The Minnesota North Stars were a professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
team in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL) for 26 seasons, from
1967 to
1993. The North Stars played their home games at the
Met Center in
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 89,987, m ...
, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white. The North Stars played 2,062 regular season games and made the NHL playoffs 17 times, including two
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
appearances, but were ultimately unable to win the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
. After the 1992–93 season, the franchise moved to
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, and is now known as the
Dallas Stars.
History
Beginnings
On March 11, 1965, NHL President
Clarence Campbell announced that the league would expand to twelve teams from
six through the creation of a new six-team division for the 1967–68 season. In response to Campbell's announcement, a partnership of nine men, led by
Walter Bush, Jr.,
Robert Ridder, and John Driscoll, was formed to seek a franchise for the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
area of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
.
Their efforts were successful, as the NHL awarded one of its six expansion franchises to Minnesota on February 9, 1966.
In addition to Minnesota, the five other franchises were awarded to
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, and
St. Louis.
The expansion fee for all six new clubs was
$2 million for each team ($ in dollars).
The "North Stars" name was announced on May 25, 1966, following a public contest.
The name is derived from the state's motto "
L'Étoile du Nord
''L'Étoile du Nord'' is a French phrase meaning "The Star of the North". It is the motto of the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the only U.S. state motto in French. It was chosen by the state's first governor, Henry Hastings Sibley, and was adop ...
", which is a French phrase meaning "The Star of the North".
Months after the naming of the team, ground was broken on October 3, 1966, for a new hockey arena in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The home of the North Stars, the
Metropolitan Sports Center
The Met Center was an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north of Metropolitan Stadium, seated 15,000. It was the home of ...
, was built in 12 months at a cost of US$7 million ($ in dollars).
The arena was ready for play for the start of the
1967–68 NHL season, but portions of the arena's construction had not been completed.
Spectator seats were in the process of being installed as fans arrived at the arena for the opening home game on October 21, 1967.
Early years
On October 11, 1967, the North Stars played the first game in franchise history on the road against the
St. Louis Blues, another expansion team. The game ended in a 2–2 tie, with former
US National Team forward
Bill Masterton scoring the first goal in franchise history. On October 21, 1967, the North Stars played their first home game against the
California Seals. The North Stars won 3–1. The team achieved success early as it was in first place in the West Division halfway through the 1967–68 season.
Tragedy struck the team during the first season on January 13, 1968, when Masterton suffered a fatal hit during a game against the Seals at Met Center.
Skating towards the Seals goal across the blue line, Masterton fell backwards, hitting the back of his head on the ice, rendering him unconscious.
He never regained consciousness and died on January 15, 1968, at the age of 29, two days after the accident. Doctors described the cause of Masterton's death as a "massive brain injury".
To this date, this remains the only death to a player as a result of an injury during a game in NHL history.
The North Stars retired his jersey, and later that year, hockey writers established the
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which would be given annually to a player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Following the news of Masterton's death, the North Stars lost the next six games.
The North Stars would achieve success in their first year of existence by finishing in fourth place in the West Division with a record of 27–32–15, and advancing to the playoffs. During the 1968 playoffs, the North Stars defeated the
Los Angeles Kings in seven games after losing the first two in the series.
In the next round, the West finals, the North Stars faced the
St. Louis Blues in a series which would also go to a seventh game. Minnesota was one game away from advancing to the
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
, but in the deciding game, they lost in double overtime.
The team was led in the early years by the goaltending duo
Lorne "Gump" Worsley and
Cesare Maniago. Defenseman
Ted Harris was the North Stars'
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. The first Stars team also included high-scoring winger
Bill Goldsworthy
William Alfred Goldsworthy (August 24, 1944 – March 29, 1996) was a professional ice hockey right winger who played for three teams in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons between 1964 and 1978, mostly with the Minnesota North Stars. He re ...
and other quality players such as
Barry Gibbs
Barry Paul "Gibby" Gibbs (born September 28, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was selected first overall in the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft.
Playing career
During his NHL career, Gibbs played for the Boston Bruins, M ...
,
Jude Drouin,
J. P. Parise,
Danny Grant,
Lou Nanne,
Tom Reid and
Dennis Hextall.
The
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
(WHA) began play in 1972 with a franchise based in St. Paul, the
Minnesota Fighting Saints
The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972 to 19 ...
