Emotions running high, but Stars are committed to winning inside bubble

Rick Bowness gave a hint Thursday morning before Game 6 about just what the emotional state of the game might be.

He followed Thursday night after a 7-3 win, describing just what a mental challenge life in the bubble has been.

The Stars are among 24 teams who have agreed to confine themselves in a compound in Edmonton to play for the Western Conference Championship. Dallas had a chance to eliminate Calgary and move to the second round, and Bowness said beforehand he expected some unique pressure.

"If you lose, you go home," Bowness said of the elimination game for the Flames. "It's not only the players who have made the sacrifices, it's their families, and that plays into this. These are specific circumstances that none of us have faced before. You're facing elimination and your family has made sacrifices to get this far, and even though you miss them, you don't want to go home, you want to keep playing."

It is a push and pull in the bubble, where Dallas arrived July 27. Because the league wants to run the playoffs while the COVID-19 pandemic is out there, it had to take precautions. So far, there have been no positive tests in the NHL because of the bubble environments.

The Stars have a group of players and support staff all staying on the same floor of a hotel and confined by fencing to stay in a certain area between the team hotels and arena in Edmonton. That can be tough, and Bowness said he believes that was one of the reasons Game 6 was so wild.

Calgary got off to a 3-0 start while Dallas was struggling with sloppy play. However, Dallas rallied back and ended up winning 7-3 when it appeared the Flames struggled with their own emotions.

"People don't understand how hard it is, this bubble," Bowness said, complimenting the league on how it is running the playoffs, but also adding that the "new" experience takes some getting used to. "This bubble living is not what you think it is. Until you're living it day to day, you don't understand what everyone is going through."

The playoff structure is such that you also have to be ready to adjust to anything. Dallas played an 8:30 p.m. local start Thursday when the arena was empty all day because that's what's good for television. They will play Game 1 of the second round series against Colorado, because that's what's good for television. The league is a business, after all.

But the players knew that when they started, and everyone has signed up. Bowness said early in the process that he considered not coming, but that after thinking about it, he wanted to be there.

Players have said they have used all sorts of social media to connect with family and friends, and many have small children. Taylor Fedun, Ben Bishop and Justin Dowling have babies. Corey Perry and Alexander Radulov have toddlers. Perry was asked how his calls go with his son Griffin.

"He grabs the phone when we're FaceTiming, walks around the house, shows me his new cars that I've seen three, four times a day, but he keeps saying they're new," Perry said. "It's been fun…I told him I was going to hockey, and he told me to say hi to Victor."

Victor would be Victor E. Green, the Stars mascot, and that tells you what kids are thinking about.

Radulov said he has to match his calls with his son up to Russian time, while defenseman Andrej Sekera said he has to adjust to talk to his family in Slovakia. But, he added, it's better than having them in the bubble.

"I don't think they would have a great life in the bubble," Sekera said. "Hotel life…can't go anywhere, and all that stuff. I think the best scenario is they stay home and enjoy home. It sucks for us. I cannot see my family, but it is what it is."

The problem is that it can get worse as the time wears on. The Stars have said they are bonding and enjoying the time together as a team. They have a team room where they can watch television and play video games. They have cards -- and a lot of hockey.

Stars assistant general manager Mark Janko said much of his time has been eaten up watching games in person (something you can't typically do in the NHL). He said it's a fantastic opportunity for a hockey person to see how other teams work, get information on players, and just experience the process.

"We watch pretty much every game every day," Janko said. "They are long days and it's a lot of hockey, but it's awesome. You're getting the intensity of playoff hockey and you're sitting just above the lower bowl in a suite. It's an honor to be here, to be honest. It's such a great learning experience."

Jason Rademan, the team's director of team services, has a young baby boy and said that he has been using FaceTime a couple of times a day. He said he and the other fathers of young babies are sharing stories.

"I did have three and a half months at home with him, so I'm very lucky," Rademan said of the league's shut down before the Return to Play. "This is part of the job, and we all know that. Fedun, and Dowling and Bishop all had babies too. This is unique, but it's also such a great opportunity."

Rademan said the team has talked about dealing with all of the issues and is trying to be prepared.

"You have to find your own adrenaline, you have to find a way to motivate yourself as a team," he said. "The mental toughness required is huge. At some point, there's going to be cabin fever set in, and you better be ready."

Janko said he communicates with his children Reese, Carson and Hayden through video calls and said that it can be particularly tough with his daughter Hayden.

"Whenever I'm on the road, my four and-a-half-year-old always ask me, When are you going to be home?' And usually, it's two more sleeps or one more sleep. And right now, it's I don't know.' That's confusing to her, because she doesn't understand why would daddy not know," Janko said.

"And then the next thing I tell her is I hope I'm here for a long time, and she's like 'Why does daddy not want to come home?" he added. "And I tell her because this is daddy's job and he's very lucky to be doing it. I really feel that way. To be here and to have our team fight for the Stanley Cup, that's a privilege. I look at it that way every day. I think we all do."

Because being able to battle through the emotion could be huge in the end.

"I think the team that will win will be the team that's probably the closest, and gets the closest," said veteran forward Andrew Cogliano. "I think in this situation, that's what's going to get you through rounds and being together."

Game 1: Stars vs. Avalanche

Saturday, 7 p.m. CT

Where:Rogers Place, Edmonton

TV:NBC, Ch. 5

Radio:The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM

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

Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.