Norman N. Green (born June 12, 1934)
is a
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
developer and owner from
Calgary,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. He was an original director and one of the principal investors in
Sage Telecom
Sage Telecom, Inc was founded in 1996 as a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) reselling telecommunications primarily in rural markets served by SBC Communications. The company provided local phone service, local bundled phone service and ...
, a private, telecommunications company operating in eleven US states. He was also chairman and sole owner of Stewart, Green Properties Ltd., which owned a group of private companies specializing in the development and management of major shopping centers in Canada and the U.S., owning and operating approximately of commercial real estate. The former owner of the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
franchise, he was a member of the National Hockey League Board of Governors from 1979 to 1996, serving on all of its strategic committees.
Career
In 1979, Green joined
Harley Hotchkiss
Harley Norman Hotchkiss, (July 12, 1927 – June 22, 2011) was a Canadian business and community leader who was best known for his contributions to health and sports development in Canada. He was part of the consortium that brought the Atlanta ...
,
Norman Kwong
Norman Lim Kwong (born Kwong Lim Yew; ; October 24, 1929 – September 3, 2016) was a Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also an active businessman ...
,
Ralph Scurfield, B.J. Seaman, and
Doc Seaman
Daryl Kenneth "Doc" Seaman (28 April 1922 – 11 January 2009) was a Canadian oilman and hockey executive. Seaman was the founder, president, and chairman of Bow Valley Industries Limited, which was one of Canada's largest independent petrol ...
in buying the
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
and moving them to Calgary as 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 (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
. His name was etched on the
Stanley Cup when the Flames won it in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 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 Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
.
At the NHL's request, Green sold his stock in the Flames and bought the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
in 1990 from
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
and
Gordon Gund
Gordon Gund (born October 15, 1939) is an American businessman and professional sports owner. He is the CEO of Gund Investment Corporation. He is the former co-owner of the San Jose Sharks (National Hockey League) from 1992–2002, former princip ...
.
He was the owner of the North Stars who made the decision to move the team to
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 ...
in 1993 despite the team making a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1991.
In 1993, he moved the North Stars to Dallas, Texas, citing poor attendance in Minnesota, and the team became rechristened as the Dallas Stars.
Two years later in December 1995, amid financial problems stemming from his business ventures outside of hockey, Green was forced to sell the Dallas Stars to
Tom Hicks
Thomas Ollis Hicks Sr. (born February 7, 1946), is an American private equity investor and sports team owner living in Dallas, Texas. ''Forbes'' magazine estimated Hicks' wealth at $1 billion in 2009, but it dropped to $700 million in 2010 ...
, with the sale closing in early 1996.
When the Stars won the
Stanley Cup in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, Hicks sent Green a
championship ring
A championship ring or premiership ring is a ring presented to members of winning teams in North American professional sports leagues, and college tournaments.
Championship rings are mostly confined to North American sports. Since only one ...
in honor of his services to the franchise.
Green was chairman of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in 1977 and renovated the former Oddfellows Temple that would become the Chamber's new home. and of the Hockey Hall of Fame historical building in downtown Toronto in 1997.
Controversy
After relocating the North Stars franchise to Dallas, the team's unauthorized use of copyrighted photography owned by Minnesota photographer Frank Howard sparked a copyright infringement lawsuit that eventually led to a $65,000 settlement funded by Green.
A 1993 ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' article stated Green was much reviled in Minnesota following the decision to move the team. Green defended his decision, citing poor attendance during a string of losing seasons and the failure to reach stadium deals in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. A sexual harassment lawsuit had also been filed against Green, and his wife threatened to leave him unless he moved the team to avoid the increasing media pressure.
Other ventures
Green was an original director and one of the principal investors in Sage Telecom, a private, telecommunications company. He was a director of
TIMET and the chairman and investor in Mirage Systems, and other smaller enterprises. He has been active in philanthropic and community service activities for over 30 years. Currently, he is a member of the executive committee of the board for the Cox School of Business at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
and Woodall Rogers Park Foundation, and a board member of the Bank of America advisory board central division.
Personal life
Green was born in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
. He lives in Dallas with his wife.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Norman
1934 births
Living people
Calgary Flames owners
Dallas Stars executives
Minnesota North Stars executives
National Hockey League executives
National Hockey League owners
Sportspeople from Winnipeg