. While a number of exhibition games were played between teams in the two leagues, the North Stars never played their cross-town rivals. However, the competition for the hockey dollar between these two clubs was fierce.
Despite making a good account of themselves on the ice, insurmountable financial difficulties forced the Fighting Saints to fold midway through their fourth season. A second incarnation of the Fighting Saints only lasted half of the following season before folding as well.
By 1978 the North Stars had missed the playoffs in five of the previous six seasons, and had only tallied two winning seasons since joining the league. Attendance had tailed off so rapidly that the league feared that the franchise was on the verge of folding. At this point,
Gordon and
George Gund III
George Gund III (May 7, 1937 – January 15, 2013) was an American businessman and sports entrepreneur.
Gund was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 7, 1937, to Jessica Roesler and George Gund II, a powerful banker in Cleveland. A high-school dr ...
, owners of the equally strapped
Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team.
*Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978
*Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...
, stepped in with an unprecedented solution—merging the North Stars with the Barons. The merged team retained the North Stars name, colors, and history, and remained in Minnesota. However, the wealthier Gunds became majority owners of the merged team, and the North Stars moved from the then-five team
Smythe Division to assume the Barons' place in the
Adams Division (which would otherwise have been left with only three teams) for the
1978–79 season. The recently retired Nanne was named general manager, and a number of the Barons players – notably
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near ...
Gilles Meloche
Gilles Emile Meloche (born July 12, 1950) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, scout and former player. Meloche played as a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Ba ...
and forwards
Al MacAdam
Reginald Alan MacAdam (born March 16, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1973 and 1985, and was twice selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game. He is best kn ...
and
Mike Fidler
Michael Edward Fidler (born August 19, 1956) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 271 games in the National Hockey League between 1976 and 1982. He played for the Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whale ...
– bolstered the Minnesota lineup. Furthermore, Minnesota had drafted
Bobby Smith, who would go on to win the
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
as the NHL's top rookie that year, and
Steve Payne, who himself would go on to record 42 goals in his second campaign in 1979–80.
On January 15, 1979, the North Stars defeated the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden 8-1. Tim Young became the 2nd player in NHL history to score 5 goals on 5 shots - his 5-goal game remains the best offensive output by a player in the Minnesota/Dallas franchise
1980s
In the middle of this transition, a historic night awaited the North Stars. On January 7, 1980, Minnesota was scheduled to play the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
, who came to Bloomington sporting the NHL’s and major league sports’ longest undefeated streak, a 35-game run which included 25 wins and 10 ties. An all-time record Met Center crowd of 15,962 squeezed into the arena, which would remain the highest total in all 26 seasons of the North Stars franchise. Minnesota ended the Flyers' streak with a 7–1 win, seven different Stars scoring seven unanswered goals. In the quarter-final round 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs, the North Stars upset the four-time defending champion
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in seven games before ultimately bowing out to Philadelphia in the following round.
With the addition of new players such as Minnesota native and ex-
1980 Olympian Neal Broten and sniper
Dino Ciccarelli
Dino Ciccarelli (born February 8, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he ...
, the North Stars had five straight winning seasons starting in
1979–80, which included back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup semifinals, first against the Flyers in 1980 and then against the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...
in 1981. By defeating the Flames in
1981, the North Stars reached their first Stanley Cup Final, only to lose in five games to the heavily favored
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
.
On November 11, 1981, the Winnipeg Jets visited Met Center. Fueled by an 8-goal second period, and a 4-goal, 7-point night by Bobby Smith, the North Stars scored the most goals in an NHL game since 1944 in a 15-2 win
Following the 1981 NHL realignment to a more geographically grouped configuration, the North Stars found themselves placed in the
Norris Division.
Dino Ciccarelli
Dino Ciccarelli (born February 8, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he ...
scored a franchise record 55 goals in just his second season in 1981–82, leading Minnesota to its first division title. The team, however, bowed out of the playoffs in the first round against the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
.
In the summer of 1982, general manager
Lou Nanne orchestrated one of the franchise's biggest moves ever, landing a star in the making by drafting highly coveted
Brian Bellows. It paid immediate dividends, as Bellows would score 35 goals in his rookie season of
1982–83 and help the team to finish with 40 wins and 96 regular season points – both the most ever recorded in the 26 years the franchise was based in Minnesota. Once again, though, the North Stars fell in the playoffs to the
Black Hawks, this time in the second round.
