Dallas Stars

1967-1993: Minnesota Years

The Minnesota North Stars began play in 1967 as part of the NHL's six-team expansion. Home games were played at the newly-constructed Metropolitan Sports Center ("Met Center") in Bloomington, Minnesota. Initially successful both on the ice and at the gate, the North Stars fell victim to financial problems after several poor seasons in the mid-1970s.

In 1978, the North Stars were purchased by the owners of the Cleveland Barons (formerly the California Golden Seals), the Gund brothers, George III and Gordon. With both on the verge of folding, the NHL permitted the two failing franchises to merge. The merged team continued as the Minnesota North Stars, but assumed the Barons’ place in the Adams Division. The merger brought with it a number of talented players, and the North Stars were revived—they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, where they lost in five games to the New York Islanders. However, by the early 1990s, declining attendance and the inability to secure a new downtown revenue-generating arena led ownership to request permission to move the team to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1990. The NHL rejected the request and instead agreed to award an expansion franchise, the San Jose Sharks, to the Gund brothers. The North Stars were sold to a group of investors that were originally looking to place a team in San Jose, although one of the group's members, Norman Green, would eventually gain control of the team. In the following season, the Minnesota North Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

1993: Relocation to Dallas

After the 1991 season, the North Stars suffered through poor attendance and profitability. New owner Norm Green explored the possibility of moving the team to Anaheim, however the NHL decided instead to place the expansion Mighty Ducks there in 1992. In their final two seasons in Minnesota, the team adopted a new logo which omitted the "North" from "North Stars," leading many fans to anticipate the team moving.

In 1993, amid further attendance woes and bitter personal controversy, Green obtained permission to move the team to Dallas, Texas. Green was convinced by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach that Dallas would be a suitable market for an NHL team. The NHL, to quell the controversy, promised the fans of Minnesota a return in the future with a new franchise; that promise was fulfilled in 2000 when Minnesota was awarded the Minnesota Wild as an expansion franchise. The Stars would move into Reunion Arena, built in 1980, the downtown arena already occupied by the Dallas Mavericks.

The Stars played their first game in Dallas on October 5, 1993, a 6-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Dallas was an experiment for the NHL. At that time, the Stars would be one of the three southern-most teams in the NHL, along with the newly created Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers as the NHL's first real ventures into southern non-traditional hockey markets. Though the Stars were relatively still unknown, word of the team spread rapidly, and the immediate success of the team on the ice, as well as Mike Modano's career best season (50 goals, 93 points) helped spur the team's popularity in Dallas. The Stars set franchise bests in wins (42) and points (97) in their first season in Texas, qualifying for the 1994 playoffs. The Stars further shocked the hockey world by sweeping the St. Louis Blues in the first round, but lost to the eventual Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks in the second round. The Stars' success in their first season, along with American superstar Mike Modano's spectacular on ice performances would be an integral part of the Stars' eventual franchise success in the immediate years to come.

Green, who had run into financial problems stemming from his business ventures outside of hockey, was forced to sell the team to businessman Tom Hicks in December 1995.

1995-1998: Building for a championship

The 1994-95 season was shortened by an owners' lockout. The Stars traded captain Mark Tinordi along with Rick Mrozik to the Washington Capitals before the season began for Kevin Hatcher. Long time North Stars hold-over Neal Broten was named his replacement, although he was traded too after only 17 games to the New Jersey Devils . Broten was replaced by Kevin's younger brother Derian Hatcher as team captain, a role he would serve in for the next decade. The Stars played only 48 games that season posting a record of 17-23-8. Despite the shortened season and the losing record, the Stars again made the playoffs, losing in five games to the Red Wings in the first round.

1995-96 would be the first complete season under new owner Tom Hicks. In the offseason, the Stars traded for former Montreal Canadiens' captain and three time Selke Trophy winner Guy Carbonneau who was then with the St. Louis Blues. With the Stars struggling to begin the season, GM and head coach Bob Gainey traded for center Joe Nieuwendyk from the Calgary Flames for Corey Millen and Jarome Iginla, then a Stars prospect. The Stars recorded only 11 wins in the first half of the season, and head coach Bob Gainey relinquished his coaching duties in January to be the full time General Manager for the team. The Stars soon hired Michigan K-Wings head coach Ken Hitchcock to replace him. It would be his first NHL head coaching position. The Stars traded for Benoit Hogue from Toronto late in the season, but finished in 6th place in the Central division, missing the playoffs for the first time since moving to Texas.

