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126-464: 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 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

252-501: A Stanley Cup dynasty, winning five Cups in its first eleven seasons. The Jets of the 1980s, decimated by the dispersal draft, developed a solid nucleus of players that helped the club achieve respectable regular-season finishes. After missing the playoffs in their first NHL season, the Nordiques quickly became competitive, advancing as far as the third round of the playoffs in their third season. Quebec developed an intense rivalry with

378-695: 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

504-683: 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 , 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

630-538: 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

756-680: 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

882-602: A five-year, one million dollar contract with a one million dollar signing bonus. Hull accepted the Jets' offer, sealing the deal in an elaborate signing ceremony at Portage and Main . Hull's move to the upstart league attracted a few other top stars such as Cheevers, Sanderson, and Tremblay. The WHA officially made its debut on October 11, 1972 , at the Ottawa Civic Centre , when the Alberta Oilers defeated

1008-472: 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

1134-656: 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

1260-664: 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

1386-509: A lengthy prison term for fraud and tax evasion and was unable to intervene; but by the time the Toros played their first game, Ballard had been paroled and had regained control of the Gardens. Much to Bassett's outrage, the arena was dim for the first game. Ballard also ordered the cushions from the home bench removed for Toros' games (he told an arena worker, "Let 'em buy their own cushions!"). It

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1512-523: A linesman for the WHA and retired at the end of the 2008–09 NHL season . The WHA instituted sudden death overtime for regular season games to break ties. If no team scored during a 10-minute overtime period, the game ended in a tie. In the 1983–84 season, the NHL then instituted a 5-minute sudden death overtime period to break regular season ties. The WHA had experimented with blue colored pucks, which were supposedly easier for fans to see. The NHL did not adopt

1638-453: A major league, and stayed away from Spurs games. However, halfway through the season, the NHL's Kansas City Scouts began serious talks about moving to Denver. Knowing he could not even begin to compete with an NHL team, Mullenix began talks with a group of Ottawa businessmen who insisted the Spurs move immediately as a condition of further talks. As a result, the Spurs abruptly moved to become

1764-710: A merger, or he would attempt to purchase an existing club and relocate it to Houston. Neither came to fruition, and as a result the Aeros elected to fold on July 6, 1978. Another proposal had the Edmonton Oilers and the New England Whalers moving to the NHL, with the Winnipeg Jets following a year later, but this was also not accepted by the NHL. The final two seasons of the WHA saw the debut of many superstars, some of whom became hockey legends in

1890-617: 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

2016-541: A two-year retirement for the chance to play alongside his sons, Mark and Marty , who opted to turn pro a year ahead of their NHL draft eligibility. In the 1974–75 season , to broaden a depleted talent pool, the WHA began signing European players, which the NHL had largely ignored up to that time, in serious numbers, including stars such as Swedish Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson and Czech center Vaclav Nedomansky , who had just defected from Czechoslovakia . Winnipeg especially loaded up with Scandinavian players and became

2142-504: A valid contract, allowing players in both leagues greater freedom of movement. Sixty-seven players jumped from the NHL to the WHA in the first year, led by star forward Bobby Hull , whose ten-year, $ 2.75 million contract was a record at the time. The WHA took the initiative to sign European players, ushering in a new era in North American hockey. The WHA was chronically unstable, with franchises occasionally relocating or folding in

2268-486: 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

2394-584: The 1974 Summit Series against the Soviets, giving an opportunity for Hull and 46-year-old Gordie Howe to play for Canada against the Soviet team, which the Soviets won 4-1-3. In the 1976 Canada Cup , the NHL and NHLPA broadened the scope of the competition, inviting to the tournament a number of hockey countries and allowing each invited country to send the best possible team they could muster, so this time WHA players were permitted. WHA players played on four of

2520-799: The Colorado Avalanche , where they have won the Stanley Cup three times (1996, 2001, 2022), the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996 and became the Phoenix Coyotes , and the Hartford Whalers moved to North Carolina in 1997 and became the Carolina Hurricanes , where they have won the Stanley Cup in 2006. To date, the Oilers remain as the last ex-WHA team still in its original city, where they have won

