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Everything posted by markstanco
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Put in the big hole and gouge on it (truck driver check in)
markstanco replied to drifter379's topic in Daily Texan
Needs more oil IMO -
The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
https://starsthoughts.com/2025/01/27/the-end-of-a-dallas-stars-musical-tradition-the-story-of-where-the-darkness-came-from-and-why-it-may-have-suddenly-disappeared/ The End of a Dallas Stars Musical Tradition: The Story of Where the โDarknessโ Came From, and Why It May Have Suddenly Disappeared Robert Tiffin January 27, 2025 | 8:30 AM CST Until last month, Dallas Stars fans all knew what to expect after the opposing team scored a goal at Stars home games. The crowd would groan, sure. Some people might even shout in digust. Players would occasionally whack their sticks in frustration, perhaps tossing a word or two toward the referees on their way back to the bench. But over all of that, music would play after the opposition scored. Specifically, this music, which is commonly referred to as โDarknessโ thanks to its surprising links to a local sports radio station that weโll discuss later on: Any Stars fan recognizes that music and the heartbreak that usually accompanied it. The tune would play for a few seconds while the opposing team celebrated with a pesky red light above the Starsโ goal, and it would tell you that yes, this was a bummer of a moment, and everyone here knows it. It wasnโt music that made you feel goodโnothing can take away the sting of surrendering a goal other than scoring the next oneโbut then, it wasnโt designed to. That music was intended to capture the experience of suffering a goal-against, not to pretend it didnโt happen. Stars fans knew that when you heard that music, you mourned together. But last month, in December 2024, that music suddenly disappeared. As recently as December 14, you still heard the โDarknessโ music play after Jordan Kyrouโs goal in the Starsโ overtime victory against St. Louis. But in the Starsโ next game, on December 16 against Washington, the music was gone. Instead, when Wasington scored, you heard only a guitar riff from Blink 182. That musical drop had previously played after the โDarknessโ music had run for a bit, but now, the old โDarknessโ music was gone altogether, in the middle of a homestand, and it hasnโt returned since. Against Carolina on Tuesday, for instance, you heard a short, upbeat track play right after Jesperi Kotkaniemiโs first goal. Another short guitar riff played after his second. Neither was preceded by โDarkness.โ Initially, I figured this was part of experimentation, as Dallas Stars games have long been famous for their edgy, innovative game presentation, and that often means changing out the old for the new. That sort of tinkering can sometimes mean rejecting homogenous trends across the industry in favor of developing a specific Dallas Stars experience, like the Stars did a decade ago when then-DJ Michael Gruber changed their goal song from more generic tunes like โThe Whipโ or โRock โnโ Roll (Part 2)โ, which had been used by many other teams, to the distinctive โPuck Offโ by Pantera, a tune created specifically for the Dallas Stars by the late Vinnie Paul. It was a change that was widely praised, as the song that was formerly only used for player introductions is now played (hopefully) during the most celebratory moments of every game. A song with history like that deserves a spotlight. Change happens, and sometimes for the better. But the more I looked into this change, the odder it seemed. After all, this music has been around for a long time, so youโd think that if the Stars were going to dispense with it, theyโd have done so at the beginning of the season with a more cohesive plan in place, rather than start with the traditional music, only to abruptly switch it out in the middle of a homestand for an assortment of other choices. I had heard a few weeks ago that this decision wasnโt made by their current Music Director, Jonathon โDJ Shippyโ Shipman, or by any of the other game presentation staff. And to be clear, thatโs not based on anything the game presentation folks have told me. In fact, the folks Iโve spoken with have all been very above-board in referring me to official channels up the ladder, declining to speak about the change themselves. That in itself was surprising to me, as changing a musical drop wouldnโt normally be so big of a deal that folks wouldnโt talk about it. Most folks Iโve spoken to who work with the team take a great deal of pride in what they do, and itโs often a delight to hear about how theyโve put their passion into their role to make the experience as memorable as possible. But in this case, no dice. Last week, I reached out to the team directly, and on Thursday, a team spokesperson responded regarding the disappearance of the โDarknessโ music. Here is what they said: In other words, it sure seems like the โDarknessโ isnโt coming back any time soon. And the way it happened seems a bit of a shame, because it turns out that this music is one of the oldest Dallas Stars traditions there is. So, letโs dig into where it came from, and why it might have disappeared so suddenly. The Origins of the โDarknessโ Music Iโm not exaggerating about this being an old tradition, by the way. You can go back 18 years, when you were hearing that