FRISCO, Texas — The walls of Jim Nill’s office here at the Dallas Stars’ practice facility will be bare for the time being after a recent paint job.
Without a doubt, what would look perfect to display on one of them is a framed photo of his team celebrating on the ice holding Lord Stanley’s mug next June.
That’s the only thing missing from Nill’s 10 years as Stars general manager. Since taking over the team in 2013, the team has gone through many changes, aggressive trades, deft drafting and growth, and he has patiently and steadily held the wheel through it all.
Nill’s accomplishments were recognized after last season when he won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, but he quickly deflected when we began a sit-down interview in his office Monday afternoon.
“It’s more of an organizational issue than an individual issue,” Nir says. “It means I have good people around me.”
But that also applies to Nil’s makeup. He’s not one to look for the spotlight.
“The word that best describes him is the quote that I always use with my players: The hardest thing to do is work hard when no one is looking,” Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said. . “For Jim, I think that’s where his character really comes through for me. How he treats the support staff when no one’s looking, how he treats the bus driver. , how they treat people at the rink and in other organizations. Everybody walks away from a conversation with Jim Nill feeling good about themselves.”
If you ask Niru about his accomplishments, you’ll get an answer that includes the word “team.”
“My job is just to hire great people and manage them,” Nir said. “That’s what I learned when I started interviewing for my first (GM) job in Detroit. I thought it was all about me finding players. Well, it’s not about me. It’s not about me. , it’s about finding good players and hiring good people who can coach and develop them. Once I understood that, everything fell into place. It changed my mindset a little bit.”
This will be Nill’s 11th season at the helm of the Stars, and they are knocking on the door in a big way. This was a long process, with several different runs.
“We’ve been pretty lucky, so I’ll talk about the people around me. My scouts have done a great job,” Nill said. “When I first got here, not a lot of people came. We had to make some trades, we traded (Tyler) Seguin, we traded Jason Spezza, we traded Patrick Sharp. , we got Ales Hemsky and we had a little bit here for three or four years. Then we had some kids come in. And then about five years ago, we got to the point here. , it was, “What direction are we going here?” (Jamie) Benn and Seguin were starting to get better on the back nine. We still had a pretty good team, but was it good enough to compete? And our scouting staff did a great job. ”
The 2017 draft is shaping up to be a legendary talent acquisition for the Stars, who selected defenseman Miro Heiskanen at No. 3, goalie Jake Oettinger at 26, and forward Jason Robertson at 39.
“That means all the impact players are in different positions,” Nill said, crediting the scouting staff. “Add Loup Hintzes (49th pick in 2015 draft) to that, and we’ve got an added push with Wyatt Johnsons, Logan Stankovens and Rian Bixels.”
The result is an older but still influential group led by Benn, Seguin, Joe Pavelski and Ryan Suter, then a core group pushing Heikkanen, Hintz, Robertson and Oettinger, and then a younger wave below that. , a rich group of members was born. they.
What that means is that it is a sustainable product as long as there is room for competition over several years. We’ll see if that translates to a cup. But that’s building something with multiple cracks. And the Stars have it.
“We’re in a pretty good position right now,” Nill said. The team lost to the eventual Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals in the spring.
“Jim has had a great career in this game, as a player, as a (shareholder), having success in Detroit, and now as a perennial contender in Dallas,” reigning Cup champion GM Kelly McCrimmon said Monday. told. “He has a tremendous amount of respect throughout the NHL.”
Veteran Oilers GM Ken Holland has been involved in a 1-2 run in the Red Wings’ front office in Detroit, dating back to the mid-’70s when the two played juniors with the Medicine Hat Tigers. They reunited as a team and gathered the four Stanleys. Coupling.
“Jim has been a huge contributor to our success in Detroit,” Holland said. “He oversaw the draft and drafted a lot of key players that were the foundation for a lot of success in Detroit. In 2013, I was excited for him. I was also disappointed because we were going to lose him. However, I was happy that he got the opportunity to be GM.
“He keeps Dallas in the playoffs every year. They’re a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. And he brings all that experience from his playing days and his scouting days and being the general manager of (AHL) Grand Rapids. I think he’s done an unbelievable job preparing him for this opportunity in Dallas.
“He has a great relationship with not only the staff but the players. … He’s one of the best general managers in the National Hockey League.”
These days, more than 10 years at the helm of an NHL franchise is a long time, especially without winning a Cup. However, Stars owner Tom Gagradi stuck to Nill’s contract and last year extended his contract through the 2025-26 season.
“I’ve had tremendous support from the owners,” Nill said. “We always challenge each other. But whenever I needed something, he always supported me. And I appreciate that. That’s important. And , what he did for this franchise here in Dallas, it was in bankruptcy, so he put his family’s name on the line and came here and bought the franchise and did a good job. .”
Please don’t joke. Obviously, there were some tougher moments. The owner wants to win, but the Stars haven’t won a cup game since Gaglardi took over. However, Nil has a temperament that meets the expectations of his owner.
His calm demeanor also rubs off on those who work for him.
“From a selfish standpoint, he’s a guy who believes in hiring great people and letting them do their jobs,” DeBoer said. “From a coaching standpoint, it’s a great environment to work in.
“He doesn’t overreact to situations. He understands how difficult it is to win because he won himself.”
DeBoer added with a laugh. “But he also understands that we are in a tough situation here and that it is important to try to win a cup here. That includes a few players I know: Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski.”
It’s not a cup game or a championship in these areas — again, we’re not a team that’s set up to compete for a while — but after reaching the cup finals in 2020 and playing deep games last season, There is certainly a healthy sense of urgency to take the next step. Run.
They are ready for the final step. That doesn’t mean it will happen.
“A lot of things have to go right,” Nill said. “Yes, you need a good team. Yes, the players have to play the right way. You need luck with injuries. You have to take breaks.
“That’s where I’ve been fortunate throughout my experience in Detroit. We’ve had a lot of good teams over the years, but looking back, we probably left three or four Cups on the table. We did. The years we won, we never thought we would win. And the years we didn’t, we did.”
Nill said the Stars’ philosophy is simply to put themselves in position to make shots. That’s all you can hope for in the NHL. And the Stars appear to be eyeing multiple opportunities.
As for the future, Nill, 65, isn’t ready for the 18th hole just yet.
“My health is good, I have passion, we have a good team, I love the people around me, I have support around me, so I “I think I have a few years left in me,” Niru said. “I hope so.”
“Sometimes my wife is probably glad I’m still working.”
Nil is a hockey enthusiast. I don’t know if he can imagine his life not centered around sports.
“The moment you think, ‘Maybe I’m done,’ the next day you’re knocking on the door and saying, ‘Hey, I want to do something,'” Niru said.
“This game was great for me. My wife and I talk about this all the time. Even as a player, I got traded four or five times. I think it was tough. It was great. We The people we met along the way and became friends inside and outside of the hockey world, this game has been good to us.”
(Top photo of Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski: Curtis Comeau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
