How a Blanket, Twitter, & Tyler Seguin Made Zoe a Stars Fan | Stars Fan Stories #5 | July 29th, 2025
[Music] [Music] Hey everybody, welcome back to Starcastic Remarks. We’re continuing our offseason series entitled Stars Fan Stories. We have a brand new episode here for you today going live every Tuesday on YouTube at 7 o’clock PM for except for one exception. We’ll talk about that later. And uh I hope you guys enjoy this uh continuing series. It’s been a lot of fun for me particularly getting to talk to uh all sorts of hockey fans from literally across the world. We’re talking, you know, Texas, we’re talking Finland, we’re talking Australia, uh, Canada, but we’re not even talking Texas today. Uh, we’d like to welcome to the show Zoe. Zoe, how are you doing today? Hi, I’m great. How are you, Ryan? Uh, I’m doing okay. I got to be honest. Uh, we were talking a little bit before we started recording just like I am very tired right now. Uh, the the day we’re recording this, it’s July 7th, so it’s like post uh Fourth of July stuff. So, those of you that know me really well, I shoot fireworks like crazy and I I do it for days and I love it. So, did a little bit too much of it, but it’s okay. Um, anyways, but Zoe, uh, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself? You know, non hockey related stuff. So, like, you know, uh, you know, social security number, credit card information, like just tell us like what do we need what do we need to know about Zoe? What what are some of your favorite things about yourself? Sure. Well, first I’m really excited to be here. I’ve been listening for a while now. Um, I am from Ohio, like I said. I’m not from Texas. I’ve only been once, actually, and um, I’m a journalist and I love all things crafts. I have two cats. They’re my favorite things ever. Um, and I love my plants, but they get eaten by my cats. Um, so yeah, I am really enjoying the summer. I’m kind of a summer girl, so I’ve been out doing all the markets and shopping and everything that summer brings when I’m not sitting in front of my TV watching hockey. Um, so yeah, I think that’s that’s me in a nutshell, I guess. That’s a good summary. Uh, so what do you do be being a journalist? Like what do you specifically write about? Um, so I used to do local journalism, but now I actually work for a local university. So I’m in their marketing department and I um basically interview students, alumni, faculty and kind of get their stories and feature them and do some social media with it too. So kind of all things content, but yeah, I’m trained as a journalist. Okay. Very cool. Very cool. So and and then I’m guessing you’re more of a cat person. What what are your what are your cats names? Um, so I have two that are just like one just turned one and the other one is 6 months old. I got them within two months of each other. My first two cats ever. Um, so it’s been kind of chaos but a lot of fun. And uh, one’s a Tory, so she’s Torrellini or Lena. And then I have a little tiny tabby and she is mozzarella or Ella. So yeah. A that’s so sweet. Uh uh for the longest time I was actually a cat person and and I I still am a cat person. I I like cats. But uh my wife had always wanted a like a family dog and now that between uh with me and her having three kids uh I I think I forgot how long ago was it was a little over a year ago I guess now at this point. But she always wanted a family dog because that’s just what she always wanted. So, uh, for her birthday, for mostly for her and for the kids, uh, we we actually got a, uh, we were told it was an Australian Shepherd, like 3/4 Australian Shepherd. I don’t think she really is, you know, 3/4ers, but she’s still a sweet dog. Her name is Sage, and she’s about two years old at this point. So, it she’s kind of rubbed off on me a little bit. So, now I’m kind of I like both, but I I still think I kind of lean more towards cats a little bit. But, it is what it is. But, um, okay. Well, uh, let me ask you about Okay. How? Cuz I mean, like you mentioned, you you’re you’re from Ohio and you’ve only been to Texas once, you mentioned. So, h how why Dallas? Why how did you become a Dallas Stars fan? So, I actually am a quite new hockey fan in general. I being from Ohio, I mean we have the Columbus Blue Jackets, but still that’s about 2 hours away from me. So it’s not a thing like we do football here, we do baseball here, but hockeyy’s not a thing that you grow up with with your family or anything like that around here. So basically I um I love reading. That’s something I didn’t say at the top about myself, but I love reading. sitting in front of my bookshelf here. But um I was reading a book and there was a team mentioned it was the Bruins, but um it was the Bruins and it was kind of just a side thing that the characters, you know, they would go out and watch the games and uh they mentioned like throughout the book watching these games and that the score was two to three and that they won or they lost, I don’t even remember. Um, and