2646-513: 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

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2772-599: The Hockey Hall of Fame : This is a list of the trophies and awards handed out annually by the World Hockey Association. Three Canadian teams completed all seven WHA seasons based in the same city, and were the same three Canadian teams that ultimately joined the NHL. The other WHA team to enter the NHL, the Whalers, were the only other WHA team to play all of its home games over seven seasons within

2898-736: The Montreal Canadiens . The Whalers had similar rivalries with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers , and skated to the 1986–87 Adams Division title. In the 1990s, the former WHA clubs suffered from escalating player salaries (ironically, the same trend that was instigated by the WHA). The ex-WHA clubs based in Canada were also hit hard by the declining value of the Canadian dollar . The Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 and became

3024-548: The NHL's competitive equals, winning more games than they lost in interleague exhibition games. The WHA had many lasting effects on NHL hockey. The NHL used to recruit virtually all its players from Canada, but following the success of the Jets' Hedberg and Nilsson, scouts began looking overseas for the best players that Europe could offer. Teams such as the Whalers and Fighting Saints offered excellent opportunities for young American players, and several U.S.-born or -raised NHL stars of

3150-711: The Ottawa Civics while on a road trip. After only seven games as the Civics, the franchise folded when it became clear that the Ottawa group did not have nearly enough financing to buy the team. The Spurs/Civics franchise only played 41 games total, making them easily the shortest-lived franchise in WHA history. The NHL soon fulfilled its promise to Denver by moving the Scouts there to become the Colorado Rockies in

3276-632: The Ottawa Nationals 7–4. Although the quality of hockey in the early years was predictably below that of the NHL, the WHA had indeed made stars out of many players that had little or no playing time in the NHL. The New England Whalers eventually won the WHA's inaugural championship, later renamed the Avco World Trophy when the Avco Financial Services Corporation became its main sponsor. However,

3402-595: The Oxford University Ice Hockey Club . Campbell was an executive member of the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association in the 1930s, and was part of a Canadian Amateur Hockey Association committee in 1935 to study the definition of an amateur hockey player and updates needed. Campbell worked as a referee in the NHL from 1933 until 1939 . He officiated some historic games, such as the game in 1937 when

3528-470: The Toronto Toros ' lease terms at Maple Leaf Gardens as difficult as possible after they moved from Ottawa. The Toros were owned by John F. Bassett, son of Canadian media mogul John Bassett . The older Bassett had formerly been part-owner of the Leafs with Ballard and Stafford Smythe before falling out with his two partners. At the time of the Toros' lease at Maple Leaf Gardens, Ballard was serving

3654-417: The Twin Cities . He called University of Minnesota 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 , calling their games during their inaugural season in 2000–01. Clarence Campbell Clarence Sutherland Campbell , OBE QC (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984)

3780-439: 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

3906-504: The 1976 offseason. Part of the financial trouble was attributed to the high player salaries. For instance, the Philadelphia Blazers signed Derek Sanderson for $ 2.6 million, which surpassed that of Brazilian soccer star, Pelé , making him the highest-paid athlete in the world at the time. Unfortunately, his play did not live up to the expectations of his salary, and between an early-season injury, intemperate remarks to

Minnesota North Stars - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-399: 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

4158-529: 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

4284-478: The 2011 relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers , who would rename themselves to become the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets . The Arizona Coyotes suspended operations following the 2023–24 season with the team's hockey assets being sold to the expansion Utah Hockey Club . The Whalers later moved from Hartford to Raleigh, North Carolina , and were renamed the Carolina Hurricanes . The Oilers are

4410-542: The Coliseum for their own use from 1972 onwards. The Raiders were first forced to rent space at Madison Square Garden , where they were tenants to the Rangers. The situation rapidly became untenable, with an onerous lease and poor attendance, so the three original owners defaulted and the league ended up taking control of the team midway through the season. The Raiders were sold after their inaugural season. They were renamed

