Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars | |
---|---|
Founded | 1967 |
History | Minnesota North Stars 1967–1993 Dallas Stars 1993–present |
Home arena | Met Center |
City | Bloomington, Minnesota |
Team colors | Green, gold, black, white |
Stanley Cups | 0 |
Conference championships | 1 (1990–91) |
Presidents' Trophy | 0 |
Division championships | 2 (1981–82, 1983–84) |
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 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.
History
Beginnings
On March 11, 1965, NHL President
Early years
On October 11, 1967, the North Stars played the first game in franchise history on the road against the
The North Stars would achieve success in their first year of existence by finishing in fourth place 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.[7] In the next round, the West finals, the North Stars faced the St. Louis Blues in a series which would also go to a seventh game. Minnesota was one game away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals, but in the deciding game, they lost in double overtime.[14]
The team was led in the early years by the goaltending duo
The World Hockey Association (WHA) began play in 1972 with 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.[15] However, the competition for the hockey dollar between these two clubs was fierce.[16] 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 the Fighting Saints only lasted half of the following season before folding as well.
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 the North Stars with the Barons. The merged team retained the North Stars name, colors, and history, and remained in Minnesota. However, the wealthier Gunds became majority owners of the merged team, and the North Stars moved from the then-five team Smythe Division to assume 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 was named general manager, and a number of the Barons players – notably goaltender Gilles Meloche and forwards Al MacAdam and Mike Fidler – bolstered the Minnesota lineup. Furthermore, Minnesota had drafted Bobby Smith, who would go on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie that year, and Steve Payne, who himself would go on to record 42 goals in his second campaign in 1979–80.
On January 15, 1979, the North Stars defeated the New York Rangers in 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.[17]
1980s
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 sporting the NHL's and major league sports’ longest undefeated streak, a 35-game run which included 25 wins and 10 ties.[18] An all-time record Met Center crowd of 15,962 squeezed into the arena, which would remain the highest total in all 26 seasons of the North Stars franchise. Minnesota ended the Flyers' streak with a 7–1 win, seven different Stars scoring seven unanswered goals. In the quarter-final round 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs, the North Stars upset the four-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens in seven games before ultimately bowing out to Philadelphia in the following round.
With the addition of new players such as Minnesota native and ex-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, first against the Flyers in 1980 and then against the Calgary Flames in 1981. By defeating the Flames in 1981, the North Stars reached their first Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose in five games to the heavily favored New York Islanders.
On November 11, 1981, the Winnipeg Jets visited Met Center. Fueled by an 8-goal second period, and a 4-goal, 7-point night by Bobby Smith, the North Stars scored the most goals in an NHL game since 1944 in a 15–2 win. [19]
Following the 1981 NHL realignment to a more geographically grouped configuration, the North Stars were in the Norris Division.[20] Dino Ciccarelli scored a franchise record 55 goals in just his second season in 1981–82, leading Minnesota to its first division title. The team, however, 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 in which 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 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 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 that season.[21]
In the playoffs, the North Stars defeated the Chicago Black Hawks. Minnesota won the series 3–2, then eliminated the St. Louis Blues in seven games. They then lost to the Edmonton Oilers in four games.[21]
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 the owners to threaten to move the club to the San Francisco Bay Area, against the league's wishes.[22][23][24]
1990s
The NHL instituted a compromise for the
In the 1990–91 season, despite a losing record in the regular season, the North Stars embarked on a
Following 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 their primary color for their road uniforms, and eliminated gold from the uniform, except for the logo. Even before the logo change, it had been speculated that 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 prior to the aforementioned season, albeit in a reverse color scheme than its upcoming incarnation.
To celebrate the team's 25th anniversary, the team wore a commemorative patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms. The patch depicted Bill Goldsworthy, wearing a green uniform, facing off against Mike Modano, wearing the new black uniform.[25]
The North Stars were allowed to protect fourteen players from selection by to the Sharks as per the 1991 expansion agreement. This meant the core of their 1991 conference championship roster essentially remained intact, with the North Stars only losing four players from their NHL roster to San Jose (the Sharks' remaining selections from Minnesota were minor leaguers). As a result, while the Sharks endured the typical struggles of an expansion team and finished last overall, the North Stars actually modestly improved from the 1990–91 regular season although they nevertheless finished with another losing record. They still made the 1992 playoffs with their new look, and took a 3–2 series lead into Game 6 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 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.