I remember texting my friend who’s way more into sports than I was at the time and saying, “How could a football team lose two to three? I know it’s possible, but but I was like, two to three is not a score that you see um in football.” And so then I learned that the Bruins are a hockey team, and that kind of challenged me. I don’t like not knowing things. Um, I’m kind of one of those people who when I don’t know something, I like research all about it. I have to know. I need to learn about it. I love trivia, so I, you know, I just want to know all the things. So, um, that’s kind of how I got into hockey. And then Dallas specifically, I kind of building off of that, something I didn’t know. I wanted something new. I wanted um not like an original six cuz I had known about kind of like the Rangers and the Maple Leafs and stuff like that. So, I didn’t want one of those teams. And um I had family who I then learned were like into the blues and so I didn’t want the blues either. So I Sorry, excuse me as I throw up a little bit. Fair enough. Fair enough. Um I kind of wanted something that was all mine and um so that like discounted the blue jackets and all that. And you know, as you know, that the stars are kind of um hidden from the world of the NHL and um all of our big media channels. So, I kind of latched on to them and I found that they were such a cool like spunky team out of Texas where you don’t expect hockey to be, at least as like a non-hockey fan. Now I’m like, “Yeah, Texas hockey. Yeah, we got to be in the South. We got to be everywhere.” But uh yeah, so that’s kind of how Dallas came about. Um I love the green. So yeah. So was it was it like a specific player or was it just like the the color scheme or like like like So why So why specifically Dallas though? I Yeah. So I was looking on Twitter a bunch um around this time and I had a friend who was a Kraken fan and that’s also like a cool spunky team coming up. Um, so I was kind of looking through just like plays and highlights and different stuff like that. And um, I think it might have been like a a Sean highlight or something that I saw that I was like, “Ooh, that’s really that’s really cool.” Like I love what was happening. And um, it might have been like a him and Ben thing. Um, and then of course I got into like the lore of the the Benigan, this, you know, the Renaissance and all that. Um, but yeah, so it was kind of it was kind of organic off of Twitter. Um, just kind of being interested in the team and then kind of diving into it and seeing I think I saw the the Sean family dogs and I was like, “Oh, I love them.” Yeah, I got you. Yeah. Building building off of that. Uh, so do you remember your very first Stars game? Like it whether it was like just a a portion of it that you saw or whether it was the full length game. What was like the first Stars game you remember seeing? Yeah, so I think it might have been the two days after I kind of went on this discovery um because the Stars weren’t playing for a minute and it was right after New Year, so it was early January. They were playing the Ducks and I don’t remember much about that game, but I remember um Trevor Zris stole Yanni Hawk and Paul’s stick, I think. Oh, I love that. Yeah, even I I was just like, “Okay, Trevor. Okay.” Like I I just sat there and I just laughed my butt off for probably about 5 to 10 minutes. I couldn’t even take notes on the game cuz I was just sitting there going back and watching the same play. I was just like, did he really just try to do that? And then and then he tried to play like what what did I do? I I love that. I’m sorry. I keep going. So that was that was like my first game that I had like sat down and watched. So I was I mean maybe the expectations were set weirdly for that game, but I was like this is hockey. So, so yeah, it was just kind of from there, um, fell in love with it, started watching every game. So, yeah. So, when you when you first started watching and you mentioned that you’re kind of a newer fan and, uh, you know, there’s like the disgruntled veterans like me. I even though I’m only 31, I consider myself a disgruntled veteran because I was born literally with this team. I was born in July of 93 and they played their first game in October of 93. So, uh, I I remember just everything about this, but with you being like sort of kind of a new fan when you first started watching hockey, was did you fully understand the rules or was it just basic you like you just knew what goals were? You you and and that was about it. And and I’m not I’m not trying I’m not trying to like because because like especially early on and now when I go back back and talk to some of the older folks uh that were first learning hockey in ’93 when like it was nobody knew what hockey was. Like they it was basically they were going uh to a to an MMA brawl and a hockey game broke out at the same time. That that’s basically what they were kind of what started at least the the fan base before it is what it is