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Houston Aeros (WHA)

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The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1978.

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119-511: The Aeros were originally slated to play in Dayton, Ohio , as a charter member of the WHA. However, Dayton residents were indifferent at best to a WHA team, and while there were questions regarding whether a U.S. market with less than a million people and a stagnating economy would support a major league hockey franchise in the long term, the more critical short-term problem was that Dayton did not have

238-617: A logistics hub. The city is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , a significant contributor to research and development in the industrial, aeronautical , and astronautical engineering fields. Along with defense and aerospace, healthcare accounts for much of the Dayton area's economy. Significant institutions in Dayton include the Air Force Institute of Technology , Carillon Historical Park , Dayton Art Institute , Dayton Performing Arts Alliance , National Museum of

357-697: A 15–2 win. Following the 1981 NHL realignment to a more geographically grouped configuration, the North Stars were in the Norris Division . Ciccarelli scored a franchise record 55 goals in just his second season in 1981–82, leading Minnesota to its first division title. The team bowed out of the playoffs in the first round against the Chicago Black Hawks . In the summer of 1982, general manager Lou Nanne drafted Brian Bellows , who scored 35 goals in his rookie season of 1982–83 , when

476-539: A complete redesign. The new logo and uniforms were carried over to Dallas after the team moved south. The team had 17 playoff appearances, a 77–82 playoff record, two Norris Division championships, and one Campbell Conference championship. Players These numbers remain retired with the Dallas Stars . In addition to Goldsworthy and Masterton, the Stars have retired the number 7 of Neal Broten , who played with

595-680: A direct connection to the franchise's time in 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 . In 1998, the team name for the new franchise became the Minnesota Wild . On December 17, 2000, the Wild hosted the Dallas Stars in the latter's first visit to Minnesota since

714-472: A former part-owner of the Calgary Flames 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. 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

833-658: A franchise based in St. Paul, the Minnesota Fighting Saints . While a number of exhibition games were played between teams in the two leagues, the North Stars never played their cross-town rivals. But 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

952-664: 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. By 1992, Norman 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 ) under construction in Anaheim, California . However, as The Walt Disney Company was already in negotiations with the NHL to create an expansion team in

1071-436: A male householder with no spouse present, and 38.2% had a female householder with no spouse present. 47.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95, and the average family size was 2.83. 18.9% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 65.0% were 18 to 64, and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age

1190-555: A manufacturing boom throughout the city, including high-demand for housing and other services. At one point, emergency housing was put into place due to a housing shortage in the region, much of which is still in use today. Alan Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. He visited the National Cash Register (NCR) company in Dayton in December 1942. He

1309-454: A park. The Old Court House has been a favored political campaign stop. On September 17, 1859, Abraham Lincoln delivered an address on its steps. Eight other presidents have visited the courthouse, either as presidents or during presidential campaigns: Andrew Johnson , James Garfield , John F. Kennedy , Lyndon B. Johnson , Richard Nixon , Gerald Ford , Ronald Reagan , and Bill Clinton . The Dayton Arcade , which opened on March 3, 1904,

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1428-545: A part of the local industry that was expanding rapidly. Advancements in architecture also contributed to the suburban boom. New, modernized shopping centers and the Interstate Highway System allowed workers to commute greater distances and families to live further from the downtown area. More than 127,000 homes were built in Montgomery County during the 1950s. During this time, the city was

1547-618: A pleasure knowing you, Minnesota's loss is definitely a gain for Dallas – and a big one. We thank you, though, from the bottoms of our hearts, for all the wonderful nights at Met Center , when you've given us so much entertainment and you've been such a credit to the community in which you played. We will still remember you as the Minnesota North Stars. Good night, everybody. And goodbye." 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

1666-633: A proposal from the owners of the Minnesota North Stars to buy the Barons franchise and "merge" it with their own. Having run out of options, Schnitzer folded the Aeros on July 9, 1978. In doing so, the Aeros became the only WHA champion that did not eventually join the NHL. Bill Dineen was the Aeros' head coach during their entire stay in the WHA. Among the players for the Aeros were Gordie Howe and his two sons Mark and Marty , who became

1785-463: A restaurant or a shopping center downtown, people crowded around, saying that they were praying for us. Warren Christopher was given at least one standing ovation in a restaurant. Families on the airbase placed "candles of peace" in their front windows, and people gathered in peace vigils outside the base. One day they formed a "peace chain," although it was not large enough to surround the sprawling eight-thousand-acre base. Ohio's famous ethnic diversity

