars were down by a couple of goals after Henrik Sadine had got a point I don’t know whether it was a goal or an assist um on that goal to break the record And the fans had gone up and the fans were standing um and I was sitting there I’m not going to stand I’m not happy about about this Right So I’m sitting there everybody standing around me kind of thing And the fans were just going nuts for a long time which isn’t something that they do in Vancouver It’s usually a pretty timid crowd No offense Vancouver listeners but you know what I’m talking about Um and so they they were down by a couple of goals and fans are just going nuts And I wish I could remember right now the name of the player but there was a player uh a Stars player that just kind of and and I I read about it afterwards um is that you know a fight started and what had actually happened was that um the the Dallas player and the Vancouver player one of them had just kind of looked at looked at the other one and the other one had just met him in the seen seen him looking at him and and their eyes had met out of the corner of their eyes and they were like yeah it’s on and obviously the Dallas players trying to do something to break up the momentum um and what I didn’t realize until reading this later on was that you know those two guys were like roommates in college right And that was why they just they knew each other so well that as soon as one of them looked at the other you know just to try and break up some momentum and uh immediate I think there was there was the fight and then I think immediately after that there was another fight and it spurred a really big comeback for the Stars and it was something like a 54 victory or something like that Um and you know I remember even even having Vancouver fans as as we were leaving the building that were sort of slapping them on me on the back saying like that that was a really good game We we lost that but you know we got our money’s worth tonight kind of thing So uh that that was that was definitely a uh a memorable game uh for me um if we got time and you want to go into another one um which might be a little bit more um little bit more fresh in the mind um was the Western Conference Finals uh last year um in Edmonton Uh I got home from work on the sun on the Monday afternoon or something and the wife and the kids are sitting there on the couch and um they’ve all got a bit of a look on their face and I’m like “What’s up with you guys?” And they’re like “We got a surprise for you.” And I was like “Okay.” And they said “Uh you got to pack your bags cuz uh you’re flying out at 5 in the morning tomorrow to fly to Edmonton I got your tickets for you and my father-in-law and his nephew to go to Western Conference Finals game three.” Um and similar sort of story the the the Oilers had uh were up up two nothing at the end of the first and uh you know within couple of minutes of the of the second period they tied it all up and um left left the game we were up 2-1 in the series and we’d looked pretty good and it felt like we were going on to bigger and better things So yeah that was that was an awesome experience and and the Edmonton building was just just fantastic as well I mean I had had my jersey There wasn’t much green uh in in in the crowd and had my cowboy hat on and my boots and stuff And uh there were a lot of people that didn’t even I hadn’t even mentioned that I was going to the game and people were watching and I was getting these text messages saying “Uh is that you that I can see over the goalie shoulder?” And I’m like “Yeah that’s that’s that’s me.” So in Yeah it was a really fun experience and and the fans in Edmonton are really really cool They were really really really good good mob It was uh um you know the V Vancouver crowd especially in the lower bowl It can be it can be pretty sort of corporate Um whereas I didn’t get that vibe in in Edmonton at all They all seemed like you know really really dieh hard dieh hard fans that were in there Um they were really cool Yeah And uh and this will I’m going to help everybody else who’s listening They’re probably listening to you right now and being like “We hate Edmonton.” I I think that here’s the deal And I I I think it’s I think this is true I think that a majority of fans in any fan base if you go and visit their arena they’re going to be chill and they’re going to be cool That’s that’s my belief and I I think that’s true anywhere And then the only fans that we’re seeing a lot of that are are being butttheads And the reason why we think so negatively of Edmonton is because of the social media you know keyboard warriors I I mean and let’s be honest there’s some in Dallas too that are like that as well And then I have I have a couple of guys I know that I’m in a group chat with on X that I I know they do it on purpose I know that they they look to to to rage bait uh anybody who they can So like but I definitely agree with you on that I mean the the the recent experience I mean I’m online before and after games and chatting with people and uh different different fan base and stuff as well And you know just just recently I found like Colorado fans were you know they were really cool you know Edmonton fans sorry uh the uh Winnipeg fans I thought were really good as well And then yeah you get to Edmonton and it’s just like man these guys have got a chip on their on their shoulder I don’t know whether it was all the cups in the 80s or or what it is but I mean I had this when actually when I when I was at the game where um there was a a play where Darnell Nurse had gone to gone to play the puck and then left it and it had gone for gone to the end of the rink and and these