now. So like for you what what like did you fully understand the rules before you started going or before you started watching? I think that hockey is one of those sports that you can kind of understand cuz like you know puck and net goal um kind of like soccer but then there’ll be a whistle and you’ll be like I don’t know what just happened. Uh, so I think I picked up over that week, over the next week, icing a little bit and I was like, “Okay, now I understand why they can’t just lob it down the ice.” And um, I was kind of like picking up off. Whoa. Oh, so sorry. Yeah, you just scared everybody listening in their car right now. My cat. I’m so sorry. Okay. No, no, it’s okay. This is great. Now, now you got to show the cat, though. Can you show the cat real quick? Who did that? She ran away. A no funny. No, that’s okay. No, that’s perfect. She uh I have Go ahead. stool set up here and she jumped all the way from the ground to the computer. So, sorry about that. Um but like I was saying, I kind of picked up, you know, the basic rules and I still do not to this day understand how to win a faceoff or why people win faceoffs. I’m just making it none of my business. That’s that’s not something I need to know, I guess. So, but other than that, I think I think hockeyy’s one of those that you can especially coming from like a football family, I I won’t even pretend to know that I know anything about those rules. So, yeah. No, that’s okay. That’s that’s okay cuz for it’s it’s it’s hard for me to relate sometimes because again, I I it’s it’s basically like a second religion. So like I I consider myself a Christian and while I was growing up being a Christian, I was also growing up being a hockey fan. So it was just kind of like icing is icing. I knew exactly what it was from a very young age. I had I and so I guess my question to you and this is not really one that I’ve been asking everybody but like how did you how did you pick up on the rules? Was it literally just watching the games or did you like use other references? Did you watch YouTube? Was it maybe books? Yeah, I think it was mostly from watching the game, but then it would be like, okay, I really need to know like, excuse me, I really need to know like the specifics on why that’s happening. So, I would I’m glad you actually brought up those examples cuz I actually forgot, but I would like look up YouTube videos on like they would have like the 30 seconds, here’s what icing is, and then they would show you. So, kind of like hockey for hockey for beginners was kind of um like my crutch there as I started to learn the rules, you know. Yeah. Like hockey 101 or uh like they they have those uh for dummies books like like when I first started podcasting, I was just like, I really need one of those podcasting for dummies books. Like I had no idea what I was doing. Uh but uh yeah, that’s interesting. I I was just curious cuz I like that that’s the one thing that I think hockey has kind of a bad rep with if that makes any sense. They they like to gatekeep their sport sometimes and I I I don’t feel like fans in the south do it as much because fans in the south are not the OG fans of hockey, right? It’s mostly the the the fans up north in Canada and in the northern United States. So, I think that’s something that like compared to other sports, we do not do very well. Like football, no one’s going to really, oh, well, you don’t know what pass interference is or offensive pass blah blah. And you hear it more often from, you know, from hockey fans. Well, how do you not know what offside is? Like, how did you not know what a what a line change is? Like stuff like that. And and I I can’t I can’t stand when people do that. So, but I I was just curious just like how that how you how you came about just like learning the rules and and that that that’s good for me to know. That’s good. That’s good. Yeah. Um Okay. So, not not like a full left turn, but a little bit of a different way. Uh what’s kept you loyal to this team uh for, you know, for the couple of years that you’ve been a Stars fan? Yeah. So, I kind of have the fortunate lens of being a Stars fan in one of their big great runs. Um, so I think it’s been about like three or four years since that Ducks game that I watched. um and which is crazy to think already, but but um kind of just having these awesome playoff runs, but of course, you know, there has to be something more considering I’ve, you know, gotten to the Western Conference Final three times to be let down. Um but I think it’s just, you know, falling in love with the team as a core and, you know, players will go in and out and traded. Um, but I think just the determination of I think most of our team I think maybe only two players. I don’t know about some of the new um ones for getting in, but have a cup. So, kind of that that you know that grit, that grind to get the cup. Um, I haven’t seen a cup for the stars, so I kind of feel like I’m there with them like, you know, we’ll get this cup