4536-814: The Dayton Arrows and the San Francisco Sharks , relocated before the first season began, becoming the Houston Aeros and Quebec Nordiques , respectively. The Calgary Broncos and the Miami Screaming Eagles, folded outright before the first puck dropped, being replaced by the Philadelphia Blazers and the Cleveland Crusaders . The New York Raiders , initially intended to be the WHA's flagship team, suffered from numerous problems. While they planned to play in

4662-486: 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

4788-547: 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

4914-720: The Islanders, the WHA moved the Golden Blades to New Jersey soon after taking control. Renamed the Jersey Knights, they played at the Cherry Hill Arena which had a slope in the ice surface, causing pucks to shoot upward from results of a pass or shot, chain link fencing instead of Plexiglas surrounding the rink, and inadequate, cramped changing and dressing facilities. Ahead of the 1973–74 season, Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard deliberately made

5040-550: 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

5166-430: 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 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 ",

Minnesota North Stars - Misplaced Pages Continue

5292-559: The NHL before a 1979 merger was approved. As a result, the WHA ceased operations, and four teams joined the NHL for the 1979–80 season : the Edmonton Oilers, New England (renamed Hartford) Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, and Winnipeg Jets. Of these four teams, two of the three Canadian teams — the Nordiques and Jets — eventually moved south to Denver and Phoenix , respectively, although the NHL would return to Winnipeg with

5418-625: The NHL clubs decided to highlight the achievements of the league president by donating the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in his honour. When the league realigned into two conferences and four divisions in 1974 , it further honoured Campbell by naming one of the two conferences after him, and awarding the Campbell Bowl to the conference's regular-season (later playoff) champion. Although the Clarence Campbell Conference

5544-561: The NHL in early 1979. Under the deal, four WHA clubs – the Edmonton Oilers, New England Whalers (renamed the Hartford Whalers), Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets – joined the NHL. The other two WHA teams, the Cincinnati Stingers and Birmingham Bulls , were paid $ 1.5 million apiece in compensation. The NHL treated the new clubs' arrival as an expansion, not a merger, and refused to recognize any WHA records. While

5670-469: The NHL in the same way the Vancouver Canucks and California Golden Seals had in the preceding decade. When the NHL reneged on the agreement, and Spurs owner Ivan Mullenix was unable to negotiate an early entry into the NHL, he accepted an offer to join the WHA for the 1975–76 season. However, Denver residents felt betrayed after three years of hype for an NHL team. They did not consider the WHA

5796-453: The NHL named Red Dutton president. Dutton did not want the job, however, and when Campbell returned to Canada in 1946, Dutton resigned and Campbell accepted the presidency. One of his first acts of authority was in 1948, when he expelled players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger from the NHL for betting on games. As NHL President, Campbell is perhaps best remembered for suspending Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice "Rocket" Richard for

5922-406: 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 ,

6048-438: The NHL, including Wayne Gretzky , Mark Messier , Mike Liut , and Mike Gartner . The Birmingham Bulls alone featured future NHLers Rick Vaive , Michel Goulet , Rob Ramage , Ken Linseman , Craig Hartsburg , Rod Langway , Mark Napier , Pat Riggin and Gaston Gingras . By the end of the final season, only six teams remained. Facing financial difficulty and unable to meet payrolls, the WHA finally came to an agreement with

6174-507: The NHL, preventing it from enforcing the reserve clause and freeing all players who had restraining orders against them, including Hull, to play with their WHA clubs. The decision effectively ended the NHL's monopoly on major league professional hockey talent. On November 1, 1971, twelve teams were formally announced. They included cities without NHL teams such as the Miami Screaming Eagles , as well as teams in cities where

6300-495: The National Hockey League were first initiated, with Houston, Cincinnati, Winnipeg, New England, Quebec, and Edmonton applying for entry to the NHL, who voted the proposal down. Merger discussions resumed in 1978, but Houston was not part of the proposal this time. During the final series of talks, Aeros owner Kenneth Schnitzer suggested to the NHL that either his team be admitted as an expansion team independent of