fans behind me were uh complaining about it being icing and I just sort of uh had to turn around and be like “Nurse went to play the puck buddy It’s not icing.” you know don’t let the Australian guy teach you uh the rules of hockey And all of his friends were all of his friends were just just in hysterics about that But I can say firsthand that the fans in Edmonton are not the ones that are represented on the keyboard So I can I can fairly safely say that Yeah And and yeah every fan base has their moments Let’s be honest They they they do So okay Uh well again I I still can’t believe uh it’s been 40 minutes but I’ll give you one more question and we’ll wrap it up Okay And uh this is the one that I’m asking uh every Stars fan who’s coming on for this series and it’s this And it’s more of a uh more of an I guess you could say emotional one You can go what however you want to with this question but uh th this team is in a very weird position right now right Uh a lot of people are looking at this team and saying they’re going to take a step back and uh including myself and I I I just don’t see it how they can do it considering the raises that some guys are getting like obviously Rantin getting 12 million uh Auter is coming in now So there’s a lot of there’s a lot of uncertainty and there’s not a lot of depth like there was the last two years I I think our the last two years we’ve had our best roster in a very long time very long time probably since 2015 when uh Lindy Ruff won the the Western Conference in the regular season Um but what is your message to the team right now if they were listening to you right now Like what what’s something that you would wish they would hear from you Um wow It’s a tough question um right have to remind them that uh you know the game is decided a lot of the time on razor thin thin margins um when you get to the stage where you’ve won a couple of playoff rounds and you’re in the final four teams um I mean I know that we can sort of look at Florida and a lot of people have sort of said ah even if we beaten Edmonton there was no way we were getting past that that Florida team you know uh regardless uh you’re in that final four you’re you know you’re pretty darn um you’re pretty darn close Um I mean I don’t think that um I don’t think that they need to do you know anything that’s too crazy Um I know that it’s it’s a little bit disappointing because remember leading into the playoffs last year especially uh while they were going through that losing skid um to just be like “Guys don’t waste this.” Like this is this is the best roster that uh that that that the team’s had for a while and and even though uh we’ve got a core that’s going to be around for a long time and you know I’ve said to my wife you know a couple of years ago I was like you know get ready for deep playoff runs for for a good few years because they’re going to be good for a while but at the same time thinking last year you know with Granland and just that little bit of extra flexibility that they did have with uh with the cap and with draft capital um that’s kind of now been used just sort of felt like wow last year you know could have been uh the best shot at it Um but having said having said that uh you only need uh some some improvement in key areas from a couple of your players that can really turn things around Um you know if we see the continued development of a player like uh with like Lean Bishelle you know that’s going to do that’s going to do an awful lot Um you know we know that Wyatt Johnson didn’t have uh a great playoff series last playoffs I mean his goal differential was was historically bad Um but having said that you also have to take into account the the players that he was uh playing against the rotating cast of players on his wings Um you know he could have a completely different playoffs next year Um and you know that that could be that could be a really big difference maker to get them over the top you know it is going to be really interesting to see how the rest of uh you know free agency all plays out um in July Um but you know they’re going to be there and thereabouts Uh again um there was a you know a stat or a meme or or a screenshot that I’d seen of of um top prospects I think it was the top 25 prospects top 30 prospects that were uh surveyed as to where they would like to be drafted to and Dallas was far and above uh you know it was it was statistically significant um how far further they were in front that you know it’s a place that uh young players want to come to and I think there’s a a reason for that whether it’s beyond just the age of the core group and um you know likelihood to succeed you know the weather the tax whatever I don’t know whe the kids at that age are thinking about the tax maybe they are um but yeah I don’t think there’s any any need to to to to to to panic with roster construction Um I think they’re going to be thereabouts this year again Um you know it’s a it’s a game it’s a it’s a game that can have razor thin margins with the results So um you know one or two players getting hot at the right time um can really turn things around and get us over that hump Yeah And that’s what I was uh that’s what I always been I’ve been telling people and I I LDS is saying it now on DLS and I was saying it before then but like to be completely honest with you in the playoffs we didn’t really have the the team clicking it it wasn’t clicking the way that it was earlier in the year and we were you know it was it was really like the truck the the the motor the the power was coming from Rantin and from Aer and then occasional you know representations from Sean or Granland or Harley or Mero and that was