Stars Stack Art: A complete catalog of Ryan Konzelman's original work
Hope you enjoy!
I was never actually sure what I wanted to do with this place. Between Defending Big D and D Magazine, I figured this would just be a platform for material any sane editor would be wise to reject. But things change — I’m not talking about cliches either. I’m talking about the shifting landscape of sports coverage in general, and the disappearance of dedicated hockey coverage in Texas.
That sucked. It was at that point that I figured it might be wise to keep writing about Dallas. Not just because Stars fans deserve dedicated coverage, but because this Stars team was special. What kind of insane world to do we live in when a Cup-contending team doesn’t have a voice to document its history, not just within its own community, but across the globe? If a hockey team wins a Stanley Cup in a forest, and no one is around to stream it — does it make a sound?
That’s when I started taking this place seriously. Once that happened, and I started using hundred dollar bills to wipe my excitement tears because so many paid subscribers started coming in, I knew I wanted to invest back into it, for lack of a better term. That people were willing to pay for my writing is a huge compliment. So why not share in that excitement? What better way to make this place feel connected for the both of us than to leverage my abilities (minimal though they may be) for your needs? It may not be the thing you find interesting, and you may not even like Ryan Konzelman’s style, but I think that’s part of the joy: giving people what they didn’t know they needed.
I don’t know much about art but I know plenty about action movies; especially the dumb ones (me being likeminded). Ryan has quite the catalog of fun, good-humored, art pieces for everything from John Wick to Hard Target (my favorite). Thankfully he was willing to say yes after I reached out, and commissioned him for 15 original pieces.
Ryan went with a trading card motif, drawing the portrait of the player, and then the full body image. Because this is about Ryan’s work, I won’t say much else except to list them below.
In alphabetical order: Jamie Benn, Lian Bichsel, Mavrik Bourque, Matt Duchene, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Mason Marchment, Jim Nill, Joe Pavelski, Mason Marchment, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, Logan Stankoven.
Jamie Benn
Portrait.
Fully body.
Lian Bichsel
Portrait.
Fully body.
Mavrik Bourque
Portrait.
Fully body.
Matt Duchene
Portrait.
Fully body.
Thomas Harley
Portrait.
Fully body.
Miro Heiskanen
Portrait.
Fully body.
Roope Hintz
Portrait.
Fully body.
Wyatt Johnston
Portrait.
Fully body.
Mason Marchment
Portrait.
Fully body.
Jim Nill
Portrait.
Fully body.
Jake Oettinger
Portrait.
Fully body.
Joe Pavelski
Portrait.
Fully body.
Jason Robertson
Portrait.
Fully body.
Tyler Seguin
Portrait.
Fully body.
Logan Stankoven
Portrait.
Fully body.
BTW: I tried to carefully curate the list beforehand. Sure, Duchene was never gonna be here as long as Esa Lindell, but I figured Duchene's impact would be more significant (which was true early on, not so much now). Plus I knew I wanted to prioritize the prospects. It was pretty exhaustive work for Ryan, so I don't expect to have another round next year, but it sounds like he's open to potential odds and ends next season. So I'll be sure to ping him in August. I feel like Lindell and Chris Tanev are the two that NEED to be added.
Love it, these are all great. My favorite portrait is Miro Hesikanen, with those eyes of strength and determination and my favorite full body is Logan Stankoven - just perfect.