In the 1996 off-season, the Stars continued to revamp their roster, adding defensemen Sergei Zubov from Pittsburgh for Kevin Hatcher and Darryl Sydor from Los Angeles. Zubov would serve as the Stars #1 defenseman and powerplay quarterback until leaving the NHL in 2009. On the ice, Hitchcock's first season proved to be a good one. The Stars bested their 1994 totals posting 48 wins, and topping 100 points for the first time in franchise history. The Stars won the Central Division, their first division title since 1983-84 (when they were the Minnesota North Stars) and were seeded 2nd in the '97 Playoffs. Despite the regular season success, the youthful Stars were upset in the first round by Edmonton in seven games. Defenseman Grant Ledyard tripped in overtime of game seven allowing Todd Marchant to score the game and series winning goal on a breakaway against Andy Moog.

In the 1997 off-season, the Stars signed star goaltender Ed Belfour as a free agent after a well publicized falling out with the San Jose Sharks, who had traded a number of players to Chicago to obtain him in January in the previous season. Andy Moog was allowed to leave via free agency, but later returned to the Stars as an assistant coach. The 1997-98 season was another banner year for the Stars. The Stars again set franchise records in wins (49) and points (109). Dallas acquired Mike Keane at the deadline from the New York Rangers. The Stars won the franchise's first President's Trophy as the league's best regular season team, and the Central division for the second season in a row. Belfour set franchise season records for GAA (1.88), wins (37), and just missed out on the Jennings Trophy by one goal to Martin Brodeur (NJD). The Stars were the first overall seed for the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs and defeated the eighth seeded Sharks in six games in the first round. Notorious NHL hitman Bryan Marchment injured Joe Nieuwendyk's right knee however, and was lost for the rest of the season with torn ligaments. In the second round they again met the Edmonton Oilers, this time defeating them in five games. Without Nieuwendyk, the Stars lacked the firepower to beat the defending champion Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals, and lost in six games. The Red Wings went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Dominance in 1999, 2000, and a Stanley Cup – 2005

In the 1998 offseason, after falling just short in the Western Conference Finals, the Stars added what they believed was the final piece toward winning a championship: star goalscoring winger, Brett Hull. Hull had already had a magnificent career with the St. Louis Blues, with three consecutive 70 goal seasons and a Hart Trophy, but a fallout with management led Hull to leave the Blues for Free Agency. This was the first season for the Stars in the Pacific Division after the 1998 NHL division re-alignment.

The Stars 1998-99 season was excellent. The Stars won 51 games, surpassing the 50 win mark for the first time in franchise history. They also recorded 114 points, which still stands today as a franchise record. They won the Pacific Division by 24 points, their third consecutive division title, second consecutive President's trophy, Jennings Trophy as the league's top defensive team, and were awarded the #1 overall seed in the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger Jere Lehtinen was awarded the Selke Trophy.

In the first round of the playoffs, they faced arch-rival Edmonton. The Stars swept the Oilers in four tough games, winning game four in the third overtime on a goal by Joe Nieuwendyk. They then faced the St. Louis Blues. After taking a 2 game lead, the Blues stormed back to tie the series, 2-2. The Stars then won the next two games to beat the Blues in six games. The series again ended on an overtime goal, this time by Mike Modano. In the Conference Finals, they faced the Colorado Avalanche for the first time in Stars history. This would be the first of four playoff meetings between the Stars and Avalanche in the next 7 years. After the Avalanche won game five 7-5 taking a 3-2 series lead, The Stars rallied winning game six on the road, and game seven at home, both by 4-1 scores.