6426-474: The New York Golden Blades for the 1973–74 season, but were forced into a Sundays-only home schedule due to the high price of rent and scheduling conflicts with other events at Madison Square Garden. This was not enough to save the team, and the league was forced to take over the franchise again 24 games into the second season. Realizing that it could not hope to compete with both the Rangers and

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6552-575: The No. 1 Canadian War Graves Investigation Unit. After the war he was appointed Queen's Counsel, and was one of the prosecutors at one of several trial courts of leading Nazis who were put on trial for crimes against humanity . It has been widely reported that Campbell participated in the Nuremberg Trials , but he said that was untrue in a Sports Illustrated article published in 1974. Meanwhile, Calder had died, and with Campbell overseas,

6678-651: 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

6804-641: The North Stars faced the St. Louis Blues in 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

6930-650: 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

7056-413: 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

7182-421: 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

7308-453: 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

7434-400: 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

7560-479: The Screaming Eagles folded outright, replaced by the Philadelphia Blazers and the Cleveland Crusaders . Although the league had many players under contract by June 1972, including a few NHL stars such as Bernie Parent, many of them were career minor league and college players. The new league was not considered much of a threat, until Bobby Hull , arguably the NHL's top forward at the time, jumped over. Hull had not been thought to be seriously considering signing with

7686-450: 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

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7812-700: The Soviets, did not permit WHA players, due to the decision of series organizer Alan Eagleson , an NHL agent who was influential in forming the Canadian team. Bobby Hull , one of the best WHA players, was ruled ineligible to play because of his defection from the NHL, despite being initially selected by coach Harry Sinden . Dennis Hull initially planned to boycott the event as well as a show of support for his older brother, but Bobby persuaded him to stay on Team Canada. Other WHA stars turned down included Gerry Cheevers , J.C. Tremblay and Derek Sanderson . Some NHL owners also threatened not to free their players to participate if WHA players were permitted. The WHA organized

7938-406: The Stanley Cup five times. Only the Jets (later the Arizona Coyotes) franchise never won the Cup, with their furthest advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs being the Western Conference Finals in 2012. Because of arena issues the Jets/Coyotes franchise suspended operations in 2024, the franchise folded two months later after a land auction was cancelled. List of WHA players and executives inducted into

8064-417: 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

8190-434: 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

8316-440: 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

8442-469: The WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy, it was by far the most successful in the modern era. The WHA tried to capitalize on the lack of hockey teams in a number of major American cities and mid-level Canadian cities, and also hoped to attract the best players by paying more than NHL owners would. The WHA successfully challenged the NHL's reserve clause , which had bound players to their NHL teams even without

8568-404: The WHA, even though he was in contentious salary negotiations with the Chicago Black Hawks , and when he told reporters that he would only move to the WHA "for a million dollars", it was both intended by Hull and taken by his audience to be a joke since a million dollars at that time was considered to be a ridiculous amount of money for a hockey player. Nevertheless, the Winnipeg Jets offered Hull

8694-430: The WHA, including Mark Howe , Wayne Gretzky , Mike Gartner , Mike Liut , and Mark Messier , who was the last WHA veteran to play in the NHL; he opened his professional career with 52 games with the Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers in 1978–79 , and played his last NHL game on April 3, 2004. The final active player and official in any on-ice capacity for the league was referee Don Koharski , who started as

8820-414: The West Division halfway through the 1967–68 season. Tragedy struck 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

8946-422: The Whalers and Oilers earning playoff berths. The Oilers chose to protect Wayne Gretzky in the dispersal draft, which would prove fortuitous. Gretzky and the Whalers' Gordie Howe were selected to the mid-season All-Star Game, respectively the second-youngest and the oldest ever to play in the match. The 1980s was a successful period for the former WHA teams. The Oilers shattered numerous NHL records and amassed