music in the 2007 playoffs (at 2:41 of the below video): And you go could back even further, too. In fact, I believe you can faintly hear it even on the quieter Reunion Arena sound system back in 1994, if you listen closely: Even as recently as 2019, it was widely known that this music went back to the Starsโ very first season at Reunion Arena, as Gruber said when asked about this music on Reddit back in 2019. (By the way, โGrubesโ is one of the very good ones out there, and you should check out his new podcast.) So, it was generally accepted that this music had been around a long, long time. But when you really want to get the whole story, you have to go to the source. So I reached out to the man himself: Ty Wubker, the original โmusic guyโ for the Stars from 1993 until 2006โa period he incidentally referred to as โthe best years of my life.โ โFirst, it hurts that they gave up on the Darkness music,โ said Wubker, a Wisconsin native who grew up a โhugeโ North Stars fan. Wubker was living in Dallas working at KZPS in 1993 when one of his friends was interning with the Stars. That friend got Wubker an interview with the team when they were looking for someone to run the music, and he ended up with the job, in all of itsโฆwell, โgloryโ may not be quite the right word. Iโll let Wubker take over from here: (Authorโs Note: Iโve lightly edited the below quotes for clarity and style.) So, there you have it. Wubker just happened across a random tape, and it sounded like a good fit for a specific moment in hockey games, so thatโs what he used it for. And it stuck for the next three decades. Wubker also confirmed that the nickname โDarknessโ for the music was coined by Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer Mike Rhyner, formerly of KTCK โThe Ticket,โ along with his former co-host Greg Williams. The duo adapted the tune for deployment as a musical drop for announcements on the Ticket, so fans who have never even seen a Stars game may still be familiar with the tune from listening to local radio. While we may never know what musician originally composed the theme on that โcartโ, we do know that it was there waiting for team at Reunion Arena, waiting to be discovered. And for over 30 years, from that inaugural 1993-94 season all the way to the halfway mark of this 2024-25 campaign, that quirky, unique Dallas Stars tradition endured. So, why did it suddenly stop? The Day the Music Died: a Theory To be clear, this final section is just my speculation based on what I could gather from other sources and context clues. Hereโs my tentative conclusion: I donโt think the Blues game on December 14 was what killed the โDarknessโ music. Because I think the decision was made after the previous game, when the Stars got smoked 4-1 by Nashville two days prior: To jog your memory, thatโs the โinexcusableโ game Jamie Benn described afterwards as โpretty ugly.โ Itโs the game about which Miro Heiskanen said, โThey were a lot better,โ which is scathing crticism by his standards. And Pete DeBoer summarized that one as, โNot close to competitive enough. Disappointing. It was everybody. Our Video Review coaches were our best players tonight by far.โ So, yeah. Iโm sure you remember it now, and Iโm sorry you had to. But for our purposes today, hereโs what Iโm thinking: I could see somebody getting very sick of hearing this music over and over again in that game (six times, in fact, as two other Nashville goals were disallowed upon review). And I could see somebody getting so annoyed by it that they would issue a mandate to get rid of the music that kept playing after every ugly and disappointing goal. Who was that someone? Well, I personally canโt see any hockey ops people caring about the music enough to demand a change, especially when all the game presentation folks are well-aware of the history and tradition associated with the music that goes back to the 1993-94 season. Additionally, the high degree of tact exhibited by everybody in discussing the change (or declining to, in most cases) also seems to indicate this was a decision that came from higher up in the organization rather than lower. So, it wouldnโt surprise me if somebody at or near the very top of the organization was at the Nashville game. It also wouldnโt surprise me if their frustration grew along with the crowdโs, until they finally decided they had endured quite enough of a tune that was, as Ty Wubker himself said, โkinda depressing.โ Maybe there was some back-and-forth for a day or two debating the change, and the music lingered for the next game against St. Louis before the matter was settled. But in the end, if the people in charge say you have to change the music, you kinda have to change the music, donโt you? And since the music wasnโt written specifically for Stars players by a beloved heavy metal legend like โPuck Off,โ the only real defense for the โDarknessโ music is that itโs always been there, or tradition for its own sake. And thatโs probably not a defense robust enough to withstand any powerful personโs frustration after a truly disappointing game. Again, thatโs just my theorizing. This season has been a very good one in many respects, but the last two playoff exits have stung quite a bit, and even this season has had its share of very pointed moments of frustrationโthat Nashville game certainly not least among them. And sometimes, frustrations boil over, and changes happen as a result. Nobody is immune