The Stars will hold Military and Veterans Appreciation Night when the Sharks swim to town Friday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Dallas (8-4-1, 17 points) will host the San Jose squad (3-8-3, 9 points) on Veteran’s Day following two days off. The home team will be looking to rebound after a whipping in Winnipeg, 5-1, on Tuesday, placing them in a first-place tie with Winnipeg in the Western Central division.
The Stars’ Jason Robertson is chasing a seven-game goal-scoring streak after netting his ninth goal of the year, and sixth straight, in the loss to the Jets on Tuesday. Robertson was also named the NHL’s First Star of the Week on Monday, The Dallas Express reported.
Guests who arrive early to the 7:30 p.m. tilt will receive complimentary Dallas Stars military-style caps, according to a team press release. During warmups, the Stars will wear themed jerseys that will be auctioned off later online.
Before the Stars and Sharks face off, retired U.S. Army Command Sargent Major Gretchen Evans, an Abilene native, will participate in the ceremonial puck drop. Proceeds from the warmup jersey auction and the Dallas Stars 50/50 Raffle will benefit one of Evans’s favorite non-profits, America’s VetDogs.
Evans served in the Army for 27 years before suffering a life-changing injury while deployed in Afghanistan. She is now a nationally recognized motivational speaker and author. Evans has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Saginaw Valley State University.
Earlier this year, Evans received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2022 ESPYS. After thanking her family and supporters in a speech at the award ceremony, Evans thanked two support dogs she has come to know through America’s VetDogs.
“These dogs have given me unconditional love. There’s no judgment from them. They give me soft kisses. They stand by me, always happy to see me. And they saved my life,” she said.
The Guide Dog Foundation established America’s VetDogs in 2003. The organization provides guide and service dogs to disabled veterans of all eras and opened its programs to first responders in 2015. It costs more than $50,000 to raise, train, and place one assistance dog, according to the Stars’ press release.
The Sharks face St. Louis on Thursday before heading to Dallas on Friday. Ahead of the tilt with the Blues, San Jose lost three straight overtime contests, including a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on November 5.