eventually if we keep working at it. So hopefully before all these players retire or go to other teams, but um yeah, so kind of just that mindset of we’ll get one eventually. And I think that would be completely different if I was like and you know this is sacrilegious, but a Vegas fan. um and you know just had a cup like one of my first years of watching and um I think you know cuz then you’d be like oh well we win you know so that would be fun but kind of having that losing streak in the Western Conference final is like when we do get to the finals again it will be like so amazing and so fun um and hopefully we’ll win them. So yeah. Yes. And that that that’s a very good point. Well, and and that’s like I would I am just fascinated by just like the fact that you you’ve got like just about three years of watching Stars hockey experience and you don’t have like all of the other stuff that I’m sure you’ve probably learned about now like the like the big heartaches that this franchise has had and and I’m not just talking about like you know when they lost the cup in 2020 and in 2000 but like when they were when they didn’t have an owner like for when I was in high school and that was when I probably cared more than ever because you know you’re a teenager you care a little bit more but uh like they were going through bankruptcy and and they they didn’t spend to the cap and spend all the money that they were allowed to because they just didn’t want to and they didn’t want to invest in the team. So that that’s just that fascinates me that you’ve got that that’s your experience and that’s your lens. That’s that’s really cool. Uh, but so this is this is going to make it a little bit interesting because I I want to see how you answer this question. Oh boy. No, no, no, no pressure. No pressure. No pressure at all. It’s very easy. Uh, but so we talked about how like the this team has missed the Stanley Cup final three years in a row, right? And do you have like a like a heart-wrenching moment where where it it just like sinks you to the bottom and you you fell fall more in love with this team because they because they just are in the pits of despair. Like for example, uh I’ll give two uh 2000 when Jason Arnett scored the goal in the Stanley Cup final and the Stars were not able to win it back to back. And then one that’s even more recent that a lot of people can kind of relate to is the 2019 uh Jaime Ben wraparound goal not goal uh against Jordan Bennington when it was probably an eighth of an inch off from going into the net and and of course we know what the Blues did in 2019. They won the cup. So like is there a moment like that like that sticks in your head more than the others? I think what yeah what’s coming to mind right now is kind of um when we were in our cup run probably three years ago uh for the Western Conference against Vegas um when Jamie got like his suspension hit. I kind of knew at that knew it was coming. Yeah. I knew at that moment like this is this is the end. And it was it sucked because I think that was probably my first playoffs that I watched. So at that moment I was you know it was like oh my gosh we made it to the second round. We made it to the third round and then um we we ended up winning a couple games in that series. Um and I think pushed it to six. But I knew kind of in that moment I was like we’re down a captain and we can tell that we’re kind of losing morale with the way that cuz I mean Jamie he has his moments like that but you can tell when he’s really frustrated. So I was like if he’s kind of on that way then you can tell like the whole team isn’t feeling this. And yeah, it was kind of heartbreaking in that moment just to kind of realize this is it, but I still have to watch several more games of them losing. Exactly. Like like like why do we put ourselves through this? Like like like I even feel worse for the people who listen to our podcast or watch because I’m like I feel obligated to do it because I have the podcast and like I have to know what happens, right? Yeah. But like you you crazy people who just watch it just because and you know the final like we all knew what the final outcome was last year. We all knew like like by game after game three I think all of us in in the DFW area and all of the Stars fans just knew that it was over like we we just knew like it and but you kept coming back. You kept coming back and and and it’s just like why why am why am I choosing to hurt myself more? It’s it’s like that it’s that that funny uh that funny quote. Okay, I’m here. I’m ready to be heard even more. It’s just like like why do we do that? Um let me ask you this because I I want to get your opinion on this. This is actually a hockey question. So, uh this will be like a interesting. So Chris and James and I have been speculating about Jaime Ben in particular and the fact that maybe the physicality is more gone from his game, but he can still do it, right? So what we talked about was we didn’t really see that a