After cruel Olympic cut, Dallas Stars forward shines in playoff spotlight
Jason Robertson isn’t quite Ralph Cox, but there are unnerving similarities, and there is nothing the Dallas Stars forward can do to change that reality.
Cox was famously the last player cut from the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team, a group that would author the most celebrated moment in the history of American sports by defeating the Soviet Union, and winning the gold medal.
Cox became one of the hardest-luck stories in the history of sports.
Robertson is not Ralph Cox, but Robertson may have been the last player eliminated in the selection process for the 2026 U.S. Olympic hockey team, which won its first gold medal since 1980.
That sort of exclusion leaves a mark that fades, but never goes away.
Whatever Robertson does for the Dallas Stars in their playoff series against the Minnesota Wild can’t erase the correct decision that denied him a gold medal. It can only help Robertson’s case to stay with the Stars.
It’s personal for Jason Robertson, whether he says it or not
For Robertson, the Stars’ series against the Wild is personal, no matter how much he may deny it. He could score every goal for the Stars in the series, and it won’t get him the gold medal from a team he feels he should have celebrated with in Italy.
On Monday night, Robertson scored his second goal of the Stars’ first-round playoff matchup against the Wild to help even the series at 1-1. Game 3 is Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Unlike his goal in Game 1, which meant nothing in a 6-1 loss, his score in Game 2 provided breathing room in a 4-2 win. Had the Stars lost this one, their season would have been effectively over.
One thing Robertson may never get over was his exclusion from the 2026 U.S. Olympic team, a decision made by current Wild GM, and former Stars winger, Bill Guerin, who was also the GM for Team USA.
When asked about scoring these goals in this series, considering the opponent’s general manager, Robertson said after the game, “No, it doesn’t matter. Just trying to win a game.”
Privately, among close family and friends, the answer and feelings may be different.
For hockey players, the chance to play for your country in an Olympics is a cherished and celebrated achievement. The players fought the NHL to be able to play in the Olympics again.
Those announcements and decisions are deeply personal to players, much more than an All-Star team.
Robertson’s exclusion was a surprising announcement that Guerin had to defend, along with one or two other notable decisions. The criticism was that Guerin left off a player who was one of the top goal scorers in the NHL.
It was a risk, and Guerin left himself wide open to critics and fans by leaving a scorer of that caliber off the roster.
When Team USA reached the gold medal game in the Olympics, Guerin’s picks were safe from critics. He had made the right decisions.
When the team upset Canada in overtime to win the gold medal, whoever was not picked was no longer a thought. That’s the way sports works.
Jason Robertson up for a big contract
Robertson may be picked to play in future Olympics, but the decision closer at hand is what the Stars will do with him this offseason when the 26-year-old becomes a restricted free agent.
He scored 45 goals this season, the third time in his career he has eclipsed the 40-goal mark. Those are rare players. He’s also played all 82 games in each of the past four years.
The Stars could give him the big, seven-year type of contract now, or GM Jim Nill may weigh the potential value of trading him, or other options.
Soon enough, Robertson will sign one of the big, monster contracts that professional athletes dream of signing, and he has many potential big seasons ahead of him in the NHL.
But nothing will change the chance that he was denied to celebrate with Team USA in the 2026 Olympics, or the parallels to one of the most famous hard-luck cases in sports history, Ralph Cox.
