2009 Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars’ lackluster 2008-09 season ended up with them in 3rd place in the Pacific Division (for the third season in a row), but they’re starting the 2009-10 season with a new GM (former player Joe Nieuwendyk), a new head coach (Marc Crawford) and a desire to win. Other than the staff changes, the offseason was relatively quiet: centre Brendan Morrison, right winger Mark Parrish and defenseman Sergei Zubov left and defenseman Karlis Skrastins and backup goalie Alex Auld were acquired. Since last season was dragged down by injuries to key players Zubov, Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards and Steve Ott, the team is counting on healthy players to return them to the playoffs. Will a new coaching staff and a healthy squad translate into success for the Stars? Find out for yourself with ticket to American Airlines Center to watch the Dallas Stars in action!

Seeded #2 among the eight Western Conference hockey teams in the 2005-06 NHL Playoffs, the Dallas Stars had plenty of postseason experience. The franchise had previously made it into the tournament 26 times, first as the Minnesota North Stars, and many times since their 1993 move to Dallas, including all but one year of play since 1997. The Stars had gone all the way to capture the Stanley Cup only once, in 1998-99. Dallas fans snatched up tickets to see them face off against the #7 seeded Colorado Avalanche to see if this would be the year the Stars would do it again. It was not to be, however, as the Avalanche buried them in five games, only to be eliminated by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in four straight.

Although the Stars have only played in Dallas since 1993, hockey has been a fan favorite since the early 40's. The first team to call Dallas home was the USHL's Dallas Texans, who first made their appearance during World War II. The Big D has also played host to the CHL's Blackhawks from 1967 to 1982 and the Texas Freeze from 1992-1994. Many doubted hockey's ability to establish a strong support base in Texas, but the Dallas Stars have been successful in proving them wrong.

Since coming to Texas in 1993, the Dallas Stars have successfully established themselves as a major contender in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. They won the Stanley Cup in just their fifth season (1999), as well as an appearance in the 2000 finals. The Dallas Stars have proved to be a mainstay in the NHL Postseason, and they are in the hunt for the Stanley Cup year in and year out. They currently share the state-of-the-art American Airlines Center with the up and coming Dallas Mavericks, and both teams have been giving the city of Dallas something to cheer about in recent years.