Dialed in: Driven to win, Ben Bishop on top of game early for Stars

On the morning of the Stars' first preseason game, one player struck head coach Jim Montgomery as a bit different from the rest.
Goalie Ben Bishop was serious and ready to go for a game that didn't mean anything.
"He was the one guy that I thought showed up early and he kind of had a game face on today, from morning skate on," Montgomery said. "That's a real pro and I'm glad that we have him."

Bishop stopped all 16 shots he faced in that game before coming out midway through, stopped 21 of 22 in a preseason win over Colorado and then stopped 30 of 30 in the regular season opener Thursday, a 3-0 win over Arizona.
Not a bad start for a player who might be among the most important on the team -- and a sign that Bishop is ready to be dialed in every second he's on the ice.
"I kind of look at it all the same," said the 31-year-old netminder, who is in the second year of a six-year contract with the Stars. "If I'm on the ice, I want to win, I want to stop every shot. I just think that's the way you need to be. If I'm playing, I'm going to give it my best."

That attitude can be contagious for the Stars. While goalies can have personalities that vary wildly, the competitive edge of Bishop definitely sets the tone in games. The 6-foot-7 backstop is vocal and commanding from his crease, and that gets his teammates into the game.
"Yeah, definitely," said defenseman John Klingberg. "You want all of your teammates to be fired up, but I like when the goalie is fired up. It keeps you on your toes."
Bishop is in an interesting place. He is supremely confident in his ability and he feels he is ready to be a part of a winning season. Asked about his preseason goals, he said they revolve around wins.
"Win 30 games, that's where it starts every year," said the goalie, who went 26-17-5 last season. "All of my goals are team goals, and I want us to win as many games as we can."
Bishop hit his stride from 2013 to 2016 when he won 37, 40 and 35 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and twice was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. It was a sign that he could be one of the elite goalies in the league, and maybe one of the reasons he projects so much confidence.
"I think his hockey sense is off-the-charts high, and I knew that because the guy who recruited him at Maine recruited me, so I had a real good handle on what kind of person Ben Bishop was," said Montgomery, who, like Bishop, attended the University of Maine.

"It's important (to have intensity). If there is one person I want loose and confident, it's our goaltender."
Montgomery said that while he has immense confidence in back-up goalie Anton Khudobin, the schedule does allow the Stars to ponder a nice early run with Bishop in net. Dallas plays nine games in a span of 24 days to start the season, with seven of those games at home.
"As long as Bish and the schedule allows, we'll probably ride Bish," Montgomery said.
And that's fine with Bishop. He always tries to maintain a strong relationship with his goaltending partner, and he said he will trust the decisions of the coaching staff no matter what they are. But he added that he views game preparation pretty simply.
"I'm pretty much ready to go all of the time," he said. "We have a schedule and we work on balance and rest, but things change all of the time in the NHL. So I'm pretty much ready to play every game -- that's worked for me so far."
And especially so far this year.
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.