In 1967, the team that would eventually be the Dallas Stars got their start as the expansion team Minnesota North Stars. As the North Stars the team did reasonably well, making it to the playoffs fifteen times in their twenty six seasons. They earned two Division Championships and two Conference Championships, making it to the Stanley Cup finals twice as well.
In their final two years in Minnesota, the team shortened their logo and name from North Stars to simply the Stars, and changed their logo and colors. This led many to believe that the rumors of the team moving must be true.
Originally, the owners of the team had thoughts of moving to Anaheim, but the NHL granted Anaheim an expansion team, taking them out of the running for a possible relocation of the Stars. In 1994, the North Stars moved to Dallas for several reasons.
First, the owner had been looking for a new location after many losing seasons generated very poor attendance. Other reasons were the sexual harassment lawsuit that prompted the owner’s wife to threaten a divorce if the team was not moved, and problems coming to a deal on a new stadium in the area.
As the Dallas Stars, the team has won seven Division Championships, two Conference Championships, and a Stanley Cup. They are respected and loved in their community for a variety of reasons. Not only do they play a great game of hockey, but when they’re not on the ice the team also helps out around the community.
The franchise is very involved in helping the children of the area, giving them a hand up and a chance at a better future. They provide scholarships to outstanding students, grants to various foundations, and raise funds throughout the year to help the less fortunate.
Aside from giving to the needy, the team is also involved in education-based initiatives throughout the area and has partnered with local charities to help fight cancer and has even built a family room at the Children’s Medical Center to make hospital stays for children and their families more comfortable during their tough times.
Since 2001, the American Airlines Center has been home arena to the Dallas Stars. They share the venue with the Mavericks Basketball team, and the Vigilantes of the Arena Football League. The arena seats more than 18,000 for hockey games and cost 420 million dollars to build. The first event ever held at the arena was an Eagles concert on the day after the ribbon cutting ceremony which is reported to be the largest such ceremony on record according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Both as the Minnesota North Stars and the Dallas Stars, the team has been very successful in the world of hockey. On the ice and off they cause a sensation every year and have earned their fans’ loyalty and respect.
Previous Seasons
The 2009-10 Stars franchise has gone through a revamp of their organization. Gone are the co-managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson (who were both reassigned within the organization) and popular head coach Dave Tippett (who took over the head coaching job for the Phoenix Coyotes). Management brought in Joe Nieuwendyk as the new General Manager and Marc Crawford as the new Head Coach. Crawford was most recently the head coach of the LA Kings club.
In the Entry Draft, the team selected Scott Glennie with the 8th overall pick, Alex Chiasson, Reilly Smith, Tomas Vincour and Curtis McKenzie. The team also acquired, through free agency, Karlis Skrastins (2-yr $2.75 million), Warren Peters (1-yr, 2-way contract) and Jeff Woywitka (2-yr 1.3 million). The team also resigned a number of players, most notably Loui Eriksson (6-yr $25.5 million) and Stephane Robidas (4-yr $13.2 million). The Stars are currently sitting in 4th place in the Pacific Division with a record of 25-20-11.
The Stars failed to qualify for the playoffs in the 2008/09 season as they posted a record of 36-35-11 and finished 12th place in the Western Conference and 3rd place in the Pacific Division.
The Stars lost in the Conference Quarterfinals in 2006/07 and pushed their way into the finals in 2007/08 but lost against a game Red Wings team who dismissed the Stars in 6-games.
While the Dallas Stars have a short history in Texas, the team has already given their fans two Stanley Cup appearances and a National Hockey League Championship in 1999 to go along with two President’s Trophies. Head coach Dave Tippett had high hopes to make the 2005-2006 season equally as memorable for fans with a return to the championship. Center Mike Modano remains the team’s captain and star and goalie Marty Turco makes the defense one of the most powerful in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Their record of success makes Dallas Stars hockey tickets one the best bargains in sports.
Before the team moved from Minnesota, the franchise saw very limited success with only two Stanley Cup appearances. Because of numerous losing seasons, attendance and ticket sales were terrible, and very few fans wanted to buy and attend Stars hockey tickets. However, after the team’s move to Texas, the Stars have yet to suffer through a losing season or low fan appearance. Fans in Dallas are proud of a team which has only missed the postseason twice since their arrival in Texas due to the ever long hockey strike. The team won the Presidents’ Trophy twice at the end of the 1990s after finishing with the best record in the NHL. All-Star head coach Ken Hitchcock guided the team to its championship in 1999 and the team’s appearance in the finals in the following year. However, Hitchcock was replaced in the middle of a poor 2001-2002 season. Under Coach Tippett’s leadership, the team has regained its fine form of the past, making the playoffs during the last two seasons.
Much of the team’s success is due to Modano’s performance during his 15 seasons in the league. Modano has played with the Stars in Dallas and in Minnesota, and his offensive prowess has earned him five selections to the NHL All-Star Game. He holds eight franchise records including most games played, most points, and most goals. Modano shows no signs of slowing his pace of excellence as he leads the 2005-2006 team in points to one of its best starts in history. While the Stars have no former members in the NHL’s Hall of Fame, Modano’s career nearly guarantees fans in Dallas that the franchise will be recognized for its star center. A long time fans have waited for a hockey team in Texas to bring their state recognition in this fine sport.
After a loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the conference quarterfinals during the 2004 playoffs, the Stars hope to make a serious impact on the first postseason since the cancellation of the 2005 season. Modano will not be alone in the offensive attack as left wing Brendan Morrow and center Jason Arnott are both enjoying productive seasons for the team. With the Stars’ continued success, Dallas Stars hockey tickets will remain among the hottest in the league, and fans at American Airlines Center will continue to cheer for one of the NHL’s most dominant teams.
Is a scoring title possible for Dallas in 2008? They do handle the ice on a two-way play and they have a solid roster that will most likely finish the season in a mid level point range. They did fall early in the playoffs, despite goaltender Marty Turco’s efforts. Turco has been able to extend his regular season success into the postseason, managing three shutouts and goals-against average just under 1.30 – These ups and downs place a question mark on The Stars, but either way – they are likely to shine this season.
