I had to jump on over from the Rangers blog to post something about one of my all-time favorite NHL players, Stu Barnes.

As Mike Heika can attest, the thing I've always respected most about Stu-ball is his hard work. The guy doesn't know how to play at anything less than all out. And, yes, many players don't do that.

But Barnes has many attributes that should make him an excellent coach. First, the players respect him. I do think there will be an adjustment from treating Barnes as a teammate as opposed to a coach, but I think that will happen fairly quickly. He clearly understands the strategy part of the game (any conversation with him shows that) and has learned how to adjust his play to still be a dependable player despite different rules and different teams.

Barnes can communicate and I think you'll see that as he coaches. This is a good move for the Stars. It's just too bad he won't be on the ice playing.