The Thrill Is Gone
- Ivan Dawkins
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
The Dallas Stars fire head coach Pete DeBoer. When playoff
promise isn't enough, even the good ones get the blues.
June 11, 2025 - Ivan Dawkins, BS3 Network COO/Staff Writer
The curtain has dropped on the Pete DeBoer era in Dallas. And just like that, the Stars have ended a three-year romance that, while never consummated with a Stanley Cup, shimmered with promise. In a cold, calculated move that mirrored the slow fade of love once fierce, the Dallas Stars fired their head coach after three straight Western Conference Final appearances and three equally painful exits.
If this were a blues ballad, Pete DeBoer would be the jilted lover. Cue B.B. King’s mournful voice echoing through American Airlines Center: “The thrill is gone, baby, the thrill is gone away.” Because that’s what this feels like. A slow, inevitable breakup.
Before I go any further, I have to admit, I intentionally took a beat before writing this. I didn’t want to jump in with hot takes or forced perspective. I needed a moment. Because the fact of the matter is, I’m just as hurt as Coach. DeBoer wasn’t just “good enough.” He was good to you, Stars. He brought stability, identity, and consistent postseason relevance. He earned the respect of the locker room and gave fans reason to believe every April. So yeah, this one stings.
In a world where one false move can cost you everything, no wonder Xanax, Wellbutrin, Prozac, and Zoloft prescriptions are at an all-time high. The pressure’s brutal. The leash is short. And in Dallas, patience just ran out. Okay, fine. Maybe they had to fire him. Maybe a new voice is needed. Maybe fresh eyes will finally deliver what DeBoer couldn’t. I get it. But dammit, I don’t like it! I liked Coach DeBoer. I liked his style. I liked his demeanor. I liked the man!
Championship or Bust Mentality
So why now? Why cut ties with a coach who’s clearly capable, clearly competitive, and consistently one of the best in the West? There are two prevailing theories.
The first is simple: results. The Stars have flirted with greatness but never sealed the deal. Three years of “almost” was no longer enough for an organization hungry for a second Stanley Cup banner to hang beside their lonely 1999 triumph. The Stars are a roster in its prime, with a generational top line, a young core, and arguably the best defenseman in the NHL. Stars General Manager Jim Nill and Ownership believes it’s time to stop dating the trophy and finally marry it.
But there’s another, messier narrative at play, one that whispers more than it shouts.
That Game 5 Goalie Pull
Game 5 of the 2025 Western Conference Final may have been the breaking point. The Stars were steamrolled early by Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Within minutes, Dallas was down 2-0, and DeBoer yanked starting goaltender Jake Oettinger. The face of the franchise, the homegrown backbone, the battler who’d stolen more games than anyone could count. It was a bold move. Maybe desperate. Maybe justified. But it felt wrong.
Oettinger had carried Dallas through the fire before. He’d been their playoff warrior. Pulling him so early in an elimination game reeked of panic. Or worse, a loss of faith in the one player the city never stopped believing in. Did that decision fracture trust? Did it alienate the locker room? Did it put a spotlight on a coach who, when the lights were brightest, blinked? It’s possible that the Stars weren’t just disappointed with another near miss, they were pissed by how it ended.
Love Lost, Lessons Learned
In the end, Pete DeBoer exits Dallas not as a failure, but as a lover who gave his best and still wasn’t enough. He guided the Stars to the dance every year. But the music never reached its crescendo. The front office? They’re the cold partner who smiled through dinner, then walked out without dessert. “I’m free now, baby,” B.B. King sings. “I’m free from your spell.” Maybe that’s how both sides feel today...free, but not fulfilled. The thrill is gone in Dallas, and someone had to go with it.
Now we wait to see if the next chapter finally brings the ending both the team and the city are starving for. And as for me? I’m still sitting here with a lump in my throat, playing sad songs and wondering how a coach who brought us to the edge of glory got tossed off the ride before the final act. "And now that it's all over, all that I can do is wish you well." The Thrill Is Gone.
References made in this article are from; Songwriters: Lew Brown / Ray Henderson
The Thrill Is Gone lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., BMG Rights Management, Ray Henderson Music Co., Inc
Ivan Dawkins is a journalist for bs3network.com - because someone has to make sense of this madness. Follow him on X at @ikingdawk before he tweets something he can't take back.
For more sports and entertainment coverage than your group chat can handle, go to:
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@ikingdawk
Great article! Hate to see DeBoer go. I didn't know he could play the guitar lol.