9072-533: The Whalers. Los Angeles and Vancouver feared losing home dates with NHL teams from the East. Montreal and Toronto were not enamored at the prospect of having to split revenue from Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts six ways rather than three. When a second vote was held in Chicago on March 22, 1979, Montreal and Vancouver changed their votes, allowing the deal to go forward. Vancouver and Los Angeles were won over by

9198-475: 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,

9324-476: The blue pucks, but any remaining blue WHA pucks are highly sought after collectors' items . The former WHA clubs, by the terms of the expansion, could protect only two goalies and two skaters each in the player dispersal draft . The Jets posted a dismal nine wins in their second season (second-fewest all-time for a season in the NHL), and finished last. The other WHA teams did respectably well in their first year, with

9450-532: The brand new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , Nassau County did not consider the WHA a major league and wanted nothing to do with the Raiders. The county recruited William Shea , leader of New York City's successful lobbying campaign to get baseball's National League to expand following the 1957 departures of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants . Working with the NHL, Shea swiftly won over

9576-486: 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

9702-401: The class of the league, with Hedberg and Nilsson combining with Bobby Hull to form one of hockey's most formidable forward lines. Along with the mass import of European stars, Vancouver attempted unsuccessfully to lure Phil Esposito away from the NHL by offering a contract similar to that of Bobby Hull, with a million dollars upfront. The 1972 Summit Series , which pitted Team Canada against

9828-524: The deal. The NHL had originally been willing to take only the Oilers, Whalers, and Jets, but the WHA insisted that the Nordiques be included as well. Third, although the NHL had insisted on treating the deal as an expansion, it agreed to freeze the expansion fee for each team at $ 6 million U.S., the same fee paid by every other team that had joined the NHL in the 1970s. By comparison, when the Atlanta Flames were sold and moved to Calgary one year later,

9954-452: The early 1980s (such as Mark Howe , Rod Langway , Dave Langevin , Robbie Ftorek , and Paul Holmgren ) had begun their pro careers in the WHA. As a result, the NHL evolved into a truly cosmopolitan league during the 1980s. The WHA ended the NHL policy of paying its players only a fraction of the league's profits and, combined with the abolition of the reserve clause, led to much higher player salaries. Many great stars began their careers in

10080-491: The exclusive beer supplier for the Oilers' and Jets' arenas; it is probable that this concession was made in exchange for the Canadiens' vote. The agreement officially took effect on June 22, 1979 (three months to the day after the deciding vote). On that day, the WHA folded and the NHL formally granted expansion franchises to Edmonton, Hartford, Quebec City, and Winnipeg. On the ice, the WHA teams had proven themselves to be

10206-604: The face. On March 17, Campbell attended a game at the Montreal Forum between the Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings . Throughout the first period he was taunted and pelted with debris by outraged Montreal fans, who saw him as a prime example of the city's English-Canadian elite oppressing the French-Canadian majority. After a tear gas bomb was released in the arena, Campbell exited the building,

10332-412: 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

10458-579: 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

10584-432: The four new clubs were allowed to stock their rosters through the expansion draft , NHL teams were allowed to reclaim players who had jumped to the WHA. The WHA was able to extract three key concessions. First, the WHA teams were allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skaters to keep their rosters from being completely stripped clean by the NHL teams. Second, the NHL allowed all of the WHA's Canadian teams to be part of

10710-479: The game was forfeited to the Red Wings, and the Forum was evacuated. What ensued was a full-fledged riot in which 60 people were arrested and $ 500,000 in damage was done. Campbell was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. He was instrumental in the 1967 expansion , which doubled the league in size, and often worked 18 hours a day in his office. At the beginning of the league's Expansion Era in 1967–68 ,

10836-476: The great Howie Morenz 's career was ended when he broke his leg, an injury that eventually led to his death. Campbell even refereed a rough playoff game between the Montreal Maroons and the Boston Bruins in which Dit Clapper used his stick on a player. Angry at Clapper's actions, he called Clapper a profane name, which brought a powerful punch from the hardrock defenceman that knocked Campbell to

