Trey

Steins;Gate requires patience. The first 11 episodes feel like a quirky comedy about nerds in an apartment. Episode 12 changes the entire show. Trust the process.

Vinland Saga Season 3 is a hard sell for people who want action. It is a philosophical journey about nonviolence told through a former Viking. If you have the patience, it is rewarding beyond measure.

The Narkina 5 prison arc is the best three episodes of television in 2022. Andy Serkis saying "one way out" while the entire prison rises up gave me chills that no lightsaber fight has ever delivered.

The OA Season 2 ending with THAT cliffhanger and never getting resolved is genuinely disrespectful to the audience. Netflix owed us closure.

Shawn Levy directing again is the real news here. The guy figured out how to make a $1.3 billion R-rated movie. Disney is not letting him go anywhere.

The hallway fight is Winter Soldier elevator scene good. No shaky cam, no rapid cuts, just clean choreography. More of this please.

My kid plays at a 5A school. His stadium has a better video board than some MLS stadiums. This is just normal here.

Allen Eagle Stadium is genuinely one of the most ridiculous things in America. $60 million for a HIGH SCHOOL. And nobody in Allen regrets it.

The property tax thing is the biggest surprise for most transplants. No income tax sounds amazing until you see your first property tax bill. ALWAYS protest your appraisal.

Wild fans at AAC are always respectful but intense. They travel well and they know the sport. It is the kind of rivalry where you can trash-talk and shake hands after the game.

Cedar Park is worth the 3-hour drive from Dallas for a weekend trip. Catch a Texas Stars game Saturday night, explore Austin on Sunday. Good hockey trip that does not require a plane ticket.

Texas Stars games in Cedar Park are a great hockey experience. $20 for great seats, the arena is intimate, and you are watching future NHL players. My family makes the drive from DFW 2-3 times per year.

Expected goals at 2.44 versus actual goals at 2.71 means the goaltending is leaking about a quarter of a goal per game. If the goaltending catches up to the defensive structure, this is a top-8 defense.

The slot protection philosophy is smart. Outside shots with low xG are fine to give up. What you cannot give up is cross-crease passes and shots from the high slot. The Stars understand this.

Vegas is the splurge option. T-Mobile Arena pregame show with the medieval knight theme is ridiculous and amazing. Hockey in the desert at its finest.

Pregame warmups with my kids are the highlight of every game for them. My 7-year-old got a puck tossed to him last month and he has not stopped talking about it. Those small moments create lifelong fans.

The switch to the overload formation was the tactical move of the season. Going from predictable to dynamic on the PP changed the trajectory of the entire season. Great coaching adjustment.

DART for Stars games is the way. I park at Mockingbird Station for free, ride to Victory Station in 10 minutes, and never deal with traffic or parking. The total cost is $5 round trip vs. $25 for a garage.

Using all remaining cap space means we are locked in. No more moves possible. What we have now is what we are going to the playoffs with. I hope it is enough.

The top-6 winger addition is exactly what this team needed. Another legitimate scoring threat means opposing teams cannot focus their entire defensive scheme on one line. The first-round pick cost hurts but you have to pay to win.

Texas being the 7th-largest state for youth hockey is a stat that would have been laughable in 1993. The Stars franchise deserves enormous credit for investing in grassroots development rather than just focusing on the NHL product.

Going from 2,000 youth players to 18,000 in 30 years is remarkable growth. In a state with no natural ice and no hockey tradition, the Stars organization built this from nothing. The StarCenter investment was critical.

STH Facebook groups are the secret. Season ticket holders who cannot make a game will sell below face value just to recoup something. I have gotten $100 seats for $50 multiple times.

Jere Lehtinen with 3 Selke Trophies does not get enough recognition outside of Dallas. He was the best defensive forward in the league for half a decade and could score too. The complete player.

The starter-backup split in record is alarming. 32-14-2 with the starter vs. 10-11-5 with the backup. That is a 15-point gap in winning percentage. If the starter gets hurt in the playoffs, the season is over.

The physical play in those late-1990s series would get half the players suspended under today is rules. It was a different era. And it was glorious.