1904-663: A series that also went seven games. Minnesota was one game away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals but lost the deciding game 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 . The first Stars team also included high-scoring winger Bill Goldsworthy and other quality players such as Barry Gibbs , Jude Drouin , J. P. Parise , Danny Grant , Lou Nanne , Tom Reid and Dennis Hextall . The World Hockey Association (WHA) began play in 1972 with

2023-464: A suitable arena. The largest arena in the city, the University of Dayton Arena , did not have an ice plant and the university balked at the cost of installing one. The largest hockey venue, Hara Arena , seated only 5,000 people—not enough even for temporary use. Due to these problems, owner Paul Deneau moved the team to Houston, Texas . Although the Aeros name had originally been chosen in honor of

2142-489: A version of the 1978 North Stars jersey, featuring a recolored Wild logo as part of the league-wide "Reverse Retro" jersey program. In the 2022–23 season , a green version of the "Reverse Retro" jersey was used. The Wild's green "Reverse Retro" jersey was subsequently promoted to a full-time third jersey as "The 78s" alternate uniform, adding the recolored "State of Hockey" patch on the shoulders. The North Stars were known for their "classic" green and gold color scheme. For

2261-576: Is a city in Montgomery and Greene counties in the U.S. state of Ohio . As of the 2020 census , the city proper had a population of 137,644, making it the sixth-most populous city in Ohio. It anchors the state's fourth-largest metropolitan area, the Dayton metropolitan area , which had 814,049 residents. Dayton is located within Ohio's Miami Valley region, 50 miles (80 km) north of Cincinnati and 60 miles (97 km) west of Columbus . It

2380-442: Is also a large area that encompasses several neighborhoods itself and has seen a recent uplift and revival. Dayton's suburbs with a population of 10,000 or more include Beavercreek , Centerville , Clayton , Englewood , Fairborn , Harrison Township , Huber Heights , Kettering , Miami Township , Miamisburg , Oakwood , Riverside , Springboro , Trotwood , Vandalia , Washington Township , West Carrollton , and Xenia . In

2499-422: Is land and 0.85 square miles (2.20 km ) is water. Dayton's climate features warm, muggy summers and cold, dry winters, and is classified as a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ). Unless otherwise noted, all normal figures quoted within the text below are from the official climatology station, Dayton International Airport, at an elevation of 1,000 ft (304.8 m) about 10 mi (16 km) to

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2618-502: Is subject to severe weather typical of the Midwestern United States. Tornadoes are possible from the spring to the fall. Floods, blizzards, and severe thunderstorms can also occur. On Memorial Day of 2019, Dayton suffered extensive property damage and one death during a tornado outbreak , in which a total of 15 tornadoes touched down in the Dayton area. Although some of the tornadoes were only EF0 and remained on

2737-571: Is the county seat of Montgomery County. Dayton was founded in 1796 along the Great Miami River and named after Jonathan Dayton , a Founding Father who owned a significant amount of land in the area. It grew in the 19th century as a canal town and was home to many patents and inventors , most notably the Wright brothers , who developed the first successful motor-operated airplane . It later developed an industrialized economy and

2856-596: Is to be implemented through the year 2020. Dayton is known as the "Gem City". The nickname's origin is uncertain, but several theories exist. In the early 19th century, a well-known racehorse named Gem hailed from Dayton. In 1845, an article published in the Cincinnati Daily Chronicle by an author known as T stated: In a small bend of the Great Miami River, with canals on the east and south, it can be fairly said, without infringing on

2975-605: The CareSource Management Group finished construction of a $ 55 million corporate headquarters in downtown Dayton. The 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m ), 10-story building was downtown's first new office tower in more than a decade. Dayton's two tallest buildings are the Kettering Tower at 408 ft (124 m) and the KeyBank Tower at 385 ft (117 m). Kettering Tower

3094-744: The Chicago Cougars and in 1975 over the Quebec Nordiques , winning both series in four-game sweeps; and lost in the 1976 AVCO finals to the Winnipeg Jets, also in a sweep. In 1977, John Ziegler became president of the WHA's established rival, the National Hockey League , and shortly thereafter, initiated the first serious merger discussions with the WHA. Houston, along with Cincinnati , Winnipeg , New England , Quebec , and Edmonton applied for entry into