Beginning in 1983–84, the team was determined to erase the failures of the previous two campaigns and came close to doing so. This was a season of change for the North Stars and their fans, as
Bill Mahoney
William Mahoney (June 23, 1939 – December 16, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He was head coach of the Minnesota North Stars from 1983 to 1985.
Born in Peterborough, Ontario, he was a star multi-sport athlete. In addition to playing ho ...
, a defensive-minded teacher of the game, took over as coach. Very early in the season, a major trade shook the organization, all of Minnesota, and the NHL. The popular Bobby Smith was shipped off to the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
for a pair of defense-minded forwards,
Keith Acton and
Mark Napier. The team posted the second-highest victory total in its history with 39, and win its second Norris Division crown in three years. Luckily for the North Stars, the Norris Division was very weak that year; they were the only team in the division to have a winning record that season.
In the playoffs, the North Stars finally defeated their rival, the Chicago Black Hawks. Minnesota won the series 3–2, then eliminated the
St. Louis Blues in seven games. Only one team remained between the North Stars’ second Stanley Cup Final appearance in four seasons:
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
's
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
. It was a tough, high-scoring series, but Edmonton's star-studded lineup proved too much for the North Stars, and the Oilers swept Minnesota in four games en route to their first
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
championship.
After 1984, the franchise only had one more winning season in Minnesota, in 1985–86. Seemingly, the franchise hit bottom in 1987–88, when it won only 19 games, still the second-fewest wins in franchise history. However, the Norris Division was so weak that year (only the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...
finished with a winning record) that they and
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
were fighting it out for the last playoff spot from the division on the last day of the season despite having the two worst records in the league. In those days, the four top teams in each division made the playoffs, regardless of record. A loss to the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...
coupled with the Leafs' win over the Red Wings not only kept the North Stars out of the playoffs, but also assured them of the worst record in the league. While the late 1980s saw the franchise draft what would turn out to be their greatest player – forward
Mike Modano – chronic attendance problems spurred the owners to threaten to move the club to the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...
, against the league’s wishes.
1990s
The NHL instituted a compromise for the
1990–91 season whereby the Gund brothers were awarded an expansion team in the Bay Area, the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...
, that would receive players from Minnesota via a
dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team ceases to exist or is merged with another team. Like most other sports drafts, most dispersal drafts are conducted in North America. ...
with the North Stars. Both the Sharks and North Stars would then be able to select players from the other twenty NHL teams in an
expansion draft. A group previously petitioning for an NHL team in the Bay Area, led by
Howard Baldwin and
Morris Belzberg
Morris Belzberg (b. September 25, 1929 - d. May 2, 2020) was a Canadian born businessman, who lived in the United States since approximately 1966. He was the former owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He won the Stanle ...
, bought the North Stars as part of the deal. Baldwin and Belzberg purchased the team from the Gund brothers for approximately $38.1 million (including $1 million in liabilities as well as giving the Gunds their share of the fees from the next three expansion teams, expected to be $7.14 million).
Norman Green, a former part-owner of the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...
and a last-minute newcomer to Baldwin and Belzberg's group, purchased 51% controlling interest in the North Stars from them, with Baldwin and Belzberg sharing the remaining 49% stake in the team. Green agreed to purchase Baldwin's 24.5% share, giving him more than 75% control of the team shortly after a dispute with Baldwin arose. Belzberg maintained his share of the rest of the team's stock until October 1990, when Green became the team's sole owner by buying Belzberg's shares.
In the 1990–91 season, despite a losing record in the regular season, the North Stars embarked on a
Cinderella run to the
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
. They knocked off the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
and
St. Louis Blues (the top two teams in the NHL during the regular season) in six games each and the defending Stanley Cup Champion
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
in five games, making it to the finals for the second time in franchise history. The team fought hard against the eventual champion
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
, led by
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the ...
. They won two out of the first three contests before being obliterated 8–0 in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series. It was the most one-sided defeat in a deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals since the original
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...
defeated the
Dawson City Nuggets 23–2 in 1905.