whole lot in the playoffs this past year. We saw it a little bit last year. He was actually one of the better players towards the end of last year’s run and then and and then you just mentioned him in the playoffs. uh in the when we were down against Vegas, but that moment that you just talked about when he, you know, uh kind of cross-checked Mark Stone in the back of the neck, was that the moment that his physicality died? And what I mean by that is after that he seemed a little bit more hesitant to do things because he didn’t want to get his team in trouble, right? And I I it almost feels like that that that moment was a defining moment in his career because it made him less impactful. It made him I don’t want to say less useful because he’s still a very useful player, but but I mean truly less useful. Uh do you again that’s just pure speculation and again reading too much into it but like like does that kind of make sense? Yeah. No, I think thinking about it that way definitely I feel like maybe he thinks he let the team down in that moment that they had kind of this amazing run um and that they really had a chance at the cup that year and doing that really set off that tumble of they’re just down, they’re out of the series and you know try again next year. So I I definitely agree with that. I think that was kind of like a turning point moment for him to kind of mature a little bit and be like, I need to be physical like as a as a captain rather than like as an individual. So, and I I think that the Stars is funny cuz um the new coach was just talking about bringing physicality back and I think it’s funny because my experience with the Stars is they are not a fighting team. you never see them fight. It’s very rare. And it’s actually funny because I will talk to my friends of uh that are fans of other teams and I’m like, not our team. We don’t do that. Uh so it’ll be interesting to see kind of what physicality can bring us and hopefully it’s not more, you know, series changing penalties and suspensions. So yeah. Right. Well, and just so for those that are listening, uh at the time of this recording, we’re recording this on July 7th. So if there’s anything else that happens afterwards, we don’t know. We I mean you you obviously know at this point because you’re listening to this uh later, but uh so since you just mentioned uh Glenn Gooson, uh I can we can jump back uh to that for a second. So the the only moves we know about audience people who are listening to the episode, uh Glenn Gooson was named the head coach of the Dallas Stars. Neil Graham is the assistant and it looks like he’s going to run the power play, which is kind of what a lot of people started leaning towards a little bit once they realized that maybe Neil Graham was not the choice. Um, and then there have been a couple of trades and a couple of people who have left the team. So, uh, the biggest ones, uh, Muel Granland, who they got in, he’s gone. He’s he signed in Anaheim. And then uh Mason Marchment was traded to Seattle, which okay, I I like Seattle, so I’m happy for him, but at the same time, that that I hate that. And uh and then in free agency, they didn’t do very much. They they they did bring back Colin Blackwell. Uh but the one that’s interesting for you and why I’m bringing it up is Radic Fox returns to the Stars. So you were not a Stars fan at the time during his first tenure here and he was here for about a decade and I was on the tail end. I I remember his last couple. Okay. Okay. So Okay. So you do Okay. So but uh so what do you what what what’s your opinion on like the the current state of the Stars if there’s like a state of the union address for the Dallas Stars? A lot of people the the general feeling is the stars are going to take a step back. That’s at least that’s the feeling. That’s what I’m seeing from a lot of people. And do you agree with that or do you still think that this team is a perennial Stanley Cup contender? I think so. I think we have a lot of hungry players and so I think adjusting to a new coach um will kind of pull us back a little bit. Um, but I think that, you know, with the players we have, Jason being in the forefront of my mind because I know he’s um his contract’s coming up, I think, next year. So, I I think that we’ll still want to push to be a cup contender for what we’re doing right now. And I think that we have we still have those key players. I know, you know, losing Mason, losing Muel, those are, you know, two that did well for us at least in the playoffs. um in the last couple months that we had Granlin, but I think that we we you know, we still have we still have Rantin, we still have Hints, we still have Jason, like we have all these players that I think can still build a good team and I think they still want it. So, I think we’re in a good place. I hopefully So, yeah. And and that’s I think that’s what a lot of people are why they’re feeling so negative is because your your big acquisition was Mo Rantin. Mhm. And and and