to exasperation when expectations arenโt met, as the Stars have shown in the past. Previous seasons with high levels of frustration have seen the Stars bring back Ken Hitchcock for a second run after a year of rolling out one of the worst penalty kills (2016-17) in NHL history (unlike this year). That 2017-18 Hitch 2.0 season even saw the team bring back a famous playerโs tradition and all wear yellow laces during a winning streak, only for injuries and subpar play to land them out of the playoffs all the same, bringing on a third coaching change in three years. And thereโs no better example of how the organization has responded to frustration in the past than in Jim Montgomeryโs first season, when discontent about the on-ice performance boiled over in December 2018 with an infamous tirade about Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin that came straight from the top. Of course, itโs possible that Iโm wrong to link a musical change in December 2024 to that pattern from years prior. But an abrupt departure from a 30-year-old tradition in the middle of the season is highly uncharacteristic for the teamโs historically on-point game-presentation crew. This sort of change has the sense of a mandate about it, I think. Thatโs not to say something better wonโt be around the corner, though. New traditions have to start somewhere, and the NHL has even discarded one of the more sacred cows in hockey by allowing ads on the very sweaters the players wear. Jamie Benn is one of the last players not to wear a visor, and players get in trouble if their sweaters so much as bunch up on the back of their pants too frequently. What change isnโt on the table, at this point? Full disclosure here: Iโm just an elder millennial who still kinda misses the old organ music, so Iโm probably the last person who should be giving advice about game presentation anyway. Iโm not trying to say all change is bad or anything like that. But this is a pretty noteworthy departure from tradition, both historically and operationally. Maybe the โDarknessโ music was always bound to change at some point, though. And maybe the game presentation folks will come up with something just as memorable for the purposes of commiserating about an opponentโs goal for the next 30 years. But whatever the new tradition ends up being, itโs clear that those folks havenโt quite found it yetโperhaps because they only recently discovered theyโd have to say good-bye to the old one. -
Forgot all about that.
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Yea I thought that statement HAD to be wrong until I looked it up. WTF SEC???
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Yea the season before he was Johntaying a little.
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The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
Horns hang 11 on aggy this weekend in hockey. Giggity. Also, basketball happened. Also, football happened. -
Mack Brown Tarheel Football: The Orange Slice Boogaloo
markstanco replied to Machinator's topic in Football
Ahem. -
The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
Jake -
The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
You may be the biggest sports fan I โknowโ. You are all over the board with hockey and tennis and football and everything. -
Damn, rantanen going to the hurricanes!!!!!!
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The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
Gonna have to give up stank or bourque more than likely to get a player that is more than a rental. -
Dallas Cowboys 2024 Season Thread -- Jerrah the Asshat Rides Again
markstanco replied to Patrick Bateman's topic in Football
It was rainy that day, for sure. -
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I read in the comments it happened in Atlanta, and he lived.
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That was about $20 of gas used in that clip.
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Let's not get carried away here. D1s at a blue blood school are all high school "all-stars" from around the country. They would beat Allen or Mater Dei by 75 points if they wanted.
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The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
Yea it was a weird ass game. -
The Dallas Stars 2024-2025 Season Thread: Win Now, Talk Later
markstanco replied to Longhorn_Fan68's topic in Other Sports
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FINAL 2024 CFB polls/rankings - Texas #3/ #4 /#3 (CFP/AP/Coaches)
markstanco replied to TKthunder2's topic in Football
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2025 CFP National Championship - Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
markstanco replied to satyanash's topic in Football
#433 will get to tell tales around deer camp the rest of his life. -
2025 CFP National Championship - Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
markstanco replied to satyanash's topic in Football
Yea if he wins even 13 games heโs gone. -
2025 CFP National Championship - Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
markstanco replied to satyanash's topic in Football
They werenโt coming back anyhow. He was playing numbers that werenโt there. -
So it is a known drug issue? I have not seen this yet or I forgot. Getting kicked off a team in WA state for drug use is probably hard to do.
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