Bishop joins Stars as Player Development Coordinator

Ben Bishop looked right at home during development camp.

The tallest goalie in NHL history at 6' 7", he's easy to pick out, even in a coach's sweatsuit. His bright smile lights up the ice and the fact he still wears his goalie skates while coaching makes him even more endearing. And while he has a lot to learn as the newly named Player Development Coordinator for the Stars, it's clear he's off to a good start.

"I love the organization," said the man who was with the Stars for five seasons and has a great relationship with GM Jim Nill, who named him to his new position on July 1. "Jim's been great and I know everybody in the organization, so it's kind of an easy transition than if you went to a different organization and had to meet everybody from scratch. I feel like I'm a Dallas Star."

Bishop played for St. Louis, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Dallas in an NHL career that spanned 11 seasons and included 413 regular-season games, but he found a home with the Stars. Bishop is from St. Louis and plans to live there, but he feels comfortable in his new assignment, and the Stars feel comfortable with him, as well.

"It's incredible, he's meshed really well," said Director of Player Personnel Rich Peverley. "He asks a lot of questions and it's really good to have him around right now."

Bishop is taking the job that Peverley once had, so he said he's getting to know the expectations and trying to soak up as much as he can from his brethren. He has to catch up, because his contract was traded to Buffalo last season, and he was not able to be a part of the Stars organization. Bishop suffered a knee injury in 2020 and tried to make a comeback. However, after one game in the AHL in 2021, he decided he couldn't continue his career. He still had one more year on his contract, and the Stars traded him to the Sabres for salary cap considerations.

That meant Bishop couldn't work for Dallas. He was still living here, though, and he knew the plan, so he did plenty of research on the team's prospects.

"I had the list and I kept an eye on all of them," he said of the prospects. "I even made a couple of trips to Austin to watch the games down there and just stay busy. It was fun."

This year's schedule will be much tougher. He will travel to visit players in the AHL, as well as prospects in junior hockey and college hockey. He'll communicate with the players and help them progress with their respective teams.

"He going to be out on the road. He's our eyes and our ears," Nill said.

Bishop said he's excited about the challenge, but he also understands how much he still has to process.

"You've got to learn the ropes," Bishop said. "It's a different side that I haven't done before, so you try to get as much advice from these guys who have been doing it for a long time. I'm definitely going to be asking a lot of questions."

Ironically, what might challenge Bishop the most is also what makes him special. He is a goalie, and he will be advising forwards and defensemen. That's something that could take time, but also something that could be uniquely wonderful.

"He's an intelligent dude, he doesn't miss too much," said J.J. McQueen, the other Stars Player Development Coordinator. "I think that's indicative of a lot of goalies, they kind of see everything because they're way back here, so he may see some things that we don't see."

Peverley added, "For Ben, he loves the game so much. It's not just what he's going to bring to the goaltenders, he talks to everybody. From the goaltending perspective, he probably sees the game a little different from everyone else. That can have its advantages as well."

Bishop has been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy three times. He finished his career with a 2.32 GAA and a .921 save percentage. He's played with and against the greatest players of the past decade.

"I've had the chance to play with a lot of elite players in the NHL," Bishop said. "Kind of tell these guys what I saw those players do and give some advice. They love hearing stories about the guys I got a chance to play with over my career."

Nill said that history will go a long way in getting the attention of prospects.

"He's got a great presence to himself, he's got the resume to back it up, and he's got a passion to do this," Nill said. "He loves it. To have that person representing us is a big thing."

And while Bishop technically was away from the game last season, for the most part he's going from his official retirement to right back on the ice.

"It's nice to kind of go from one career into the next right away," he said. "It's fun to be back at the rink and be back on the ice with these kids, get a chance to work with them on the player development side this year. I'm looking forward to it."

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.