3213-586: The Dayton Agreement , a peace accord between the parties to the hostilities of the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the former Yugoslavia , was negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , near Fairborn, Ohio, from November 1 to 21. Richard Holbrooke wrote about these events in his memoirs: There was also a real Dayton out there, a charming Ohio city, famous as the birthplace of the Wright brothers . Its citizens energized us from

3332-578: The Edmonton Oilers in four games. After 1984, the franchise only had one more winning season in Minnesota, in 1985–86. In 1987–88, it won 19 games, the second-fewest wins in franchise history. A loss to the Calgary Flames coupled with the Leafs' win over the Red Wings not only kept the North Stars out of the playoffs, but also with the worst record in the league. Chronic attendance problems led

3451-539: The Great Blizzard of 1899 . On average, there are 14 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs and 4.5 nights of sub-0 °F (−18 °C) lows annually. Snow is moderate, with a normal seasonal accumulation of 23.3 in (59 cm), usually occurring from November to March, occasionally April, and rarely October. Precipitation averages 41.1 inches (1,040 mm) annually, with total rainfall peaking in May. Dayton

3570-484: The National Park Service , citing information from the U.S. Patent Office , Dayton had granted more patents per capita than any other U.S. city in 1890 and ranked fifth in the nation as early as 1870. The Wright brothers , inventors of the airplane, and Charles F. Kettering , world-renowned for his numerous inventions, hailed from Dayton. The city was also home to James Ritty 's Incorruptible Cashier,

3689-724: The Schuster Center , opened in 2003. A large health network in the region, Premier Health Partners , expanded its Miami Valley Hospital with a 12-story tower addition. In 2010, the Downtown Dayton Partnership, in cooperation with the City of Dayton and community leaders, introduced the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. It focuses on job creation and retention, infrastructure improvements, housing, recreation, and collaboration. The plan

Houston Aeros (WHA) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3808-599: The St. Louis Blues , another expansion team. The game was 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, reaching first place in the West Division halfway through the 1967–68 season. Tragedy struck

3927-551: The Wright brothers , it was deemed appropriate for Houston given the importance of the space industry. In Houston, the Aeros became one of the most successful franchises in the WHA. They won four consecutive Western Division titles, from 1973–74 to 1976–77 seasons, and finished second in the Western Division in 1972–73 and third in the league in 1977–78 . They won the AVCO World Trophy in 1974 over

4046-439: 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 (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 in 1993, opting to stay in

4165-488: The 1800s. Innovation led to business growth in the region. In 1884, John Henry Patterson acquired James Ritty's National Manufacturing Company along with his cash register patents and formed the National Cash Register Company (NCR). The company manufactured the first mechanical cash registers and played a crucial role in the shaping of Dayton's reputation as an epicenter for manufacturing in

4284-399: 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 its primary color for its road uniforms, and eliminated gold from the uniform, except for the logo. Even before the logo change, it had been speculated that

4403-531: The 1991–92 season. North Stars radio broadcasts originated from WCCO Radio from 1967 to 1978, then moved to another Twin Cities-based clear-channel station , 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 . Al Shaver was the play-by-play radio announcer throughout the Stars' stay in Minnesota. During the WCCO era, Shaver

4522-685: The Army purchased 40 acres adjacent to Huffman Prairie for the Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. As airplanes developed more capability, they needed more runway space than McCook could offer, and a new location was sought. The Patterson family formed the Dayton Air Service Committee, Inc which held a campaign that raised $ 425,000 in two days and purchased 4,520.47 acres (18.2937 km ) northeast of Dayton, including Wilbur Wright Field and

4641-408: The Dayton area: downy woodpecker , Carolina chickadee , tufted titmouse , brown creeper , cardinal , junco , tree sparrow , song sparrow and crow . Unlike many Midwestern cities its age, Dayton has very broad and straight downtown streets (generally two or three full lanes in each direction) that improved access to the downtown even after the automobile became popular. The main reason for

4760-872: The Dayton-Wright Airplane Company in Moraine and established a flying field. Deeds also opened a field to the north in the flood plain of the Great Miami River between the confluences of that river, the Stillwater River, and the Mad River, near downtown Dayton. Later named McCook Field for Alexander McDowell McCook, an American Civil War general, this became the Army Signal Corps' primary aviation research and training location. Wilbur Wright also purchased land near Huffman prairie to continue their research. During World War I,

4879-486: The Fighting Saints lasted only half of the next season before also folding. 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 , owners of the equally strapped Cleveland Barons , stepped in with an unprecedented solution—merging