yeah, and now that the effect of him him being the shiny new toy is not there anymore, then everyone was like, “Oh, well, we’re really excited to see what they do.” And then they didn’t do anything. Yeah. But that’s because they couldn’t. They they they had to find cap space for the players that they had to bring back. And and Mason Marchment was kind of the casualty of that. And I hate that so much because after hearing Glenn Gooson’s press conference, that made a lot of Stars fans feel better. But like I would have loved to see him in in this system that Glenn Gooson is talking about. Like he he was talking about well I don’t really have one coaching style I’m gonna deal with but but he did say the one big thing I do want to change is the physicality’s got to go up 1% every game. I’m paraphrasing but and and I I would have loved to see uh Mason Marchment in that capacity. That it would have been so cool. But I think adding Foxa back into that mix though with the Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, and the Mason thing I was I was like a but Seattle is you know fun. So yes and like the there have been few fan bases that I have enjoyed myself you know being you know talking and engaging with on social media. Uh one of those is Winnipeg. I I I really enjoyed when we played Winnipeg this year. They weren’t you know butads or anything like that. And then and then the other one was from a couple years ago when the Stars played Seattle in the playoffs. I was just like, why are y’all being so cordial to us? Like we’re you’re and like like I even went on a couple of Kraken podcasts and they they were just all nice and like your team is great and and and I was just like what is going on here? Like I I was not used to it. And then and then of course now I was expecting you know stuff like the the the Minnesota fan base and I’m just saying on social media I know not every fan base is like you know out to get you and rude and mean and everything like that. Stars have some bad apples in there too if if everyone knows what I’m talking about. Yeah. But like you know like Minnesota Edmonton I couldn’t stand uh you know engaging with them on social media. I just couldn’t. Yeah. But at least that’s where Mason went. He is he went to Seattle. So, um I’m kind of setting you up a little bit for this next question because you told me about this uh you know kind of off air a couple weeks ago when we first talked. Uh can you tell me about the the little blanket uh that you made? Yeah, of course. Um well, little I wouldn’t describe it. Yeah. Yeah. That that’s not little as in really really gargantuanly large, I guess. Yeah, it was it ended up pretty big. Um just because I don’t know how to do math. That has never been my thing. I’m a journalist. So, um yeah. So, I kind of started a what I call the scoreboard blanket. Um I actually got that name from another fan who was knitting in front of me at one of the Stars games that I went to. Um I kind of explained the idea. It was a November game, so it was a month into it. And she was like, “Oh, yeah. You could call it like a scoreboard blanket.” So, it basically detailed the wins and losses um and overtime wins and losses of the season. Every single game got a row um based on each color. So, it’s like green for win and white for loss and then other colors for overtime. So that was kind of my big project for 2023 24 season and that kind of took off on social media which I wasn’t even going to post it but um my Kraken friend actually she was like yeah post is really cool and so I posted it on Twitter initially and the all I wanted out of that was for the stars like social media admin to like like it or comment or re retweet it something like that. Um, and then they did like 10 seconds after I posted it and I was like, “Oh.” Cuz they’re so active and they love their fans. Not that others don’t, but I I’ve had great interactions online with um the stars admin. So, all that happened and I was like, great, that’s cool. That’s all I wanted ever. And um it kind of got very viral after that. And people started making their own blankets based on their favorite teams. And I think that there was at least one or two that were like like the Milwaukee Bucks. So, we were out of hockey and we were doing like basketball and different sports. And um I got to meet up with the Stars social media admin and the videographer at a Blues game that I was visiting uh my family for over Christmas. And it was a it was a Blues Stars game obviously. And uh they lost, but but I got to show off my blanket. Um well, my it was a beach towel size at that point and that was really cool to me cuz again I only wanted like a like on my tweet. Um so actually getting like a post from the stars account and I ended up doing an interview with them which was fun. And then flash forward to the end of the season and I had made several friends um online through doing this and they were making their own blankets and um it started like a Discord server and all this stuff and we ended up about half of us from that group like six or seven uh went to Texas and we got an Airbnb. We went to the game. It was the Kraken Dallas game um where they clinched the um Central Division for um the year. So, it was an awesome game to see. We won. We clinched the division and I got to show off almost done blanket and I also um you know got to go to Texas for the first time, experience Texas barbecue. Um go up the tower thingy. I don’t know what it’s called. Reunion. Reunion tower. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and um, you know, go see like the um, the JFK stuff. And um, I actually got interviewed by uh, the news too while I was there. So that was pretty cool cuz I had gotten off my plane. I drove to the Airbnb and then like an hour later I had to be at the American Airlines Center for this interview. So it was like very chaotic but very very fun, very cool. So yeah, it was kind of a whirlwind of all these things that was happening and definitely I don’t know if I’ll ever have a the you know the great experience that I did in Texas again because that was just such a a day and a week but um yeah so that was a lot of fun. And then um at the end of the uh playoff run I ended up giving the blanket to the Pavvelski family after he retired. So that was kind of a full circle like really awesome moment um that I got to do all that and it was so much yarn, so much you know money and yarn and so much work over 9 10 months but it was such a labor of love for the team for the Pavvelski family for his role in our team. So yeah, that’s really cool. And I like I I’m I’m getting goosebumps just uh when you said that like the blanket got to go to the Pavvelski family. Like that that that is so cool. And uh yeah, Joe is one of those guys that wasn’t here for a terribly long time, but just because of the character of him, his family, uh I mean what he did for Wyatt Johnston’s particularly and a little bit of Logan Stanovven too, but like he made a huge dent on on this uh organization and the the fan base and the city and all the fans of this team and yeah, it’s it’s just awesome And and I I love that, you know, a a piece I don’t want to say a piece because it makes it again it makes it sound small, but it’s not small. A a large gargantuan piece uh is is still living with the Pavilki family from a fan to a player. That that that’s just a really cool thing uh to hear about. That he would get the cup obviously for his last season. And not that the blanket is anywhere near the level of the cup, but I was like this is a capsule of your last season. So I was like, I don’t I can’t think of any better place to go than with the Pavvelski family. So yeah, I was so happy that it got there and that was in huge thanks to the Stars Foundation. They helped me out with that. So yeah, that’s awesome. I hope he comes back in some form or fashion like whether it’s a and I don’t know if he will because he he loves Wisconsin so much but uh if he can come back even as just like a development coach because because like I think Ben Bishop is a he’s a development coach but I think he lives in St. Louis I think if I remember correctly. Uh I I could be wrong about that, but I I know that he works for the Stars, but but he is not in the in Texas, if that makes any sense. He’s like in other places or whatever. Uh but well, anyways, I I hope that Pavevelski can come back in some form or fashion and because that would be uh that would be so cool. Seriously, that he’s one of those players that I I really wish I’d come here sooner. That that’s my only regret. my other than him not getting the cup, my only other regret is that he just didn’t get to come here sooner, so I couldn’t be a fan of him uh earlier. Yeah. Um well, le let’s wrap it up uh with a couple of questions and uh because I can’t believe it’s already 36 minutes. It’s nuts. Uh so why two questions then we’ll wrap it up. Um why do you think the Dallas Stars fan base is so special? like like what made you connected to them so quickly, you know, being a relatively new fan? I think we all kind of have this outsider mindset to us with um kind of what I said before with, you know, Texas not being a hockey place and um also kind of the NHL forgetting about us a lot. Um, I think that we kind of all have this underdog outsider mindset, which is crazy with the team that we have right now. But, but I think that kind of all brings us together to, you know, kind of fight for the team and kind of push, you know, we are as good as this team and this team. We just are down in Texas and we’re not seen as much. So, I think that that definitely has a spark to it. It makes us, you know, want to fight for the team. And I think the team gives us that in return. They they see us, you know, showing up to the games and filling the American Airlines Center and, you know, following them when they’re away. So, I think that there’s definitely, you know, that give and take with the team. And I’m sure that