Following the 1991 Finals run, the North Stars adopted a new logo – the word "STARS" in italicized gold capitals over a green star with a gold outline; the gold now a more metallic shade than the previous yellowish shade. The team also adopted black as their primary color for their road uniforms, and eliminated gold from the uniform, except for the logo. Even before the logo change, it had been speculated that the North Stars would adopt a new logo following the 1990–91 season, as the future primary logo was first painted on the Met Center ice prior to the aforementioned season, albeit in a reverse color scheme than its upcoming incarnation.
To celebrate the team's 25th anniversary, the team wore a commemorative patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms. The patch depicted Bill Goldsworthy, wearing a green uniform, facing off against Mike Modano, wearing the new black uniform.
The North Stars were allowed to protect fourteen players from selection by to the Sharks as per the 1991 expansion agreement. This meant the core of their 1991 conference championship roster essentially remained intact, with the North Stars only losing four players from their NHL roster to San Jose (the Sharks' remaining selections from Minnesota were minor leaguers). As a result, while the Sharks endured the typical struggles of an expansion team and finished last overall, the North Stars actually modestly improved from the 1990–91 regular season although they nevertheless finished with another losing record. They still made the
1992 playoffs with their new look, and took a 3–2 series lead into Game 6 at the Met Center against the Norris Division champion Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings won, 1–0, in overtime after a video referee review confirmed that Sergei Fedorov had scored a goal. This was the first use of video replay in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Wings won the seventh game at home, 5–2.
Departure to Dallas
By 1992, Norm Green was arranging a deal to turn the team into the Los Angeles Stars, playing at a new arena (which is now the
Honda Center
The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League.
Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction ...
) under construction in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
. However, as
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
was already in negotiations with the NHL to create an expansion team in the area, the league instead asked Green to let Disney create the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim while the North Stars would be allowed to relocate to any city of Green's choosing. In January 1993, Green chose
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
as the new home of the franchise,
and the decision was formally announced on March 10. Several reasons were cited for the relocation, including poor attendance during a string of losing seasons, the failure to reach deals for a new arena in either Minneapolis or Saint Paul, and a sexual harassment lawsuit against Green that resulted in his wife threatening to leave him unless he moved the team. The subsequent decision to relocate the franchise to Texas made Green much reviled in Minnesota, where he derisively came to be known as "Norm Greed".
Another factor that also precipitated the move to Dallas was the fact that the team refused to play at the
Target Center
Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...
, where the NBA's
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
played, due to the fact that Coca-Cola had advertising and pouring rights at that arena. The North Stars and the Met Center had Pepsi as their sponsor. Despite that, the newly-relocated Stars did play at Target Center on December 9, 1993 against the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...
, though only 14,058 fans showed up to watch the Stars defeat the Senators 6–1.
Due to mounting financial problems resulting from poor management of his non-hockey business ventures, Green only kept the Stars for three more years before selling them to
Tom Hicks in 1996.
On the other hand, the Dallas franchise has taken some steps to mend the emotional wounds left in Minnesota. When the Dallas Stars won the 1999 Stanley Cup–three years after Green sold the team–their official video "Nothing Else Matters" not only included their past seasons' disappointments, but also paid tribute to the North Stars' 1991 run to the final, of which star
Mike Modano and general manager
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive wit ...
had been part.
Modano, who retired in 2011, was the last former North Star in the NHL, leaving the Stars franchise after the season. The last active former North Star was
Mike Craig, who played in Italy until 2013. After Modano's last game as a Dallas Star, which was in Minnesota playing the Wild, Modano came on the ice as the first star wearing a North Stars jersey, getting a standing ovation from the crowd.
With the departure of former North Stars scout
Les Jackson from the Dallas Stars franchise on June 30, 2020, there is no longer anyone working for Dallas who had a direct connection to the franchise's time in Minnesota.
Return of NHL hockey to Minnesota
NHL hockey returned to Minnesota when the NHL announced in 1997 that the state had been awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in the
2000–01 NHL season
The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, 30 teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Aval ...
. In 1998, the team name for the new franchise became the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
.
On December 17, 2000, the Wild hosted the Dallas Stars in the latter's first visit to Minnesota since the relocation (excluding the aforementioned neutral-site game at Target Center in 1993). The Wild won that game 6–0 with
Darby Hendrickson scoring two goals and
Manny Fernandez making 24 saves for a shutout. As of the 2020–21 season, the Stars won 45 of 79 meetings with the Wild, with one tie and six OT/SO losses. The two teams also faced each other in the
2016 first round of the
Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Stars prevailing in six games.
