60 Fun Facts About Dallas Stars

Under what name did the franchise begin play in Bloomington in 1967?

Home games were played at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Which failing franchise merged with the North Stars in 1978?

The Barons had been the California Golden Seals; their records were retired and the Gund brothers took over.

When the NHL blocked the Gunds' move of the North Stars to the Bay Area, what did they get instead?

They were even allowed to take some North Stars players with them.

Which team beat the North Stars in the 1991 Stanley Cup Final?

Their 1981 Final appearance ended in five games against the Islanders.

Norm Green planned to move the franchise to Anaheim and rename it what, before Disney got the market?

The league asked him to cede Anaheim to Disney's Mighty Ducks and pick any other city.

Which former Cowboys quarterback convinced Norm Green that Dallas could support an NHL team?

The move was announced on March 10, 1993, and the NHL promised the Twin Cities a future team.

Which Minnesota native fittingly scored the first Stars goal in Dallas in October 1993?

It came in a 6-4 win over Detroit; Broten was later traded to New Jersey after 17 games as captain.

Which businessman bought the Stars from a cash-strapped Norm Green in December 1995?

Hicks' own financial troubles later capped payroll and led to a 2011 bankruptcy sale.

Which prospect did Dallas send to Calgary in the 1995 trade for Joe Nieuwendyk?

Corey Millen went too; Iginla became a Flames icon while Nieuwendyk won the 1999 Conn Smythe.

Ken Hitchcock coached which minor-league team before his first NHL job with Dallas in 1996?

He replaced Bob Gainey, who stayed on as full-time general manager.

Which star goalie signed with Dallas as a free agent in 1997 after a falling-out with San Jose?

He set franchise records with a 1.88 GAA and 37 wins in his first season.

Which enforcer injured Joe Nieuwendyk's knee in the 1998 playoffs, costing Dallas its top scorer?

Without him the Stars lost the conference finals to Detroit in six.

Brett Hull signed with Dallas in 1998 after a falling-out with which team's management?

He had three straight 70-goal seasons and a Hart Trophy there, and was seen as the final piece for a championship.

How many points did the 1998-99 Stars record, still a franchise record?

They won 51 games and a second straight Presidents' Trophy.

Whom did Dallas beat in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final?

The Stars held Buffalo to a single goal over the last two games.

Brett Hull's 1999 Cup-winning goal was disputed under which regulation, repealed the next season?

One of his skates was in the crease, but officials ruled he had continuous possession.

In which overtime period did Hull score the 1999 Cup winner?

It was only the fourth Cup-clinching goal ever scored in multiple overtimes.

Which Devils forward scored the double-overtime goal that beat Dallas in the 2000 Final?

Dallas later traded for Arnott himself in 2002.

Marty Turco's 1.76 goals-against average in 2002-03 was the lowest since which year?

Missing 18 games probably cost him the Vezina.

Which Anaheim goalie made 60 saves in the five-overtime 2003 playoff opener against Dallas?

Anaheim won the series in six on Sandis Ozolinsh's late goal.

Fans nicknamed the 2003-06 alternate jersey the 'Mooterus' because its crest resembled what?

It was meant to depict the constellation Taurus with a trailing green star.

Which shootout specialist went 10-for-13 for Dallas in 2005-06?

Dallas won 12 of 13 shootouts that season.

Whose American-born goals record did the Stars' franchise scoring leader break in March 2007?

Modano later passed Phil Housley as the top American-born point scorer.

Which future captain did the Stars find 129th overall in the 2007 draft?

He won the Art Ross Trophy in 2015 by a single point over John Tavares.

Which two men shared an unusual 'co-general manager' role in Dallas from 2007?

They traded for Brad Richards at the 2008 deadline.

The captain's fourth-overtime series winner against San Jose in 2008 was nicknamed what by Stars fans?

The game ended in the early hours of May 5, Cinco de Mayo.

Which free agent was suspended for the 2008-09 season after comments about ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert?

The Stars later waived him.

Which Vancouver businessman bought the bankrupt Stars in 2011 as the only bidder?

He also owns the WHL's Kamloops Blazers; a court valued the deal at $240 million.

Which star did Jim Nill acquire from Boston in 2013 for Loui Eriksson and prospects?

Rich Peverley and Ryan Button came with him; Lindy Ruff was hired the same summer.

The Stars' captain won the 2015 Art Ross Trophy by one point over which player?

His clinching secondary assist came with 8.5 seconds left in the season finale.

Why was coach Jim Montgomery fired in December 2019?

Jim Nill called it 'a material act of unprofessionalism' unrelated to players or crime; Rick Bowness took over.