This was the Stars' first Stanley Cup Finals appearance as the Dallas Stars, although they made the finals twice as the Minnesota North Stars. They faced the Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres who had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After splitting the first four games, the Stars vaunted defense would hold the Sabres to only one goal in the next two, winning game five 2-0, and game six 2-1 on an overtime goal by Hall of Fame winger Brett Hull. Hull's goal at 14:51 of the third overtime was remembered as one of the most controversial goals ever scored. That season the NHL still had the infamous "Crease Rule" in effect, which stated that if any player of the attacking team who did not have possession of the puck was in the crease before the puck, then any resulting goal was disallowed. Hull had initially gained possession of the puck outside the crease and had made an initial shot that was blocked by the Buffalo goaltender. One of Hull's skates entered the crease as he corralled the rebound, and Hull's second shot scored the Cup-winning goal, and an immediate celebration ensued, followed by a lengthy review. After that review, the goal was allowed because having simply blocked Hull's shot rather than catching it, the Buffalo netminder never took possession of the puck away from Hull. Officials determined that rather than calling it a loose puck, Hull would be considered to have had continuous possession of the puck from before his first shot outside the crease. The complexity of the "Crease Rule," and the attendant difficulties in understanding its application by fans and players alike, combined with the controversy arising out of the disputed Cup-winning goal resulted in the crease rule being repealed the following season. Hull's goal was the 13th time a Stanley Cup winning goal was scored in overtime, and only the fourth to be scored in multiple overtimes. This was the only time between 1995 and 2003 that a team other than the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup.

The team added veterans Kirk Muller, Dave Manson, and Sylvain Cote to try to defend their Stanley Cup championship in 1999–2000. On December 31, 1999, Brett Hull scored his 600 and 601st career goals in a 5-4 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Stars won the Pacific division for the second year in a row, and were seeded #2 in the Western Conference. Dallas defeated Edmonton and San Jose in the first and second rounds in five games a piece. The Stars, for the second season in a row defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals in seven games to reach their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals where they met the New Jersey Devils. Because the Devils finished the regular season with one more point than Dallas, the Stars had to play their first playoff series without home ice advantage since 1995. The Stars lost all three games in Reunion Arena in the finals, and lost the series in game six on a double-overtime goal by New Jersey Forward Jason Arnott.

2006–07

Following the previous season's disappointing first round playoff upset at the hands of the seventh seeded Colorado Avalanche, the Stars made a number of changes during summer 2006. Former Stars goalkeeper Andy Moog was promoted to Assistant General Manager for Player Development (he kept his job as goaltending coach), and former player Ulf Dahlen was hired as an assistant coach. The Stars allowed center Jason Arnott, defenseman Willie Mitchell and goaltender Johan Hedberg to leave as free agents. Forward Niko Kapanen was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers and the remaining two years on fan-favorite right-winger Bill Guerin's contract were bought out. The Stars also received Patrik Stefan and Jaroslav Modry in the Atlanta trade, and signed Eric Lindros, Jeff Halpern, Matthew Barnaby and Darryl Sydor as free agents. Young goaltender Mike Smith was promoted to the NHL to serve as Marty Turco's backup.

Alternate logo (2004-2006), nicknamed the "Mooterus"

On September 29, 2006, Brenden Morrow was announced as new team captain, taking the "C" from Mike Modano, who had served in the role since 2003. Jere Lehtinen is the last Minnesota North Star still with the franchise, although Lehtinen never wore a Minnesota North Stars jersey; he was drafted by the club while it was still in Minnesota.

During the season, key future pieces, center Mike Ribeiro, and defenseman Mattias Norstrom were added through separate trades. Young players Joel Lundqvist, Krys Barch, Nicklas Grossmann, Chris Conner all saw significant ice time while other players were out of the lineup with injuries.

On January 24, 2007, the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the American Airlines Center. Defenseman Philippe Boucher and goaltender Marty Turco would represent the Stars as part of the Western Conference All-Star roster.

On March 13, 2007, Mike Modano scored his 500th career NHL goal, making him only the 39th player and 2nd American to ever reach 500 goals. On March 17, 2007, Modano scored his 502nd and 503rd NHL goals, breaking the record for an American-born player previously held by Joe Mullen.

The Stars qualified for the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western conference and squared off against the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs. Goaltender Marty Turco delivered three shutout wins—in games 2, 5 and 6—but the Stars' offense failed to capitalize and they lost the series in seven games. This was the third season in a row that the Stars lost in the first round.