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4998-547: The Flyers in 1980 and against the Calgary Flames in 1981. By defeating the Flames in 1981 , the North Stars reached their first Stanley Cup Finals . They lost in five games to the heavily favored New York Islanders . On November 11, 1981, the Winnipeg Jets visited Met Center. Fueled by an eight-goal second period, and a four-goal, seven-point night by Bobby Smith, the North Stars scored the most goals in an NHL game since 1944 in

5117-693: The Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Wright Field was "formally dedicated" on October 12, 1927. After World War II, Wright Field and the adjacent Patterson Field, Dayton Army Air Field, and Clinton Army Air Field were merged as the Headquarters, Air Force Technical Base. On January 13, 1948, the facility was renamed Wright-Patterson Air Force Base . A catastrophic flood in March 1913, known as the Great Dayton Flood , led to

5236-550: The Minnesota Wild's current radio announce team). KITN (now WFTC ) televised North Stars games with Frank Mazzocco on play-by-play with color commentators Fred Barrett , Roger Buxton, and Wally Shaver from the 1984–85 through 1986–87 seasons. The 1987–88 season saw North Stars' games telecast over Saint Cloud -based UHF station KXLI (with Kurtz on play-by-play and former Islander goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch on color). After Kurtz moved on to Massachusetts -based NESN in

5355-472: The NHL playoffs 17 times, including two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, but were unable to win the Stanley Cup . After the 1992–93 season, the franchise moved to Dallas , and the team was renamed the Dallas Stars . On March 11, 1965, NHL President Clarence Campbell announced that the league would expand to 12 teams from six by creating a new six-team division for the 1967–68 season. In response to

5474-407: The NHL's and major league sports’ longest undefeated streak, a 35-game run of 25 wins and 10 ties. An all-time record Met Center crowd of 15,962 squeezed into the arena, which remained the highest total in all 26 seasons of the North Stars franchise. Minnesota ended the Flyers' streak with a 7–1 win. Seven different North Stars scored seven unanswered goals. In the quarterfinals of the 1980 playoffs ,

5593-475: The NHL. After a lengthy debate, NHL owners voted the proposal down. Merger discussions resumed in 1978, and it again appeared that the Aeros, as one of the league's strongest teams, were an obvious candidate to join the NHL. Unfortunately for Houston, by this time Ziegler realized NHL owners would never vote to admit six teams and floated a proposal that would admit four WHA franchises. The WHA responded by insisting that all three of its Canadian teams be included in

5712-652: The North Stars defeated the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, 8–1. Tim Young became the second player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots. His five-goal game remains the best offensive output by a player in the Minnesota/Dallas franchise. 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 , who came to Bloomington with

5831-651: The North Stars from 1981 to 1993, and the number 9 of Mike Modano who played from 1988 to 1993. Note: This list does not include Dallas Stars , California Golden Seals and Cleveland Barons captains . Clarence S. Campbell Bowl Calder Memorial Trophy Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 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 WTCN-TV Channel 11 (now KARE ) carried North Stars games from 1967 to 1979. Usually, 27 road games and three home games were televised each season. Frank Buetel

5950-413: The North Stars upset the four-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens in seven games before bowing out to Philadelphia in the next round. With the addition of new players such as Minnesota native and 1980 Olympian Neal Broten and sniper Dino Ciccarelli , the North Stars had five straight winning seasons starting in 1979–80 , which included back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup semifinals, against

6069-540: The North Stars with the Barons. The merged team retained the North Stars name, colors, and history, and remained in Minnesota. But the wealthier Gunds became majority owners of the merged team, and the North Stars moved from the then five-team Smythe Division to 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

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6188-512: 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 before the aforementioned season, albeit in a reverse color scheme from its upcoming incarnation. To celebrate the team's 25th anniversary, the team wore a commemorative patch on the left shoulder of its uniforms. The patch depicted Bill Goldsworthy, wearing a green uniform, facing off against Mike Modano, wearing

6307-468: The North Stars. An alumni game pitting the Chicago Blackhawks against Team Minnesota took place the day prior to the 2016 NHL Stadium Series . 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

6426-481: The Ohio Valley's history. Two other groups traveling overland arrived several days later. The oldest surviving building is Newcom Tavern , which was used for various purposes, including housing Dayton's first church , which is still in existence. In 1797, Daniel C. Cooper laid out Mad River Road , the first overland connection between Cincinnati and Dayton, opening the "Mad River Country" to settlement. Ohio