Where did the Stars host the 2020 Winter Classic before 85,630 fans?

It was the second-largest crowd in NHL history; Dallas beat Nashville 4-2.

Which unlikely hero's Game 7 hat trick, including the overtime winner, beat Colorado in the 2020 bubble?

Denis Gurianov then scored the OT goal that beat Vegas in the conference finals.

Which team beat Dallas in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final?

Dallas won Game 1 4-1 before losing the series in six.

Oettinger's 64 saves in Game 7 in 2022 ranked second in playoff history behind whose 73?

Johnny Gaudreau ended it 15:09 into overtime.

Jason Robertson's 109 points in 2022-23 broke whose franchise single-season record?

Modano's 93 had stood since the club's first Dallas season in 1993-94.

The Stars captain's resurgent 78-point 2022-23 season was nicknamed what?

It was his first 75-point season since 2017-18.

Which local band's song 'Puck Off' plays when the Stars take the ice?

Its only lyrics are 'Dallas! Stars!', chanted with fists in the air.

Which Dallas-native guitarist's 'The House is a Rockin'' plays after every Stars win?

Fans also shout 'Stars!' twice during the national anthem.

The 2013 logo's letter D centring a star nods to which Dallas nickname?

'Victory Green' echoed the old North Stars shade.

Reunion Arena, the Stars' first Dallas home, was notorious for what?

It held 17,001 for hockey and was shared with the Mavericks until 2001.

How much did American Airlines pay for the naming rights to the Stars' arena in 1999?

The building itself cost $420 million and opened in July 2001.

Which long-running broadcast duo called Stars games on a TV-radio simulcast?

Dallas is one of only three NHL clubs to simulcast whole games on TV and radio.

Which Michigan town was the franchise's all-time leading scorer born in?

He grew up in Highland Township and took up skating at seven to burn off mischief.

Which WHL club did the 1988 first-overall pick play for before joining the North Stars?

He scored a hat trick in his very first game there at 16.

Which 31-year-old Soviet veteran controversially beat the North Stars' rookie centre for the 1990 Calder?

The controversy led to an age limit for the award.

Which coach was hired on June 21, 2022 as the 10th Stars head coach of the Dallas era?

Rick Bowness resigned after the 2022 first-round loss to Calgary; DeBoer's first team piled up 108 points.

In which city does the Stars' AHL affiliate, established in 2009-10, play?

The organisation's ECHL affiliate is the Idaho Steelheads in Boise; the Iowa Stars link ended in 2008.

Which former American Idol semifinalist has sung the anthems at Stars games since 2005-06?

Fans famously shout 'stars' during two lines of The Star-Spangled Banner, and a fog horn sounds after every Dallas goal.

Which Muse song plays after fans finish the announcer's 'Your Dallas Stars are on the...' call?

The crowd shouts 'power play!' to complete the line; a fog horn marks each Stars goal.

Which former Red Wings assistant GM became the Stars' 11th general manager in 2013?

He replaced the fired Joe Nieuwendyk and quickly landed Tyler Seguin from Boston in his first big trade.

Which three-time Cup winner did Dallas acquire from Chicago in 2015 along with Stephen Johns?

Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt went the other way; Sharp's teammate Johnny Oduya then signed as a free agent.

Which goalie made 52 saves in the Stars' double-overtime Game 7 loss to St. Louis in 2019?

The Blues went on to win that year's Stanley Cup; Dallas had upset the division-champion Predators in round one.

Which defending champion did the top-seeded 2024 Stars beat in seven games in the first round?

Dallas then beat Colorado in six before losing the conference final to Edmonton, also in six.

On which date have the Stars hosted a home game nearly every season since 1997?

The exceptions were two lockouts, the 2020 Winter Classic, the delayed 2020-21 season and a 2021 COVID outbreak.

Which Fort Worth-area Stars tradition sounds after every Dallas goal?

The team also plays Pantera's 'Puck Off' as its goal song, with fans chanting the two-word lyric.

Whom did the Stars beat 4-2 in the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl?

It was a rematch of the previous spring's first-round series and the first outdoor game for both clubs.

Which Stars captain suffered an ACL tear early in the 2008-09 season, hurting the team's chances?

That same season Sean Avery's comments about ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert caused a media uproar and a suspension.

Which coach was hired on June 21, 2013 and led the Stars to their first playoffs since 2008?

He was not renewed after an injury-hit 2016-17; Ken Hitchcock then returned for a single season.

The 109-point 2015-16 Stars finished runner-up for the Presidents' Trophy behind which team?

It was their first Central Division title since 1998, but they fell to St. Louis in a seven-game second round.