every team kind of has that experience. But with my experience with the Stars, I think that the staff that they have and the players, just everyone is grateful for us and we’re grateful for them. I don’t think it’s ironic that there was an athletic.com article that came out right before the draft and they interviewed a certain amount of, you know, players, you know, be that could be selected in the draft and the top team that was selected from a majority of these prospects was Dallas. That’s where they wanted to be who they wanted to be drafted by more than any other team. and and no, not Florida, not you know, one of these other top tier, you know, what you would consider original six teams or whatever. That’s Dallas. Yeah. Like like and I I I think that’s that’s kind of what you’re talking to is that there there’s something special here. Last question, this is the same question I ask everybody to kind of end this end their episode. Imagine the stars are actually listening to this episode right now. Whether it’s, you know, the Yeah, I know it’s it’s a little intimidating, but but like imagine they’re listening to this episode now. Uh whether it’s the whole team, whether it’s a a certain group of players, uh you know, whoever. Uh what would you want them to know? Like what would you want to say to them? Uh you know, just about whatever. Oh man, that’s a tough one. No, no, I didn’t. I did not prepare you for this one because I wanted to see what you would say. Yeah. Um, well, I kind of just think this might be a little cheesy, but I honestly the person I was four years ago is completely transformed since I started watching hockey. And I that might be intense, but I’ve met so many friends through um watching hockey and doing the blanket and being on like hockey Twitter and different social medias. Um, I met my partner actually through uh hockey and the blanket, so that was kind of cool. Uh, just a little cool. I don’t know. But no, that’s that’s really cool. Yeah, cuz he actually lives here, too. So, it was and he’s never been to Texas, so it’s a little weird that we kind of found each other, but it’s awesome. And, um, you know, everything’s kind of changed since then. So, I guess it’s just thank you for being a fun, spunky team, uh, to watch, to follow, uh, to be a fan of, to enjoy as, you know, the season goes along. And cuz I know the season is really long and I couldn’t ever imagine being a player or a family member of a player, you know, because that’s just such a such a terrible long season, but it’s great for me. So, so, um, yeah, just thank you for being the the show that I love to watch. As my, um, my my baby nephew says, my favorite show is, uh, hockey. So, that’s awesome. Well, Zoe, thank you so much for coming on. It’s been an absolute blast. Uh, I I hope we can get you down to Texas again sooner rather than later. And if you ever, you know, you know, you’re coming or something like that, you make sure you you hit me up or or hit us up and uh we’ll we’ll we’ll make a time to kind of meet in person because that that that’s something that uh I would love to get the chance to do with you. So again, thanks thank you so much for coming on. Yeah, thank you. Uh I just want to thank all of you guys who are listening to the episode as well. We appreciate you guys doing this. Uh if you are listening for the first time, please consider clicking like and subscribe on this YouTube channel and also hit that notification bell. Uh we are going to continue this offseason series throughout the summer. We’re going live every Wednesday night at 9:15 just to talk about the the latest hockey stuff that’s going on. Sometimes we’ll just talk about uh nonsense related stuff because you know sometimes we need things to talk about uh in the middle of the off season. Um, and as always, uh, just make sure you follow us on social media. Starcastic R is where is our handle, and we’re basically anywhere and everywhere. So, along with Zoe, my name is Ryan. We’ll catch you guys on the flip side. We hope you guys have a fantastic morning, afternoon, evening, whenever you guys are listening. Zoe, can you give us a Go Stars? Go Stars. [Music]
Zoe isn’t from Texas. She didn’t grow up with hockey. And yet? She’s one of the most passionate Dallas Stars fans you’ll meet. From a Twitter rabbit hole to a viral scoreboard blanket, Zoe shares her journey as a newer fan who fell in love with the team—and helped others do the same.
In this creative and heartwarming episode:
📚 How reading about the Bruins led her to hockey
🧵 The incredible story behind her viral Stars blanket project
💔 Her emotional reaction to Jamie Benn’s playoff suspension
🐱 Cats named Tortellini and Mozzarella make guest appearances
🎁 Why she gifted her blanket to the Pavelski family
Subscribe for more inspiring Stars stories every Tuesday!
👇 Comment your own fandom origin story below!
#DallasStars #StarsFanStories #TexasHockey #HockeyCrafts #Pavelski
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