10962-547: The ice. Campbell, aware of his provocative action, then submitted a very lenient report on Clapper, and NHL president Frank Calder gave Clapper only a fine as a result. Campbell made a controversial call in 1939 when refereeing a game involving the Toronto Maple Leafs when defenceman Red Horner was struck with a stick and Campbell doled out only a minor penalty, even though Horner was bleeding. Leafs owner Conn Smythe called for Campbell not to be rehired, and

11088-542: The initially reluctant president of the New York Rangers , Bill Jennings , who was persuaded that it would be better to accept competition from an NHL team that would at least be willing to pay his club compensation for sharing the Rangers' territory as opposed to a WHA team that would owe his franchise nothing. The NHL quickly awarded a franchise to Long Island, the New York Islanders , who locked up

11214-496: The junior Western Canada Hockey League . Hunter and Murphy traveled across North America recruiting franchise owners, and by September 1971, had announced that the league would begin in 1972 with ten teams, each having paid $ 25,000 for their franchise. The average NHL salary in 1972 was $ 25,000, the lowest of the four major sports, while each player was bound by a reserve clause , that automatically extended their contract by one year when it expired, tying them to their team for

11340-593: The league agreed. League president Frank Calder decided to let Campbell work in his office after his career as a referee, and it was becoming evident that the president was grooming a successor. But World War II broke out and Campbell enlisted in the Canadian Army . He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1945. At the end of the war he served with

11466-555: The league's promoters believed there was room for more than one team, such as the Los Angeles Aces , Chicago Cougars , and New York Raiders . Two of the original twelve teams moved before the first season started: the Dayton Arrows became the Houston Aeros and the San Francisco Sharks became the Quebec Nordiques . The Los Angeles franchise then took the nickname Sharks to replace Aces. The Calgary Broncos and

11592-691: The life of their career. In October 1972, the WHA announced that it would not use the reserve clause, stating that "The reserve clause won't stand up to the scrutiny of ... players, players associations, the United States Congress , the public, and the Supreme Court ." The WHA also promised much higher salaries than the NHL offered, and by the time the league began play, it had lured 67 former NHL players to its league, including Bernie Parent , Gerry Cheevers , Derek Sanderson , J. C. Tremblay , and Ted Green . The biggest name signed

11718-415: 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

11844-417: The middle of the season. It had an acrimonious relationship with the NHL, resulting in numerous legal battles, as well as competition for control of players and markets. In spite of this, merger talks began almost immediately. NHL owners voted down a 1977 plan to merge six WHA teams (the Edmonton Oilers , New England Whalers , Quebec Nordiques , Cincinnati Stingers , Houston Aeros , and Winnipeg Jets ) into

11970-606: The naming of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl for him. Born in Fleming, Assiniboia District, North-West Territories , Campbell attended high school at the Strathcona Collegiate Institute, now known as Old Scona Academic , Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in law and arts in 1924 and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University , where he played for

12096-453: 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

12222-586: The news of Masterton's death, the North Stars lost 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,

12348-556: The only WHA merger team to retain both their original nickname and city. The final WHA game was played on May 20, 1979, as the Jets defeated the Oilers to win their third Avco World Trophy . The World Hockey Association was founded in 1971 by American promoters Dennis Murphy and Gary Davidson . The men had previously been the founder and first president of the American Basketball Association , respectively. They quickly recruited Bill Hunter , president of

12474-610: 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 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

12600-570: 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 ,

12726-608: 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

12852-456: 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

12978-522: The press, and Blazer financial troubles, Sanderson's contract was bought out before the end of the season. As well, big stars lacked supporting players and the quality of the on-ice product suffered. The WHA won several key victories, including a court ruling that prevented the NHL from binding players to its teams via the reserve clause, and the signings of more NHL stars such as Gordie Howe , Andre Lacroix , Marc Tardif , and in later years, Frank Mahovlich and Paul Henderson . Howe had been lured out of

