The Dundee Stars aren’t going to make the playoffs.
As the dust settles on a 6-2 Valentine’s Day loss to the Coventry Blaze, Marc LeFebvre’s side are 18 points below the playoff line with 18 games left to play.
The Stars are bottom of the Elite League in goals scored (82), penalty killing (67.9 percent), shots for (28.4), shots against (38.5), and goals-against average (4.67).
LeFebvre has slammed his players repeatedly in recent weeks.
After defeat in Coventry, the Canadian offered his players an easy out.
“Some guys have to decide if they want to be here,” he explained.
“If they don’t: just go. It won’t hurt my feelings.”
And despite a mountain of evidence that this season is lost, the Stars’ senior leadership won’t quit.
Dundee signed Team Great Britain international and Elite League stalwart Johnny Curran on Friday [13 February], demonstrating, once again, that the organisation will not quit on its fans.
“Johnny gives us a major boost — something we’ve been desperately needing,” LeFebvre said.
“He’s a top-six player and is good up and down the ice. He’s been one of the most impactful players in the league over the past few seasons, especially in a top-six role.
“Johnny’s a mature player, knows the league, plays the right way and boosts our line-up.”
Curran debuted against the Blaze on Saturday [14 February], tallying a primary assist and earning player of the game honours.
The 30-year-old won’t lift the Stars into a playoff place, but his arrival is still a statement of intent.
LeFebvre, with the support of ownership, is committed to fixing the losing culture in Dundee.
And, for that, the Stars deserve credit.
Who is Dundee Stars centreman Johnny Curran?
Johnny Curran, Dundee Stars (Image: Panthers Images)
Curran is a product of the NCAA, scoring 55 points (26 goals, 28 assists) in 131 games for Niagara University.
He turned professional in 2019-20, tallying 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 47 appearances for the Coventry Blaze.
The pandemic forced him back across the Atlantic in 2020, which saw him net 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 25 Southern Professional Hockey League appearances for the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Since then, the Niagara Falls-native has iced for the Blaze, Belfast Giants, Fife Flyers, and Nottingham Panthers, taking his Elite League record to 161 points (63 goals, 98 assists) in 218 games.
He joined the Panthers on a five-week contract earlier this season, signed as injury cover for star forward Mitchell Fossier, and played a crucial role as Danny Stewart’s squad lifted the IIHF Continental Cup.
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