Jul. 4--The Stars couldn't match Detroit's talent, even before the Red Wings signed talented forward Marian Hossa the other day, so they did the next best thing.
They signed nasty, irritating Sean Avery, a player full of the intangibles the Stars need to beat the sweet-skating, robotic Red Wings, who occasionally bore you with their efficiency.
See, you need grit and toughness and attitude to beat the Red Wings. You must excel at all of the game's subtleties to overcome Detroit's edge in talent.
You need players who will battle for space in front of the net. And players who will deliver game-changing checks. And players who can impose their will on a game.
Brenden Morrow provides that stuff every night, and Steve Ott, coming off the best season of his career, helps him. Avery, who had 15 goals and 18 assists in 57 games last season, fits perfectly between them.
Avery's presence means the Stars should have at least one high-energy player on the ice at all times.
"I'm excited to cause quite a disturbance to a lot of guys I used to bother who were probably happy that I've been gone for a year and a half," Avery said with a chuckle.
That's the type of attitude that wins postseason games. Avery, who had seven points in eight playoff games last season, makes you beat him because he concedes nothing. And if you do beat him, he returns for more.
Understand, he's not the kind of player you cheer for unless he's wearing your sweater. And as soon as he leaves Dallas, you'll boo him with more gusto than any other opponent.
Still, you should enjoy Avery, 28, while he's here because he's a difference-maker. The New York Rangers were 50-20-16 with him in the lineup and 9-13-3 without him.
He'll make the Stars better, too. He'll show up in important regular-season games against Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose. And he'll help make life easier for forwards Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano, Brad Richards, Loui Eriksson and Jere Lehtinen.
"They're not the biggest, toughest guys in the world; you need guys with grit and toughness to create a little space and he does that," said co-general manager Brett Hull, who played with Avery in Detroit.