6545-568: The Sharks endured the typical struggles of an expansion team and finished last overall, the North Stars modestly improved from the 1990–91 regular season though still finishing with a losing record. They made the 1992 playoffs and took a 3–2 series lead into game six 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

6664-528: 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

6783-487: The Stars prevailed over the Wild in both series. 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 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

6902-619: 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 . Following the team's departure to Dallas, he called University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey games until his retirement in 1996. It was on the night of the Stars' final game at Joe Louis Arena versus the Detroit Red Wings that Shaver first shared

7021-604: The United States Air Force , and University of Dayton . Dayton was founded on April 1, 1796, by 12 settlers known as the Thompson Party. They traveled in March from Cincinnati up the Great Miami River by pirogue and landed at what is now St. Clair Street, where they found two small camps of Native Americans . Among the Thompson Party was Benjamin Van Cleve, whose memoirs provide insights into

7140-402: The Wrights returned to Dayton and continued testing at nearby Huffman Prairie . Additionally, Dayton is colloquially referred to as "Little Detroit". This nickname comes from Dayton's prominence as a Midwestern manufacturing center. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 56.50 square miles (146.33 km ), of which 55.65 square miles (144.13 km )

7259-458: The 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 area of Minnesota . Their efforts were successful, as the NHL awarded one of its six expansion franchises to Minnesota on February 9, 1966. The five other franchises were awarded to Oakland , Los Angeles , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , and St. Louis . The expansion fee for each new team

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7378-434: The annual, hemisphere-wide Christmas Bird Count . The Chapter began participation in the National Count in 1924. The local Count was initially coordinated by Ben Blincoe, who was succeeded by Jim Hill in 1970. In the mid-1960s, the freezing of Lake Erie and associated marshlands led species of waterfowl to appear in the Dayton-area, where surface waters remained unfrozen. Nine varieties of birds have been observed every year in

7497-417: 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 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,

7616-488: The broad streets was that Dayton was a marketing and shipping center from its beginning; streets were broad to enable wagons drawn by teams of three to four pairs of oxen to turn around. Also, some of today's streets were once barge canals flanked by draw-paths. A courthouse building was built in downtown Dayton in 1888 to supplement Dayton's original Neoclassical courthouse, which still stands. This second, "new" courthouse has since been replaced with new facilities as well as

7735-486: 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: "It's Ludwig , giving it to Dahlen ... 4, 3, 2, 1 ... and it's all over. The Stars lose it here, 5–3, and now it's pack-'em up time and on to Dallas . We wish them good luck. And to all the North Stars over the past 26 years, we say thank you, all of you, for so much fine entertainment. It's been

7854-654: The city's rental vacancy rate and thus increase the occupancy rate. Dayton's ten historic neighborhoods— Oregon District , Wright Dunbar , Dayton View , Grafton Hill , McPherson Town , Webster Station , Huffman , Kenilworth , St. Anne's Hill , and South Park —feature mostly single-family houses and mansions in the Neoclassical, Jacobethan , Tudor Revival , English Gothic , Chateauesque , Craftsman , Queen Anne , Georgian Revival , Colonial Revival , Renaissance Revival Architecture, Shingle Style Architecture, Prairie , Mission Revival , Eastlake/Italianate , American Foursquare , and Federal styles. Downtown Dayton

7973-425: The creation of the Miami Conservancy District , a series of dams as well as hydraulic pumps installed around Dayton, in 1914. Like other cities across the country, Dayton was heavily involved in the war effort during World War II. Several locations around the city hosted the Dayton Project , a branch of the larger Manhattan Project , to develop polonium triggers used in early atomic bombs. The war efforts led to

8092-413: The early 1900s. In 1906, Charles F. Kettering , a leading engineer at the company, helped develop the first electric cash register, which propelled NCR into the national spotlight. NCR also helped develop the US Navy Bombe , a code-breaking machine that helped crack the Enigma machine cipher during World War II . Dayton has been the home for many patents and inventions since the 1870s. According to

8211-415: 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

8330-458: The federal government's National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970 , funding was provided for thirteen "new towns" or planned cities throughout the country. One location was set to become a suburb of Dayton and was known variously as Brookwood or Newfields. The goal was to have an entirely new suburb that would eventually house about 35,000 residents. The new town was to be located between Trotwood and Brookville, and modeled on