2007–08: Stars return to playoff prominence

After starting a lackluster 7-7-3 in the 2007–08 season season, General Manager Doug Armstrong was fired by the team. He was replaced by an unusual "Co-General Manager" arrangement of former assistant GM Les Jackson and former Stars player Brett Hull. On November 8, 2007, Mike Modano became the top American born point scorer of all time finishing off a shorthanded breakaway opportunity on San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov.]

On February 26, 2008 just hours before the trade deadline, the Stars traded for All-Star center Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning for backup netminder Mike Smith, and forwards Jussi Jokinen, and Jeff Halpern. The Stars rallied to a final record of 45-30-7 and qualified for the playoffs as the fifth seed matching up with the defending champion Anaheim Ducks in the first round. After a rough end to the season, only winning two games in March of that year, the Stars shocked everyone by winning the first two games of the series in Anaheim, and then would go on to finish off the Ducks in six games, their first playoff series win since 2003. In the second round, the Stars matched up with the Pacific division champion San Jose Sharks. Once again the Stars surprised everyone by winning the first two games of the series on the road. In game two, center Brad Richards tied an NHL record by recording 4 points in the third period. The Stars would then take a 3-0 lead after a Mattias Norstrom overtime goal in game 3. Captain Brenden Morrow finished the Sharks off in game 6 with a powerplay goal nearly half way into the fourth overtime. The win sent the Stars to their first Conference Finals since 2000, and met the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings. After falling behind three games to none, the Stars made a series of it winning two games before finally being ousted by the Red Wings in six games.
From Better to Worse (2008-Present)

The 2008–09 season saw the early loss for the season of captain Brenden Morrow to an ACL tear. Off-season free agent acquisition Sean Avery caused a media uproar over comments he made to a Canadian reporter about ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert and her then-current relationship with then Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf before a game in Calgary. The incident caused the team to suspend Avery for the season; he was later waived by the Stars. That incident, plus injuries to the lineup including Brad Richards and Sergei Zubov caused the Stars to tailspin to a 12th place finish, and the first missed playoffs for Dallas since 2002.

In the wake of the season, the Stars hired a new general manager—former player and alternate captain Joe Nieuwendyk. Hull and Jackson remained with the Stars and were re-assigned to new roles within the organization. Less than a week after he was hired, Nieuwendyk fired six-season head coach Dave Tippett on June 10, 2009, and hired Marc Crawford the next day. Other off-season moves included the addition of Charlie Huddy as assistant coach in charge of defense and the promotions of Stu Barnes and Andy Moog to assistant coach.

The Stars' 2009-10 season was similar to the previous one. Inconsistent play and defensive struggles plagued the team throughout the season as they failed to adjust to Crawford's new offensively-minded system, and owner Tom Hicks' financial troubles prevented the team from spending more than $45 million on payroll, over $11 million beneath the league salary cap. The Stars failed to win more than three games in a row all season, finished in last in the Pacific Division, and repeated their 12th place conference finish from the year before with a record of 37-31-14 for 88 points.] This was the first time that they would miss the playoffs two seasons in a row since the Stars moved to Texas. In the offseason longtime goaltender Marty Turco was let go in favor of Kari Lehtonen to be the team's #1 goaltender for the future. In the last game of the season in Minnesota, Mike Modano was named the game's #1 star and skated around the rink after the game wearing his North Stars uniform, receiving a rousing ovation.

In the 2010 offseason, the Stars released Marty Turco and Mike Modano, the face of the franchise for the past two decades. Modano then signed with the Detroit Red Wings and Turco joined the Chicago Blackhawks. Winger Jere Lehtinen, who played his entire career with the Stars, announced his retirement in December 2010. The team also made key acquisitions, such as winger Adam Burish (who was on the 2010 Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks), and goalie Andrew Raycroft. They also gave Johnathan Cheechoo a try-out, but was he cut and later signed with division rival San Jose Sharks.

To begin the 2010 season, the Stars won their first three games, going 3-0-0 for the first time since the 2007-08 season by beating the New Jersey Devils in OT, New York Islanders in a shootout, and against Mike Modano and the Red Wings. During the third game against the Wings, the Stars crowd gave Modano a standing ovation as he was shown on the Jumbotron.