Departure to Dallas
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
Another factor that also precipitated the move to Dallas 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.[31][32] 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 the Stars defeat the Senators 6–1.[33]
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.[34]
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 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
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 a direct connection to the franchise's time in Minnesota.
Return of NHL hockey to 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 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 2022–23 season, the Stars won 49 of 87 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, 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
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 a version of the 1978 North Stars jersey, featuring a recolored Wild logo as part of the league-wide "Reverse Retro" jersey program.[35] In the 2022–23 season, a green version of the "Reverse Retro" jersey was used.[36] The Wild's green "Reverse Retro" jersey was subsequently over as "The 78s" alternate uniform, adding the recolored "State of Hockey" patch on the shoulders.[37]
Seasons and records
Season-by-season record
The team had 17 playoff appearances, a 77–82 playoff record, 2 Norris Division championships, and 2 Campbell Conference championships.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes[38]
Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
1967–68 | 74 | 27 | 32 | 15 | 69 | 191 | 226 | 738 | fourth, West | Won Quarterfinals (Kings) 4–3 Lost Semifinals (Blues) 4–3 |
1968–69 | 76 | 18 | 43 | 15 | 51 | 189 | 270 | 862 | sixth, West | Out of playoffs |
1969–70 | 76 | 19 | 35 | 22 | 60 | 224 | 257 | 1,008 | third, West | Lost Quarterfinals (Blues) 4–2 |
1970–71 | 78 | 28 | 34 | 16 | 72 | 191 | 223 | 898 | fourth, West | Won Quarterfinals (Blues) 4–2 Lost Semifinals (Canadiens) 4–2 |
1971–72 | 78 | 37 | 29 | 12 | 86 | 212 | 191 | 853 | second, West | Lost Quarterfinals (Blues) 4–3 |
1972–73 | 78 | 37 | 30 | 11 | 85 | 254 | 230 | 881 | third, West | Lost Quarterfinals (Flyers) 4–2 |
1973–74 | 78 | 23 | 38 | 17 | 63 | 235 | 275 | 821 | seventh, West | Out of playoffs |
1974–75 | 80 | 23 | 50 | 7 | 53 | 221 | 341 | 1,106 | fourth, Smythe | Out of playoffs |
1975–76 | 80 | 20 | 53 | 7 | 47 | 195 | 303 | 1,191 | fourth, Smythe | Out of playoffs |
1976–77 | 80 | 23 | 39 | 18 | 64 | 240 | 310 | 774 | second, Smythe | Lost Preliminary (Sabres) 2–0 |
1977–78 | 80 | 18 | 53 | 9 | 45 | 218 | 325 | 1,096 | fifth, Smythe | Out of playoffs |
1978–79 | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | 68 | 257 | 289 | 1,102 | fourth, Adams | Out of playoffs |
1979–80 | 80 | 36 | 28 | 16 | 88 | 311 | 253 | 1,064 | third, Adams | Won Preliminary (Maple Leafs) 3–0 Won Quarterfinals (Canadiens) 4–3 Lost Semifinals (Flyers) 4–1 |
1980–81 | 80 | 35 | 28 | 17 | 87 | 291 | 263 | 1,624 | third, Adams | Won Preliminary (Bruins) 3–0 Won Quarterfinals (Sabres) 4–1 Won Semifinals (Flames) 4–2 Lost Stanley Cup Finals (Islanders) 4–1 |
1981–82 | 80 | 37 | 23 | 20 | 94 | 346 | 288 | 1,358 | first, Norris | Lost Division Semifinals (Blackhawks) 3–1 |
1982–83 | 80 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 96 | 321 | 290 | 1,520 | second, Norris | Won Division Semifinals (Maple Leafs) 3–1 Lost Division Finals (Blackhawks) 4–1 |
