[sachmo71]

And more...on a side note, I'm really happy to see that management isn't trying to spin this one. They appear to be as sickened by what they saw as many fans are.

Stars GM: 'We didn't get beat; This year, we lost'
11:28 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 20, 2004

By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News

Stars GM Doug Armstrong offered his comments on some key issues Tuesday.

On Mike Modano’s captaincy:

“Mike is going to be back next year, there’s no question about that. I’m not sidestepping the issue of captain, I haven’t really thought about it. Mike is going to be part of the guys who are going to be asked to help the younger players grow, and whether he does it with a C on his chest or not … I don’t want to start out a controversy that’s not there. To me, it’s not an issue. Wearing a C is really irrelevant to me. There have been great leaders who have never worn a letter. Mike is coming off a year he’d like to forget, but maybe I owe Mike Modano the benefit of the doubt that he’s going to rebound and he’s going to be the player he wants to be. He’s too young for it to be over, I believe, and if I’m betting, I’m betting on him.”

On how he’ll deal with unsigned players the team would like to keep:

“It presents somewhat of an easier summer for me, because when I go to someone I can say: ‘This is what we can afford to pay you,’ and if they say, ‘Yes,’ they’re in and if they say ‘No,’ they’re out. There won’t be a lot of wiggle room for me.”

After saying Dave Tippett will indeed be his coach, he was asked about the job security of both he and Tippett:

“I’m under no illusion that whether it’s tomorrow or 20 years from now, the phone is going to ring and someone is going to say, ‘Can I see you?’ But I’m not going to be consumed by that and I hope Dave is not going to be consumed by that, because it’s out of our control.”

On the Stars performance this season:

“I accept getting beat. This year, we didn’t get beat. This year, we lost….When you lose without competing or you feel there was stuff left in the tank, as a manager that’s what really disappoints you.”

On why they lost:

“I think it’s a combination of everything. I guess you are who you are. The first two months and the last month, I guess, is really who we were. And the middle was an illusion of who we wanted to be.”

On why the team is cutting payroll:

“We had a plan that if we went so far, we would be able to spend so much. If we got eliminated early, it would have an effect on us longer term. … We’ve earned the position we’re in to reduce payroll and I don’t think we want to use the CBA as the sole reason we’re going to a different direction.”