On April 4, 2017, the Wild honored the North Stars by wearing North Stars jerseys for warmups, despite the North Stars history belonging to the
Dallas Stars.
Martin Hanzal
Martin Hanzal (; born 20 February 1987) is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Amateur
As a youth, Hanzal played in ...
warmed up with number 91, as the North Stars retired number 19 in honor of
Bill Masterton.
Zach Parise also warmed up with equipment belonging to his father, the late
Jean-Paul Parise, who played for the North Stars.
An alumni game pitting the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...
against Team Minnesota took place the day prior to the
2016 NHL Stadium Series
The 2016 NHL Stadium Series (branded as the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series for sponsorship reasons) was a series of two outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) games played during the 2015–16 NHL season. The 2016 Stadium Seri ...
. Team Minnesota featured a mix of former North Stars and Wild players, and wore throwback North Stars jerseys with the former's logo on the right shoulder and the Wild logo on the left shoulder.
For the
2020–21 season, the Minnesota Wild introduced a version of the 1978 North Stars jersey, featuring a recolored Wild logo as part of the league-wide "Reverse Retro" jersey program.
Seasons and records
Season-by-season record
The team had 17 playoff appearances, a 77–82 playoff record, 2 Norris Division championships, and 2 Campbell Conference championships.
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Team leaders
;Regular season
* Games played:
Neal Broten, 876
* Goals:
Brian Bellows, 342
* Assists: Neal Broten, 547
* Points: Neal Broten, 796
* Penalty minutes:
Basil McRae
Basil Paul McRae (born January 5, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is a part owner and alternate governor of the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League and he is the director of player personnel for the Columbus Bl ...
, 1,567
* Games:
Cesare Maniago, 420
* Wins: Cesare Maniago, 145
* Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 26
;Single season
* Goals:
Dino Ciccarelli
Dino Ciccarelli (born February 8, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he ...
(1981-82) and Brian Bellows (1989-90), 55
* Assists: Neal Broten, 76 (1985-86)
* Points:
Bobby Smith, 114 (1981-82)
* Penalty minutes: Basil McRae, 382 (1987-88)
* Wins:
Jon Casey, 31 (1989-90)
* Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 6 (1967-68)
;Playoffs
* Games played: Neal Broten, 104
* Goals:
Steve Payne, 35
* Assists: Bobby Smith, 50
* Points: Brian Bellows, 83
* Penalty minutes:
Willi Plett, 201
* Games:
Gilles Meloche
Gilles Emile Meloche (born July 12, 1950) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, scout and former player. Meloche played as a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Ba ...
, 45
* Wins: Gilles Meloche and
Jon Casey, 21
* Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 3
Team scoring leaders
This is a listing of the top ten point scorers in franchise history.
''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
NHL awards and trophies
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
*
1990–91
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
*
Danny Grant:
1968–69
*
Bobby Smith:
1978–79
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
*
Al MacAdam
Reginald Alan MacAdam (born March 16, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1973 and 1985, and was twice selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game. He is best kn ...
:
1979–80
Leaders
Team captains
''Note: This list does not include
Dallas Stars,
California Golden Seals and
Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team.
*Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978
*Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...
captains''.
*
Bob Woytowich
Robert Ivan Woytowich (August 18, 1941 – July 30, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played for the National Hockey League from 1964 to 1972, and in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976.
Playing career
Woytowich star ...
1967–68
*
Elmer Vasko
Elmer "Moose" Vasko (December 11, 1935 – October 30, 1998) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks and Minnesota North Stars. He was on the Blackhawks team ...
1968–69
*
Claude Larose 1969–70
*
Ted Harris 1970–74
*
Bill Goldsworthy
William Alfred Goldsworthy (August 24, 1944 – March 29, 1996) was a professional ice hockey right winger who played for three teams in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons between 1964 and 1978, mostly with the Minnesota North Stars. He re ...
1974–76
*
Bill Hogaboam 1976–77
*
Nick Beverley
Nicholas Gerald Beverley (born April 21, 1947) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Beverley played over 500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) and later coached in both the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL). ...
