On November 12th, The We’re Not Going Home: The 2020 Dallas Stars Playoff Run Documentary (Warning: Foul Language) aired showcasing the journey that the Dallas Stars went on throughout the playoffs.
The hour-long documentary gave fans a look into the bubble life and went behind the scenes for every game.
They spent over 65 days in the Edmonton Bubble after arriving in late July. From everything in the range of big wins to off-ice shenanigans, here are some of the memorable moments.
Downtime Builds Camaraderie
The Stars needed to keep from going stir crazy with lots of free time on off days. Plenty of activities aligned with each players’ fancy. Seguin vs. Benn in the ultimate bowling showdown. The Swedes, John Klingberg, and Mattias Janmark, were the golfing champions. Janmark also showed the “old” guys how it’s done on Call of Duty: Warzone.
They had things from virtual reality laser tag to pinball machines to keep them occupied. They brought their own PlayStations and had a plethora of entertainment options. The team watched good luck messages from family members and local sports figures in a touching feel-good moment. The bonding they experienced will help in the future because 23 out of 25 players will be back on the team for the 2021 season.
Rick Bowness Shines as Leader for the Future
By now we all know that Rick Bowness signed a contract to be the head coach for the Stars. Bowness provided incredible leadership throughout each big moment. He got the message across what he needed his team to do. Bowness filled the locker rooms with memorable quotes that I really can’t repeat.
His final locker room speech after the season had ended shows that he cares about his team and understood what they all just went through. He built respect with the players and he is here to stay for the future.
War Cry Inspired by The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort decreed “I’m not leaving” only more colorful in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. The Stars apparently watched that movie before their Game 7 matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. The similar phrase “We’re not going home!” became the main war cry for the rest of the playoffs and even was the title of this documentary.
Anton Khudobin had perhaps the most famous of the “We’re not going home!” shouts after advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
O, Captain! My Captain! Jamie Benn
There is an old saying where the commander in a battle is the last to leave the battlefield. Perhaps the most heartbreaking image of this entire documentary was that of Jamie Benn in the locker room after being eliminated in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Benn was still wearing his full uniform with his head held down when he was the final person in the locker room. He displayed leadership throughout the playoffs and watching his final postgame interview was tough for any Stars fan.
Everyone experienced the games during the 2020 playoffs but now we saw what the Stars went through behind the scenes. It was nice to experience all the moments we don’t get to see until after the playoffs are over. Big thanks to Senior Director of Gifs for the Dallas Stars Jeff Toates for putting this together. This was an extraordinary circumstance that caused the bubbles to happen because of the pandemic.
Stars players and staff spent over 2 months in isolation to bring us a little sports happiness and we got a good look at some of the things they went through.
Featured Image: Dallas Stars/Facebook