After a hot start to the season, the Stars dominated the first half of the season, staying on the Pacific Division lead and staying in the top three spots of the conference. It seemed like the old Stars were back, as through the first half of the season, they went 30-15-6. But after the All-Star Game, the Stars went on a landslide, going on numerous losing streaks and blowing games. Through this though, the Stars still remained in the playoff picture. On the day of the trade deadline, the Stars traded James Neal and Matt Niskanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Alex Goligoski. After an awful 2nd half, the Stars still had a chance to make the playoffs, by winning all their games in April. They won all of them except for last, as they lost to the Minnesota Wild 5-3, costing them a playoff spot.

After missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, Dallas fired coach Crawford on April 12, 2011.

On June 16, 2011, Dallas hired Glen Gulutzan to be head coach, making him the sixth coach since the franchise's move from Minnesota.

On September 21, 2011, Mike Modano announced his retirement from the NHL. It is likely that the Stars will retire his number (9) during the upcoming season.

In the spring of 2011, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, the team has been "financially managed" by the NHL for over a year.

On September 13, 2011, lenders voted to agree to have the Stars file for bankruptcy and sold at auction.

On October 22, 2011, competing bids to buy the club were due. Vancouver businessman and Kamloops Blazers owner Tom Gaglardi's bid was the only one submitted, clearing the way for him to enter the final stages of taking over ownership of the team. Gaglardi's purchase was approved by the NHL Board of Governors on November 18, 2011.

A bankruptcy court judge approved the bid for an enterprise value of $240 million. First lien creditors got about 75 cents on the dollar. The Stars lost $38 million during their the last fiscal year and $92 million over the last three seasons.

Team Information

Jerseys

The current home jersey features the player's number on the chest. The color of the home jersey has also changed from green to black. The alternate logo remains on the shoulders of the away jerseys. On November 18, 2008 the Stars unveiled a third jersey similar to their current home jersey, white, similar to the road jersey but with all the features of the home. 'Dallas' on the chest, and Stars logos on the shoulders. Prior to the 2010-11 season, the team reversed their road and alternate uniforms. The alternate uniform featuring the team crest was retired before the 2011-12 season.

Arena

The Stars played in 17,001-seat Reunion Arena from their relocation in 1993, until the club moved to the 18,500-seat American Airlines Center in 2001. It has become tradition that the fans in attendance shout "Stars!" and "Star!" during the phrasing of the words as the National Anthem is sung. Before each home game, a video package of team highlights and the pre game theme of "Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash is played. At games, as part of the entertainment, a Kahlenberg KDT-123 fog horn sounds after every Stars goal, followed by the song "The Whip" by Locksley. A song called "The Darkness Music" use to be played after nearly every away goal.The Stars had scrapped playing the Pantera fight song (Puck off, also referred to as the "Dallas Stars Fight Song") after each intermission and at the beginning and now plays it occasionally. After each Stars win the Stevie Ray Vaughan song "The House is Rockin" is played.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;

Franchise individual records
Most Goals in a season: Dino Ciccarelli; Brian Bellows, 55 (1981-82; 1989-90)
Most Assists in a season: Neal Broten, 76 (1985-86)
Most Points in a season: Bobby Smith, 114 (1981-82)
Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Basil McRae, 378 (1987-88)
Most Points in a season, defenseman: Craig Hartsburg, 77 (1981-82)
Most Points in a season, rookie: Neal Broten, 98 (1981-82)
Most Wins in a season: Marty Turco, 41 (2005-06)
Most Shutouts in a season: Marty Turco, 9 (2003-04)

Stanley Cup
1998-99

Presidents' Trophy
1997-98, 1998-99

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
1998-99, 1999-00

Conn Smythe Trophy
Joe Nieuwendyk: 1998-99

Frank J. Selke Trophy
Jere Lehtinen: 1997-98, 1998-99, 2002-03

Lester Patrick Trophy
Neal Broten: 1997-98

Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award
Ed Belfour: 1999-00
Marty Turco: 2000-01, 2002-03

William M. Jennings Trophy
Ed Belfour & Roman Turek: 1998-99