1977–78
*
J. P. Parise 1978–79
*
Paul Shmyr
Paul Shmyr (January 18, 1946 – September 2, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Shmyr was one of the top defensive stars in th ...
1979–81
*
Tim Young 1981–82
*
Craig Hartsburg 1982–89
*
Brian Bellows 1984
(interim)
*
Curt Giles 1989–91
*
Mark Tinordi
Mark Douglas Tinordi (born May 9, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 12 seasons between 1987–88 and 1998–99. Tinordi became the coach of the Washington Junior Na ...
1991–93
Head coaches
*
Harry Howell, 1978–79
*
Glen Sonmor, 1978–87
*
Murray Oliver
Murray Clifford Oliver (November 14, 1937 – November 23, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach, and scout. Murray also played Minor League Baseball for the Batavia Indians, then an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
...
, 1982–83
*
Bill Mahoney
William Mahoney (June 23, 1939 – December 16, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey coach. He was head coach of the Minnesota North Stars from 1983 to 1985.
Born in Peterborough, Ontario, he was a star multi-sport athlete. In addition to playing ho ...
, 1983–85
*
Lorne Henning, 1985–87
*
Herb Brooks, 1987–88
*
Pierre Page
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
, 1988–90
*
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive wit ...
, 1990–93
Notable players
Hockey Hall of Fame
Retired numbers
These numbers remain retired with the
Dallas Stars today. In addition to Goldsworthy and Masterton, the Stars have retired the number 7 of
Neal Broten, who played with the North Stars from 1981 to 1993, and the number 9 of
Mike Modano who played from 1988 to 1993.
First round draft picks
*
1967:
Wayne Cheesman
Wayne Cheesman is a Canadian former ice hockey left winger. He was drafted 4th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft but never played in the National Hockey League, or indeed professionally at all.
After his playing ...
(fourth overall)
*
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
:
Jim Benzelock
James John Benzelock (born June 21, 1947) is a former professional ice hockey right winger. He was drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1968 NHL Amateur Draft. He never played in the National Hockey Leag ...
(fifth overall)
*
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
:
Dick Redmond
Richard John Redmond (born August 14, 1949) is a Canadian former professional National Hockey League (NHL) defenceman. He featured in the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals with the Chicago Blackhawks.
He is the son of former Allan Cup winner Eddie Redmon ...
(fifth overall)
*
1970: none
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
J ...
: none
*
1972:
Jerry Byers (12th overall)
*
1973: none
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
:
Doug Hicks
Douglas Allan Hicks (born May 28, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Minnesota North Stars, Chicago Black Hawks, Edmonton Oilers, and Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially ...
(sixth overall)
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
:
Bryan Maxwell (fourth overall)
*
1976:
Glen Sharpley
Glen Stuart Sharpley (born September 6, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 286 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars and Chicago Black Hawks. He now lives in Huntsville, Ontario
...
(third overall)
*
1977:
Brad Maxwell
Bradley Robert Maxwell (born July 8, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player renowned as a playmaking defenceman. He featured in the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals with the Minnesota North Stars.
After having won the Memorial Cup in 19 ...
(seventh overall)
*
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government).
* January 6 ...
:
Bobby Smith (first overall)
*
1979:
Craig Hartsburg (sixth overall) and
Tom McCarthy (10th overall)
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – In ...
:
Brad Palmer (16th overall)
*
1981:
Ron Meighan
Ron James Meighan (born May 26, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.
Biography
Meighan was born in Montreal, Quebec. As a youth, he played in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hoc ...
(13th overall)
*
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
:
Brian Bellows (second overall)
*
1983:
Brian Lawton
Brian Robert Lawton (born June 29, 1965) is an American former professional ice hockey player, agent and general manager, who played 483 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the 1983–84 and 1992–93 seasons. Draft ...
(first overall)
*
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
:
David Quinn (13th overall)
*
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
: none
*
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal en ...
:
Warren Babe (12th overall)
*
1987:
Dave Archibald (sixth overall)
*
1988:
Mike Modano (first overall)
*
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
:
Doug Zmolek
Douglas Allan Zmolek (born November 3, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL for eight seasons between 1992 and 2000.
Playing career
Zmolek graduated from John Marshall High School in 1989. He w ...
(seventh overall)
*
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
:
Derian Hatcher
Derian John Hatcher (born June 4, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers. ...
