29 Years Ago Today: North Stars Announce Move To Texas
On March 10th, 1993 Minnesota North Stars owner Norm Green announced the team would be moving to Dallas. The announcement left eight home games at Met Center before the team bounced to the Lone Star State.
Green claimed he couldn't make enough money at the Met to keep the team in the state and wanted a new arena. He was also facing a sexual harassment lawsuit from an employee of the team.
Green defended his decision, citing poor attendance during a string of losing seasons and the failure to reach stadium deals in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. A sexual harassment lawsuit had also been filed against Green, and his wife threatened to leave him unless he moved the team to avoid the increasing media pressure
The writing had been on the wall for a while so it wasn't necessarily a shock, but it was a blow that stung nonetheless. After over 25 years in Bloomington the "Stars" moved south to Texas and made Green Public Enemy Number One for Minnesota sports fans.
“I’m very, very proud to be able to present to Dallas the National Hockey League,” said Green, who presented North Star jerseys to council members and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett.
Rubbing salt in the wound was the Stars' win in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, an achievement the team never accomplished in Minnesota.
Of course, fans in the State of Hockey didn't have to wait long for the league to return, as Minnesota was given an expansion team by the NHL in June of 1997 and began play in 2000 at the renovated St. Paul Civic Center.
In 2016 North Stars fans welcomed back some of their favorite players for an outdoor Alumni Game at TCF Bank Stadium.
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