Stars Right to Hire Nieuwendyk as GM

The idea of co-general managers is not one we're likely to see often in pro sports. These days, even major league sports executives can be so ego-driven that it's impossible to share any kind of credit or properly delegate authority between two people.

The Dallas Stars tried co-general managers for close to two seasons, but have decided to make a change. The team named former player Joe Nieuwendyk (pictured left of Mike Modano at a Stars reunion in 2007) its new general manager at a news conference Monday.

To be fair, the Stars' co-general manager experiment wasn't exactly an embarrassing failure. Les Jackson and Brett Hull took over for Doug Armstrong after a rough start to the 2007-2008 season. They helped right the ship and steer the Stars to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost (as everyone does) to Detroit.

Not only was it not a total failure, but it wasn't really a co-general manager system. Hull showed up to the office, but it doesn't sound like he ran much.

"You can call it what you want, but I was more Les' intern or assistant than anything else," Hull said. "And I believe he made some great decisions and has the team in great shape. He's pushed hard to get the development of the young kids going, and I still say that if we hadn't been so hurt last year, we would have had a great year."

Nieuwendyk is taking over, but the Stars were able to keep his predecessors around. Hull becomes an executive vice president and alternate governor, while Jackson moves back into scouting, and could be a candidate to take over the Stars' new AHL affiliate in Texas that starts up next season.

I've never heard a bad word about Nieuwendyk and his development as an executive. He was a class act as a player, a great leader, and he has worked his tail off to learn the ins and outs of the hockey business. His work helping scout young players should leave him in good position to build this Stars team from within. Owner Tom Hicks has indicated he will not spend to the cap in the 2009-2010 season, so young players will be vital to Dallas' success.

If Jackson is mad about this move, he has done a good job of hiding it, focusing instead on the idea that Nieuwendyk is a good hire for the organization.

"Honestly, I just want what's best for the team and the organization, and I want us to win," Jackson said in a phone interview. "That's how I've always looked at things."

The fact that Dallas was able to keep both Hull and Jackson, and hire an up-and-comer like Nieuwendyk, is clearly a good sign moving forward. While it remains to be seen whether Nieuwendyk can improve the on-ice product, it looks like the team is in good hands.