basically it everyone else was kind of a passenger and uh including Duchain and and uh and hence to to some certain extent as well Um so it and they got all the way to the Western Conference Go to the Western Conference Yeah we Yeah we got to the Western Conference final on just doing that So like I if if they can be clicking be ready in time for the playoffs then who who knows what this team could have done if they had been ready to go And I I I’ll say it now and it might be unpopular They weren’t ready to go for the playoffs So but uh the good thing is is they’ve still got a lot of the same players that that are that are part of the core here You’ve still got your captain who who the I mean we don’t know to the extent that the players do but we do know that the players you know he means a lot to the players here So you know keeping him here was very very important regardless of what it would have cost So that that’s the positive thing to be looking about and forward with this team And and what I’ve been saying is like as and and the the thing is is that as much as I criticize uh this team that’s part of my job as being a podcaster is is finding things that’s going on wrong and trying to find ways to fix it just like a coach would But be but the uh the motivation is different for a coach He he wants he wants to get to that Stanley Cup and he wants to I mean he’s he’s obvious obviously uh financially motivated because he gets paid for it too But like for me it’s because I love this team and I love this city and I I I there’s not another team that means as much to me as the Dallas Stars do So uh that that’s that’s something I like if I if they were listening to this that’s something I wish they would hear is that like as much as I criticize and all of this other stuff please know that like I truly truly love this team and I would die for this team Anything like if if I had to give 30 bucks to keep Mason Marchman here and all it took was 30 bucks to keep him here or 100 bucks I would have paid the money to keep him here Like it’s it it’s silly things like that So yeah I’ll chip in Yeah exactly Yeah and I think a lot of people would have chipped in too to Yeah to to do that So well Uh T you make a really good point You make a really good point Yeah Uh well T thank you so much for for coming on and and uh doing this uh with me I really appreciate it But it it it’s it’s fun to get your uh to get your story and where you’re from and how h how it kind of zigzagged around and how awesome that is and how different that is and the fact that you’re a Stars fan and you haven’t even been to Texas That’s awesome That’s absolutely awesome I love that So uh I’ve I’ve definitely got to do it I was uh I was maybe going to come down in the uh the year that turned out to be the pandemic year So uh yeah it’s definitely definitely high on the bucket list to to to go and do that For sure Yeah Well thank you so much for for coming on and doing this And for all of you who are listening to the episode thanks once again Please consider clicking like subscribe hit that notification bell as always uh it’s the best way to help us grow We’re trying to hit 1,000 subscribers We’re very close We’re less than 100 away now We’re in the uh the double digits instead of the triple And uh as always you can follow us follow us on social media at Starkastic Uh basically anywhere and everywhere Uh X Tik Tok Facebook uh I mean anything you can think of we’re probably there So alongside T my name’s Ryan We’ll catch you guys on the flip side and we will see you again for the next edition of Stars Fan Stories Thank you guys Everyone go Stars Thanks Ryan Love your work Welcome [Music]
In this week’s Stars Fan Stories, we sit down with one of the most unique Dallas Stars fans you’ll ever meet — Tee Haynes, an Aussie turned Canadian who’s never set foot in Texas but bleeds Victory Green. From discovering hockey in Perth to witnessing the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a dramatic playoff win in Edmonton, Tee’s story is proof that Dallas Stars fandom knows no borders.
We chat about:
🏒 How NHL ‘99 helped Tee choose the Stars
🎮 His extensive Stars jersey collection
🧊 What it’s like being a Stars fan in Canada
👊 His take on Jamie Benn’s career evolution
🔥 The unforgettable playoff moments that shaped his fandom
💬 What message does Tee have for the team? Watch to find out — and stick around for some Aussie wisdom mixed with pure hockey passion.
#DallasStars #StarsFanStories #VictoryGreen #NHLFanStories #JamieBenn #StarcasticRemarks #TexasHockey #AustraliaToCanada #GoStars
🔔 Like, subscribe, and help us spread the word.
Want to promote your brand to passionate Dallas Stars fans? We’re now accepting sponsors for the show!
📎 Check out our media kit on how we can help your business! https://www.starcasticremarks.com/p/media-kit/
📬 Contact: starcasticremarks@gmail.com
⭐ SUBSCRIBE for more Dallas Stars content all offseason!
⭐ Grab merch → https://starcasticremarksshop.com
⭐ Rate & review the podcast!
Who cares? We do! And if you’re a die-hard Stars fan, you might too. Introducing The Who Cares Club, our brand-new membership packed with exclusive perks! Click the link below to join for $5/per month!
Follow us on social media!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@starcasticr
X: https://x.com/StarcasticR
Discord: https://discord.gg/c8xrGM4s4T
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starcasticr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starcasticr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarcasticR
1 comment
Man I'm scrolling through YouTube after a few wobbly-pops and I see my name and for a split second I'm tripping balls