8449-605: The final series of talks, it soon became evident that no merger of any sort would take place in time for the 1978–79 NHL season . It was also apparent that when there was a merger, the Aeros were not likely to be included. Schnitzer announced that the Aeros would not take part in the 1978–79 WHA season . He first applied for direct admission to the NHL, only to find the older league uninterested in such an expansion with so many of its existing franchises struggling. Finally, Schnitzer campaigned to be allowed to purchase an existing club and relocate it to Houston. The obvious candidate to move

8568-579: The finals for the second time in franchise history. The team fought hard against the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins , led by Mario Lemieux . They won two out of the first three contests before being obliterated 8–0 in game six of the best-of-seven series. It was the most lopsided defeat in a deciding game of the Stanley Cup Finals since the original Ottawa Senators defeated the Dawson City Nuggets 23–2 in 1905. Following

8687-519: The first father/son combination to play together in professional hockey. When Mark Howe retired as a member of the Detroit Red Wings (his father's old team) in 1995, he was the last member of the Houston Aeros to be playing in the NHL. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes Dayton, Ohio Dayton ( / ˈ d eɪ t ən / )

8806-479: The first flight was in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina , their Wright Flyer was built in and returned to Dayton for improvements and further flights at Huffman Field , a cow pasture eight miles (13 km) northeast of Dayton, near the current Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. When the government tried to move development to Langley field in southern Virginia, six Dayton businessmen including Edward A. Deeds, formed

8925-452: The first mechanical cash register, and Arthur E. Morgan 's hydraulic jump, a flood prevention mechanism that helped pioneer hydraulic engineering . Paul Laurence Dunbar , an African-American poet and novelist, penned his most famous works in the late 19th century and became an integral part of the city's history. Powered aviation began in Dayton. Orville and Wilbur Wright were the first to construct and demonstrate powered flight. Although

9044-563: The following excerpt: She shall ever claim our duty, For she shines—the brightest gem That has ever decked with beauty      Dear Ohio's diadem. Dayton also plays a role in a nickname given to the state of Ohio, "Birthplace of Aviation." Dayton is the hometown of the Wright brothers , aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing and building the first practical airplane in history. After their first manned flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina , which they had chosen due to its ideal weather and climate conditions,

9163-634: The ground for less than a mile, one was an EF4 measuring a half-mile-wide (805 meters), which tore through the communities of Brookville, Trotwood, Dayton, Northridge, and Riverside. Several streets were closed, including portions of I-75 and North Dixie Drive in Northridge. 64,000 residents lost power and much of the region's water supply was cut off. The Dayton Audubon Society is the National Audubon Society 's local chapter. The Dayton chapter manages local activities contributing to

9282-418: The ideas of Ian McHarg . The project was abandoned in 1978 and most of the land became Sycamore State Park . Dayton's city proper population declined significantly from a peak of 262,332 residents in 1960 to 137,644 residents in 2020. This was in part due to the slowdown of the region's manufacturing sector. The metropolitan area as a whole has experienced both population growth and decreases since 1960, with

9401-517: The loss of manufacturing jobs and decentralization of metropolitan areas, as well as the national housing crisis that began in 2008. While much of the state has suffered for similar reasons, the impact on Dayton has been greater than most. Dayton had the third-greatest percentage loss of population in the state since the 1980s, behind Cleveland and Youngstown. Despite this, Dayton has begun diversifying its workforce from manufacturing into other growing sectors such as healthcare and education. In 1995,

9520-415: 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

9639-532: The merger. This left room for only one American team. The Aeros and Whalers were the only serious contenders, as they were the most stable of the American teams. Aeros owner Kenneth Schnitzer attempted to persuade Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs to support a merger that included the Aeros and not the Hartford-based Whalers. However, Jacobs, as one of the older league's most hard-line owners,

9758-401: The new black uniform. Per the 1991 expansion agreement, the North Stars were allowed to protect fourteen players from selection by the Sharks. This meant the core of their 1991 conference championship roster essentially remained intact, with the team losing only four players from its NHL roster to San Jose (the Sharks' remaining selections from Minnesota were minor-leaguers). As a result, while

9877-520: The next six games. The North Stars achieved success in their first year of existence by finishing fourth 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