13104-547: The promise of a balanced schedule, with each team playing the others twice at home and twice on the road. The Canadiens' owners, Molson Breweries , were feeling the effects of a massive boycott that originated in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Winnipeg and spread across Canada. With the boycott severely hurting Molson's sales, the brewer reached agreement with the owners of the three Canadian WHA teams to have Molson replace their competitors (and Nordiques owners) Carling O'Keefe as

13230-484: 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 ,

13356-603: The remaining three games of the 1955 regular season and for the entirety of the playoffs. This decision came about as a result of Richard's actions during a March 13 game between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins ; Richard had gotten into a vicious stick-swinging fight with the Bruins' Hal Laycoe , and when linesman Cliff Thompson restrained Richard, Laycoe punched Richard repeatedly. One of Richard's teammates knocked down Laycoe, allowing Richard to turn around and punch Thompson in

13482-570: The sale was $ 16 million U.S. The deal came up for a vote at the NHL Board of Governors meeting in Key Largo, Florida on March 8, 1979. The final tally was 12–5, one vote short of passage, as a three-quarters majority was required to permit a merger. The Boston Bruins , Los Angeles Kings , Montreal Canadiens , Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks voted against the deal. The Bruins were not pleased with having to share New England with

13608-527: 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

13734-544: The signings. The Black Hawks were successful in having a restraining order filed against Hull and the Jets pending the outcome of legal action the Black Hawks were taking against the WHA. The new league was eager for the court action, intending to challenge the legality of the reserve clause. In November 1972, Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia placed an injunction against

13860-566: 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

13986-525: 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

14112-613: 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

14238-412: 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

14364-612: The tournament's six teams. In December 1976 and January 1977, the Super Series '76-77 tournament took place, opposing the HC CSKA Moscow (Red Army) and WHA teams. The Red Army won the series 6–2. By the 1976–77 season , it had become evident that many of the WHA's franchises were teetering on the verge of financial collapse, and that the (at one time) combined 32 teams of the NHL and WHA had badly strained professional hockey's talent pool. In 1977, merger discussions with

14490-411: The trophy had not yet been completed, and the Whalers skated their divisional championship trophy around the ice surface, much to the embarrassment of the WHA office. Right from the start, the league was plagued with problems. Many teams often found themselves in financial difficulty, folding or moving from one city to another, sometimes mid-season. Citing arena troubles, two of the original twelve teams,

14616-465: 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

14742-528: Was 29. Doctors described the cause of death as a "massive brain injury". To date, this remains 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

14868-547: Was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II , then served as the third president of the NHL from 1946 to 1977. His tenure as president included the Richard Riot and the 1967 NHL expansion . His career was recognized with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, and

14994-472: Was former Chicago Black Hawks star Bobby Hull , who agreed to a ten-year, $ 2.7 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets , the largest in hockey history at the time, and one that lent the league instant credibility. The NHL tried to block several of the defections. The Boston Bruins attempted to restrain Sanderson and Cheevers from joining the WHA, though a United States federal court refused to prohibit

15120-700: Was interred at the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire , Quebec. 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) since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926. Although

15246-428: 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

15372-532: 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,

15498-471: Was obvious that Ballard was angered at the WHA being figuratively in his backyard, and took out his frustration with the renegade league on the Toros. These terms compelled Bassett to move the team to Birmingham after three seasons. The league bottomed out in 1975–76 with its third expansion team, the Denver Spurs . A mainstay of the minor Western Hockey League , they were originally supposed to join

15624-557: Was renamed the Western Conference in 1993 , the Campbell Bowl continues to be awarded to the conference's playoff champion. In 1976, Campbell was charged with bribing Senator Louis Giguère in the "Sky Shops" scandal. He was convicted, but the NHL paid his fine and he served no time because of his age. Campbell was a sick man by the time he retired as NHL president in 1977. He spent the last years of his life plagued with respiratory ailments, and died on June 24, 1984. He

15750-658: 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

15876-422: 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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