Dallas Stars Set To Retire Jere Lehtinen’s Number 26 Tonight
By Josh Clark
Tonight is the big night. The Dallas Stars will retire Jere Lehtinen’s number 26 into the rafters before their game against the Calgary Flames. Make sure to get your tickets while you still can.
Happy Black Friday, Dallas Stars fans. While you may be recovering from a long night of shopping or be taking a break from clicking away at various shopping websites, take a moment to think about tonight.
The Dallas Stars are back in town after a confusing yet depressing 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. They are set to face off with the Calgary Flames tonight.
But the big news surrounding this game is not the matchup or the Stars’ hunt for a fourth straight home win. Instead, it has to do with the retirement ceremony of longtime Dallas Stars forward Jere Lehtinen.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Stars will retire Lehtinen’s number 26 into the rafters. It’s all a part of their 25th anniversary celebration and was announced during the summer. Lehtinen will be the fifth Star to have their jersey number retired by the organization, and he’s very deserving.
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The Finnish native played 14 seasons in the NHL, and recorded every game as a member of the Dallas Stars. That’s 875 games in total. Through those games, Lehtinen scored 243 goals and tallied 514 total points. In addition to that, he also won three Selke trophies (an award given annually to the league’s best defensive forward) and helped the Stars win their first and only Stanley Cup in 1999.
His character and attitude are what helped make him such a valuable player for Dallas from 1995-2010. Oh, and his skill and chemistry with some of the best Dallas Stars in history helped out a good bit too.
And now no. 26 is heading up to the rafters for eternity, never to be worn again. So if you have not worn yourself out with Black Friday shopping or second, third, or fourth helpings of Thanksgiving feast, try to get some tickets to tonight’s game. You won’t want to miss it.
Here is a schedule of how the retirement ceremony is set to go down:
5:00 p.m. – Lehtinen will walk down the Victory Green carpet in Victory Plaza along with his family. Former teammates such as Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, Brenden Morrow, and Marty Turco will also make the walk.
6:30 p.m. – The retirement ceremony will begin on the ice at the American Airlines Center. Make sure to get into your seat before or by 6:30 so you don’t miss the festivities.
7:15 p.m. – The ceremony is expected to end and the players will start warmups shortly after.
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It’s going to be a memorable night, and it comes with a hockey game between the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. How could you end Black Friday on a better note?