9996-606: The north of downtown Dayton, which lies within the valley of the Miami River ; thus temperatures there are typically cooler than in downtown. At the airport, monthly mean temperatures range from 27.5 °F (−2.5 °C) in January to 74.1 °F (23.4 °C) in July. The highest temperature ever recorded in Dayton was 108 °F (42 °C) on July 22, 1901, and the coldest was −28 °F (−33 °C) on February 13 during

10115-486: The only death of 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

10234-570: The other 20 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 , bought the North Stars as part of the deal. Baldwin and Belzberg purchased the team from the Gunds 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 ,

10353-429: The outset. Unlike the population of, say, New York City, Geneva or Washington , which would scarcely notice another conference, Daytonians were proud to be part of history. Large signs at the commercial airport hailed Dayton as the "temporary center of international peace." The local newspapers and television stations covered the story from every angle, drawing the people deeper into the proceedings. When we ventured into

10472-408: The overall trend leaning towards growth for the metro area. The city's most populous ethnic group, white, declined from 78.1% in 1960 to 51.7% by 2010. As of the census of 2020, there were 137,644 people living in the city, for a population density of 2,466.47 people per square mile (952.31/km ). There were 68,899 housing units. The racial makeup of the city (including Hispanics in the racial counts)

10591-609: The owners to threaten to move the club to the San Francisco Bay Area , against the league's wishes. 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 , that would receive players from Minnesota via a dispersal draft with the North Stars. Both the Sharks and North Stars would then be able to select players from

10710-456: 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 and not available to most hockey fans in Minnesota. Dave Hodge handled TV play-by-play, partnering with color analyst Joe Micheletti in

10829-588: The population were employed, and 24.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. As of the 2010 census, there were 141,759 people, 58,404 households, and 31,064 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.2 inhabitants per square mile (981.9/km ). There were 74,065 housing units at an average density of 1,330.9 per square mile (513.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 51.7% White , 42.9% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 1.3% from other races , and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.0% of

10948-441: The population. There were 58,404 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.9% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

11067-425: 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 2023–24 season, the Stars won 52 of 90 meetings with the Wild, with one tie and nine OT/SO losses. The two teams also faced each other in the 2016 and 2023 first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs ,

11186-513: The rights of others, that Dayton is the gem of all our interior towns. It possesses wealth, refinement, enterprise, and a beautiful country, beautifully developed. In the late 1840s, Major William D. Bickham of the Dayton Journal began a campaign to nickname Dayton the "Gem City." The name was adopted by the city's Board of Trade several years later. Paul Laurence Dunbar referred to the nickname in his poem, "Toast to Dayton", as noted in

11305-463: The second-highest victory total in its history with 39 and won its second Norris Division crown in three years. Luckily for them, the Norris Division was very weak that year; they were the only team in the division to have a winning record. In the playoffs, the North Stars defeated the Blackhawks. Minnesota won the series 3–2, then eliminated the St. Louis Blues in seven games. They then lost to

11424-412: The site of several race riots, including one in 1955 following the murder of Emmett Till , the 1966 Dayton race riot , two in 1967 (following a speech by civil rights activist H. Rap Brown and another following the police killing of an African American man), and one in 1968 as part of the nationwide King assassination riots . Since the 1980s, however, Dayton's population has declined, mainly due to

11543-510: 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 . For the 1989–90 season, Tom Reid joined McLeod in the booth, replacing Resch as color commentator. The 1990–91 season saw first Lou Nanne , then Dave Maloney , and then again, for

11662-593: The team finished with 40 wins and 96 regular season points – both the most ever recorded in the 26 years the franchise was based in Minnesota. The North Stars lost in the playoffs to the Chicago Black Hawks in the second round. In 1983–84 Bill Mahoney , a defensive-minded coach, took over. Early in the season, Bobby Smith was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for a pair of defense-minded forwards, Keith Acton and Mark Napier . The team posted

11781-498: The team 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, he fell backward, hitting the back of his head on the ice, rendering him unconscious. He never regained consciousness and died on January 15, 1968, two days after the accident. He was 29. Doctors described the cause of death as a "massive brain injury". To date, this remains

11900-477: 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 . They knocked off the Chicago Blackhawks 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 in five games, making it to

12019-412: 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 had been part. Modano, who retired in 2011, was the last former North Star in the NHL, leaving the Stars franchise after the 2009–10 season. The last active former North Star

12138-614: Was $ 2 million ($ 18.8 million in 2023 dollars). The "North Stars" name was announced on May 25, 1966, after a public contest. The name derives from the state motto, " L'Étoile du Nord ", 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. The home of the North Stars, the Metropolitan Sports Center ,

