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STARS NOT SITTING IDLE ON CUP TITLE By George Johnson Special to ESPN.com Wednesday, September 29 In 1958, the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, played out one of his pet phobias in the voyeuristic classic, "Vertigo." In 1999, another Hitchcock -- Ken, the master of defense -- demonstrates no such anxious preoccupation with heights. As he glances down at the lemmings gazing enviously up at him, the view from high above the rest of the NHL couldn't be more spectacular. And there's no reason to think Hitch and his Dallas Stars will suddenly become dizzy and fall. "Let me tell you, it's a hell of a lot of fun being up there," he said. The time has come, however, to stash the confetti, streamers and commemorative T-shirts away. NHL office hours open this week. Don't get the idea Hitchcock is a sourpuss or anything. But he senses danger. "We've got to stop putting on a happy face," he said. "Nobody feels sorry for the guys who had the shortest summer, who've had less time to recover from being banged up. "If we're expecting sympathy, well, it's gonna be a long wait. Yeah, yeah, we're 4-2-2 in preseason. Not bad. Not great. We've had good stretches of play but not enough. Look, it's easier to play well than to play poorly. It's like a golfer with a five handicap, right? If he shoots 90, he puts in a lot of work shooting 90." Can the Stars repeat? Certainly. * Jersey didn't suddenly manufacture an offensive superstar to pull it out of the marshlands and over the top. * Philly's goaltending quandary remains just that. * Buffalo hasn't addressed its firepower woes. * The Wings are getting a might frayed around the edges. * Colorado lost Theo Fleury, Valeri Kamensky and for a good part of the early season, Peter Forsberg. * Ottawa continues to spat with Alexei Yashin. That leaves Dallas, surely nobody's reincarnation of the mid-80s Oilers or mid-to-late-70s Canadiens, but nevertheless a good, solid, extremely well-coached outfit. There is, of course, always the problem of mindset after having pushed so hard, so long for something, having attained it, then trying to delve into the emotional tank to find a reason to push as deep, or deeper, this time around. Hitchcock has a name for it: Happy-Face Syndrome. "We're not naive enough to think we're guaranteed anything," argues Conn Smythe Trophy winner Joe Nieuwendyk. "Complacency won't be a problem. I don't see any of that in here, quite honestly. We're not stupid. There's a fine line between winning and losing. "But we look at the Western Conference and really nobody has bulked up from last season. San Jose's going to be better. Detroit still has a strong club, but they did all their damage at the trade deadline last year, and it still wasn't enough. Colorado lost a bit when Theo and Kamensky left. So, yes, there is a confidence level to this club. "But cockiness, no." Craig Ludwig, Dave Reid and Pat Verbeek are gone, and there is an unspoken concern that the young bucks who inherit their jobs may be more prolific but not as timely. Still, the Stars won't be caught in the trap that ensnared the early '80s Islanders after their storied Cup run -- everyone growing old together. "We're going to be a lot different team, with six new faces opening night -- a goalie, two defensemen and three forwards," Hitchcock said. "We've done that out of necessity. We felt we maxed out at the end of last season. "Our average age on opening night should be down to around 26 years, which is a big difference." In training camp, outwardly at least, everything seems as it was a year ago, when the Stars were aiming to win, not defend. "We're going about it the same way," Nieuwendyk said. "We did the Vail thing all over again. Same schedule as last year. "It was an incredible thing, winning, far bigger than when we won in Calgary in '89. Then it was kind of like 'We did it!,' celebrated and bang! It was over. This time, with the media and all the attention, it was quite overwhelming." C'mon now Joe, wipe off that happy face. But when Nieuwendyk scans the Dallas dressing room, why shouldn't he at least be permitted a small smile. What don't the Stars have? * In Mike Modano, a charismatic superstar who proved he could play and thrive in big situations. * In Jere Lehtinen, the best defensive winger -- perhaps the best two-way winger -- in the game. * In Eddie Belfour, a goaltender who has finally exorcised his professional demons. * In Nieuwendyk, the finest No. 2 center around. * In Sergei Zubov and dashing Darryl Sydor, a power-play defense pairing that combined for 99 points. * In Jamie Langenbrunner, an uncut gem ready to dazzle. Last season, the Stars put up their third 100-plus point season in succession. They were the top defensive team in hockey, and sixth in penalty killing and power play. Yeah, yeah, Nieuwendyk (33), Belfour (34), Mike Keane (32), Brian Skrudland (36) and Brett Hull (35) are all a year closer to retirement. But general manager Bob Gainey and chief scout Craig Button have quietly assembled a deep organization. While the Rangers went out and threw money around willy-nilly to try to patch together a competitive team for the moment, the Stars have a team that will remain elite for the next few years. And they've got the luxury of having Tom Hicks' bankroll to hit the big free-agent home run if necessary. They brought in Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Pavel Patera, and he's already graduated to playing left wing alongside Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner. Richard Jackman, the '96 fifth-overall pick, is waiting in the wings to join the defense. Blake Sloan, Jamie Wright and Juha Lind are on the verge of playing regularly. Hitchcock is going to demand the Stars be more up-tempo this year, justifiably tired, perhaps, of the critics labelling his team a blight on the hockey landscape for their defense-first posture. Because they're so adept at playing the trap, Hitch naturally figures who better to solve it. "Our forwards are going to be quicker, a lot like St. Louis'," he said. "It's going to take some time to make the adjustment, but our top-end potential is greater than before. "I have two major challenges, as I see them. No. 1: To strengthen the leadership on this club. Craig Ludwig was such a big part of that, on and off the ice, and that lost responsibility has to be absorbed by an individual or a group of our veteran people. And No. 2: To bring the new players up to speed. "From what I've seen in camp, the second problem will be easier to solve than the first." Problems? Problems are relative. Twenty-seven other teams should have such problems ... "One thing that's added fuel to our fire," said Hitchcock, almost thankfully, "(is) that our guys have noticed, in whatever magazine or periodical we seem to pick up, no one's picking us. For some reason no one seems to think we can repeat." Well, look no further. You've got this vote. After all, we're talking Big D here. That'd be D, as in Double.