(eighth overall)
*
1991:
Richard Matvichuk
Richard Dorian Matvichuk (born February 5, 1973) is a Canadian former National Hockey League defenseman. He played 14 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars, and the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League.
Playing career
A ...
(eighth overall)
*
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...
: none
Logos and colors
The North Stars were known for their "classic" green and gold color scheme. For the majority of their existence, the North Stars wore white jerseys with green and gold striping at home and green jerseys with white and gold stripes on the road. Black trim was added to the white jerseys in 1981, and to the green jerseys in 1988. In 1988-89, the pants changed from green to black, with three stars on each side in place of stripes.
In 1991, black became the primary color, as the team underwent a complete redesign. The new logo and uniforms were carried over to Dallas after the team moved south.
Broadcasting
WTCN-TV Channel 11 (now
KARE
Kare or KARE may refer to:
* Kare (Žitorađa), a village in Serbia
* Kare language, several languages with the name
* Kare (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Kare Kauks (born 1961), Estonian singer
* Kåre or Ka ...
) carried North Stars games from 1967 to 1979. Usually, 27 road games and three home games were televised each season. Frank Buetel was the play-by-play announcer from 1967 to 1970. Hal Kelly took over for the next few years. followed by Joe Boyle in the mid-1970s. Boyle was joined by color commentator Roger Buxton. After the station gained
NBC affiliation in 1979, telecasts moved to
KMSP-TV (now a
Fox owned-and-operated station), with most called by
Bob Kurtz and retired North Stars defenseman
Tom Reid (incidentally, Kurtz and Reid are the Minnesota Wild's current radio announce team). KITN (now
WFTC) televised North Stars games with Frank Mazzocco on play-by-play with color commentator Wally Shaver from the 1984–85 through 1986–87 seasons. The 1987–88 season saw North Stars' games telecast over
Saint Cloud-based
UHF
Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...
station
KXLI (with Kurtz on play-by-play and former Islander goalie
Glenn "Chico" Resch on color). After Kurtz moved on to
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
-based
NESN
New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of Boston Red S ...
in the summer of 1988, Doug McLeod joined Resch in the broadcast booth beginning with the 1988–89 season. The North Stars' telecasts returned to KMSP in December 1988. The majority of the road games continued to be shown on KMSP, though late in the season some road games were shown on the premium channel
Midwest Sports Channel
Bally Sports North is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as a Bally Sports affiliate. The channel broadcasts coverage of sporting events involving teams located in the Upper Midwest region, with a fo ...
. For the 1989–90 season, Tom Reid joined McLeod in the booth, replacing Resch as color analyst. The 1990–91 season saw first
Lou Nanne, then
Dave Maloney, and then again, for the playoffs, Nanne paired with McLeod for television broadcasts on both of these same channels. Telecasts were almost exclusively of North Stars' road games, although a handful of home games were televised during that period of time. The
1991 Stanley Cup Finals run saw home games available only on
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...
and not available to most hockey fans in Minnesota.
Dave Hodge handled TV play-by-play, partnering with color analyst
Joe Micheletti
Joseph Robert Micheletti (born October 24, 1954) is an American ice hockey analyst and reporter, and a former defenseman who played in 142 World Hockey Association (WHA) games with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, ...
in the 1991–92 season.
North Stars radio broadcasts originated from
WCCO Radio
WCCO (830 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located on Second Avenue South in Downtown Minneapolis. WCCO features a talk radio format, with frequent newscasts ...
from 1967 to 1978, then moved to another Twin Cities-based
clear-channel station
A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-co ...
,
KSTP, where radio broadcasts stayed until the team moved to Dallas in 1993, save a few seasons on a 5,000-watt radio station,
WAYL
WAYL (91.9 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to St. Augustine, Florida. The station is currently owned by Delmarva Educational Association and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format using the moniker "The Truth." It is simulcast on ...
.
Al Shaver was the play-by-play radio announcer throughout the Stars' stay in Minnesota.
During the WCCO era, Shaver was joined for many home games by WCCO's Larry Jagoe in the early seasons, followed by WCCO personality
Steve Cannon. Shaver's partners on KSTP were Russ Small,
Ted Robinson, and (during the last three seasons) former Dallas Stars announcer
Ralph Strangis
Ralph Strangis is a 7-time Emmy Award winning NHL play-by-play broadcaster who began calling NHL hockey in 1990-91 with the Minnesota North Stars, working alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Shaver. Strangis relocated to Dallas with the Stars ...