12257-465: 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

12376-570: Was 2.26, and the average family size was 3.03. 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 most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white. The North Stars played 2,062 regular season games and made

12495-422: Was 38.4. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey , for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $ 43,780, and the median income for a family was $ 60,408. About 25.4% of the population were living below the poverty line , including 39.5% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over. About 53.6% of

12614-415: Was 47.6% White , 40.7% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.4% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 3.3% from some other race , and 6.6% from two or more races. Separately, 5.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 63,308 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 24.5% were married couples living together, 30.9% had

12733-417: Was able to show that it was not necessary to build 336 Bombes , so the initial order was scaled down to 96 machines to decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted secret messages during World War II. Between the 1940s and the 1970s, the city saw significant growth in suburban areas from population migration. Veterans were returning from military service in large numbers seeking industrial and manufacturing jobs,

12852-688: Was admitted into the Union in 1803, and the village of Dayton was incorporated in 1805 and chartered as a city in 1841. The city was named after Jonathan Dayton , a captain in the American Revolutionary War who signed the U.S. Constitution and owned a significant amount of land in the area. In 1827, construction on the Dayton–Cincinnati canal began, which provided a better way to transport goods from Dayton to Cincinnati and contributed significantly to Dayton's economic growth during

12971-414: Was built in 12 months at a cost of $ 7 million ($ 65.7 million in 2023 dollars). The arena was ready for play for the start of the 1967–68 NHL season , but parts of its construction were incomplete. Spectator seats were still being installed as fans arrived for the opening home game on October 21, 1967. On October 11, 1967, the North Stars played the first game in franchise history on the road against

13090-562: Was built in the hopes of replacing open-air markets throughout the city. Throughout the decades, the Arcade has gone through many transformations but has retained its charm. Some of its main features include a Flemish facade at the Third Street entrance, a glass dome above the Arcade rotunda, and a chateau roof line above the Third Street facade. The Dayton Arcade is currently under renovations with no official completion date set. In 2009,

13209-478: Was home to the Dayton Project , a branch of the larger Manhattan Project , to develop polonium triggers used in early atomic bombs. With the decline of heavy manufacturing in the late 20th century, Dayton's businesses have diversified into a service economy . Ohio's borders are within 500 miles (800 km) of roughly 60 percent of the country's population and manufacturing infrastructure, making Dayton

13328-428: 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 . 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

13447-479: Was named general manager, and some of the Barons players – notably goaltender Gilles Meloche and forwards Al MacAdam and Mike Fidler – bolstered Minnesota's lineup. Furthermore, Minnesota had drafted Bobby Smith , who went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie that year, and Steve Payne , who recorded 42 goals in his second campaign in 1979–80. On January 15, 1979,

13566-552: Was on display. Downtown expansion that began in the 2000s has helped revitalize the city and encourage growth. Day Air Ballpark , home of the Dayton Dragons , was built in 2000. The highly successful minor league baseball team has been an integral part of Dayton's culture. In 2001, the city's public park system, Five Rivers MetroParks , built RiverScape MetroPark, an outdoor entertainment venue that attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. A new performance arts theater,

13685-537: Was opposed to any sort of merger with the WHA. In any event, Ziegler was cool to the idea of adding another Sun Belt NHL team. Of the three Sun Belt teams that had joined the league since 1967, one (the California Golden Seals ) had already relocated and another, the Atlanta Flames ) were struggling financially. The Flames, as it turned out, would move to Calgary two years later. During

13804-486: Was originally Winters Tower, the headquarters of Winters Bank. The building was renamed after Virginia Kettering when Winters was merged into Bank One . KeyBank Tower was known as the MeadWestvaco Tower before KeyBank gained naming rights to the building in 2008. Ted Rall said in 2015 that over the last five decades Dayton has been demolishing some of its architecturally significant buildings to reduce

13923-471: Was the Cleveland Barons (the former Golden Seals), who had barely survived the season and were on the verge of folding. Schnitzer believed the older league would accept almost any other proposal as an alternative to the perceived embarrassment of having to disband a franchise, and did come close to a deal to relocate the moribund Barons franchise to Houston. However, the NHL instead opted to approve

14042-601: Was the fact that the team refused to play at the Target Center , where the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves 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 , though only 14,058 fans showed up to watch

14161-422: 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

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