Stars’ plane slams on brakes just before takeoff

DALLAS — That winless three-game journey to Canada for the Dallas Stars obtained much more depressing on the best way dwelling, when their constitution aircraft needed to slam on the brakes simply earlier than takeoff, and so they needed to wait six hours for a special aircraft.

Coach Rick Bowness, who has been touring as an NHL coach or participant for greater than 47 years, mentioned Saturday evening that he had by no means been afraid on a aircraft till Friday, when the group was leaving Calgary to return to Texas.

“We’re going full throttle down the runway, full throttle, and swiftly (the captain) slams on the brakes. And every thing is flying throughout, such as you’re simply not anticipating them,” Bowness mentioned earlier than the group’s dwelling sport towards the Seattle Kraken. “We expect we’re going this manner. And swiftly … we’re stopped.”

Bowness, the 67-year-old coach who made his debut as an NHL participant in December 1975, mentioned the captain initially reported that every thing was underneath management. However the subsequent announcement was that there was a little bit smoke within the cockpit after de-icing.

The playoff-contending Stars, whose loss Thursday evening at Calgary was their third in 4 nights, finally obtained off the aircraft. They then had the lengthy wait for one more aircraft to reach from Phoenix to take them again to Texas, and needed to undergo customs a second time.

Bowness mentioned the group departed its resort at 8:30 a.m. Friday. The coach obtained to mattress in his dwelling in Texas at 3:30 a.m. Saturday. The Stars canceled their morning skate.

Dallas, two seasons faraway from an look within the Stanley Cup Finals, within the 2020 postseason bubble, have battled again from a gradual begin to contend within the clogged Western Convention. Coming into play Saturday evening, the Stars occupied the West’s second wild-card slot, and if that holds, they’d play the Colorado Avalanche within the first spherical.

The Related Press contributed to this report.