. During the Stars' final season (1992–93), Shaver and Strangis called games on KMSP, while the Stars' cable TV game announcer, Doug McLeod, called games over KSTP and the Stars' radio network.
Shaver is a ten-time Minnesota Sportscaster of the Year and, as the 1993
Foster Hewitt Memorial Award-winner, a member of the
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame (french: Temple de la renommée du hockey) is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) rec ...
.
Following the team's departure to Dallas, he called
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
Golden Gophers hockey games until his retirement in 1996.
It was on the night of the Stars' final game at
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...
versus the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...
that Shaver first shared the broadcast booth with his son, Wally, who is the current Gopher hockey radio announcer. The elder Shaver's call of the closing moments of the last-ever North Stars game went thus:
Radio
Al Shaver did all radio play-by-play except in 1992–93, when he did radio play-by-play on non televised games. He also missed some games when he did the
high school hockey tournament in a number of years. Shaver's replacements were
Bob Kurtz (1979–80),
Ted Robinson (1980–81 and 1981–82), Frank Mazzocco (1986–87),
Ralph Strangis
Ralph Strangis is a 7-time Emmy Award winning NHL play-by-play broadcaster who began calling NHL hockey in 1990-91 with the Minnesota North Stars, working alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Al Shaver. Strangis relocated to Dallas with the Stars ...
(1990–91). In 1992–93, Doug McLeod did radio play-by-play on televised games with various analysts including
Doug Woog,
Tom Vannelli, and Wally Shaver.
Shaver did not follow the North Stars when they moved to
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
in 1993, opting to stay in the
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
. He called
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
men's hockey for several seasons, then retired in 1996. Shaver came out of retirement for one season in 2000, when the NHL returned to Minnesota with the debut of the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
, calling their games during their inaugural season in 2000-01.
After retiring as a player, Reid spent 12 years as color commentator for the North Stars. After the team's move to Dallas, Reid continued as an analyst for NCAA hockey. He and
Bob Kurtz have been part of the radio broadcast team for the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
since the team's inaugural season in 2000.
Although Strangis had a great deal of broadcast experience, his tryout as color commentator on the Minnesota North Stars radio network was a longshot; other better-known sportscasters received more air time during the auditioning process. The five potential candidates split up a game as guest commentators alongside
Al Shaver, then voice of the Minnesota North Stars. The two better-known talents each took a period and then the three longshots split up the third, with Strangis going last. When Al Shaver was asked who he liked the best, he chose Strangis. Ralph shone in his audition, with the perfect ability to complement Shaver's play-by-play with insights from the players and his own intimate knowledge of the game. When the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, Shaver decided to not to migrate south with the franchise and retired. After three more seasons as color commentator (teaming with Mike Fornes), Strangis migrated to the play-by-play mic, effectively cementing his status as the "Voice of the Stars."
Television
In 1979, Kurtz joined
KMSP-TV, where he called Minnesota Twins games from 1979–1986 and Minnesota North Stars games from 1979–1984. He was also the North Stars play by play announcer on
KXLI-TV during the
1987–88 NHL season. From 1988–1989, he was the sports director at
KSTP radio, where he also called
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
hockey, football and basketball.
Kurtz returned to Minnesota in 2000 when he was hired to become the first radio play by play announcer for the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
. He was reunited with
Tom Reid, who he previously worked with while calling games for the North Stars as well as University of Minnesota and Michigan State hockey broadcasts.
See also
*
List of Minnesota North Stars players
*
List of Minnesota North Stars draft picks
*
Dallas Stars
*
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
*
California Seals
*
Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team.
*Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978
*Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...
*
List of defunct NHL teams
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional men's ice hockey league, founded in 1917. The NHL Board of Governors review and approve the relocation of any member club. Each team appoints an individual or individuals to represent their tea ...
*
1967 NHL expansion
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
{{authority control
Defunct ice hockey teams in Minnesota
Defunct National Hockey League teams
National Hockey League in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Ice hockey clubs established in 1967
Sports clubs disestablished in 1993
Sports in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Ice hockey in Minnesota
1967 establishments in Minnesota
1993 disestablishments in Minnesota