CEDAR PARK, Texas — Texas Stars equipment manager Brian “Elvis” Garcia made sure that Justin Peters’ pads would match the correct uniform on Friday against the Tucson Roadrunners.
Peters was traded to the Stars organization along with defenseman Justin Hache in exchange for Brandon Ranford and Brendan Troock on Feb. 1. All four players in the deal will be on the ice for their respective new teams when Texas and Tucson play Friday at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.
He made his Texas Stars debut last week wearing black-and-white Bauer pads with red trim. He’s still wearing the same pads against Tucson, but Garcia helped change the trim to “victory green,” this week.
“A lot of credit to Elvis, still the same pads,” Peters said. “That’s pretty good job by him if you thought they were new pads.”
Peters will still be wearing his Arizona Coyotes mask against Tucson, but the 30-year-old goalie is happy for a fresh start after he was relegated to third-string duty for the Roadrunners.
“I’m excited to be here, it’s a fresh start and it’s a new opportunity,” Peters said on Friday. “I really like this area, never been to Texas for an extended period of time. So I’m looking forward to being here.”
Peters played three NHL games this season with Arizona and has provided some instant stability for a Texas Stars team that has been looking for answers in goal.
It’s also an insurance policy for the NHL club. If a trade or injury impact the availability of either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi in Dallas, the Stars now have a back-up plan.
It works well for all parties involved. The Stars now have a goalie that could help them climb back into the AHL playoff race (which would be admittedly difficult), while Peters has a chance to play himself into another contract for next season.
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