1983–84 | 80 | 39 | 31 | 10 | 88 | 345 | 344 | 1,696 | first, Norris | Won Division Semifinals (Blackhawks) 3–2 Won Division Finals (Blues) 4–3 Lost Conference Finals (Oilers) 4–0 |
1984–85 | 80 | 25 | 43 | 12 | 62 | 268 | 321 | 1,735 | fourth, Norris | Won Division Semifinals (Blues) 3–0 Lost Division Finals (Blackhawks) 4–2 |
1985–86 | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 85 | 327 | 305 | 1,672 | second, Norris | Lost Division Semifinals (Blues) 3–2 |
1986–87 | 80 | 30 | 40 | 10 | 70 | 296 | 314 | 1,936 | fifth, Norris | Out of playoffs |
1987–88 | 80 | 19 | 48 | 13 | 51 | 242 | 349 | 2,313 | fifth, Norris | Out of playoffs |
1988–89 | 80 | 27 | 37 | 16 | 70 | 258 | 278 | 1,972 | third, Norris | Lost Division Semifinals (Blues) 4–1 |
1989–90 | 80 | 36 | 40 | 4 | 76 | 284 | 291 | 2,041 | fourth, Norris | Lost Division Semifinals (Blackhawks) 4–3 |
1990–91 | 80 | 27 | 39 | 14 | 68 | 256 | 266 | 1,964 | fourth, Norris | Won Division Semifinals (Blackhawks) 4–2 Won Division Finals (Blues) 4–2 Won Conference Finals (Oilers) 4–1 Lost Stanley Cup Finals (Penguins) 4–2 |
1991–92 | 80 | 32 | 42 | 6 | 70 | 246 | 278 | 2,169 | fourth, Norris | Lost Division Semifinals (Red Wings) 4–3 |
1992–93 | 84 | 36 | 38 | 10 | 82 | 272 | 293 | 1,885 | fifth, Norris | Out of playoffs |
Totals | 2,062 | 758 | 970 | 334 | 1,850 | 6,690 | 7,373 | 36,279 |
---|
Team leaders
- Regular season
- Games played: Neal Broten, 876
- Goals: Brian Bellows, 342
- Assists: Neal Broten, 547
- Points: Neal Broten, 796
- Penalty minutes: Basil McRae, 1,567
- Games: Cesare Maniago, 420
- Wins: Cesare Maniago, 145
- Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 26
- Single season
- Goals: Dino Ciccarelli (1981–82) and Brian Bellows (1989-90), 55
- Assists: Neal Broten, 76 (1985–86)
- Points: Bobby Smith, 114 (1981–82)
- Penalty minutes: Basil McRae, 382 (1987–88)
- Wins: Jon Casey, 31 (1989–90)
- Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 6 (1967–68)
- Playoffs
- Games played: Neal Broten, 104
- Goals: Steve Payne, 35
- Assists: Bobby Smith, 50
- Points: Brian Bellows, 83
- Penalty minutes: Willi Plett, 201
- Games: Gilles Meloche, 45
- Wins: Gilles Meloche and Jon Casey, 21
- Shutouts: Cesare Maniago, 3
Team scoring leaders
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
Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neal Broten | C | 876 | 249 | 547 | 796 | 15 | 457 |
Brian Bellows | LW | 753 | 342 | 380 | 722 | −82 | 537 |
Dino Ciccarelli | RW | 602 | 332 | 319 | 651 | −2 | 642 |
Bobby Smith | C | 572 | 185 | 369 | 554 | −43 | 487 |
Bill Goldsworthy | RW | 670 | 267 | 239 | 506 | −86 | 711 |
Tim Young | C | 565 | 178 | 316 | 494 | −71 | 401 |
Steve Payne | LW | 613 | 228 | 238 | 466 | 31 | 435 |
Craig Hartsburg | D | 570 | 98 | 315 | 413 | −6 | 815 |
Dave Gagner | C | 440 | 187 | 217 | 404 | −10 | 577 |
J. P. Parise | LW | 588 | 154 | 242 | 396 | −85 | 509 |
NHL awards and trophies
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Leaders
Team captains
Note: This list does not include Dallas Stars, California Golden Seals and Cleveland Barons captains.[7]
- Bob Woytowich 1967–68
- Elmer Vasko 1968–69
- Claude Larose 1969–70
- Ted Harris 1970–74
- Bill Goldsworthy 1974–76
- Bill Hogaboam 1976–77
- Nick Beverley 1977–78
- J. P. Parise 1978–79
- Paul Shmyr 1979–81
- Tim Young 1981–82
- Craig Hartsburg 1982–89
- Brian Bellows 1984 (interim)
- Curt Giles 1989–91
- Mark Tinordi 1991–93
Head coaches
- Wren Blair, 1967–70
- John Muckler, 1968–69
- Charlie Burns, 1969–70, 1974–75
- Jack Gordon, 1970–75
- Parker MacDonald, 1973–74
- Ted Harris, 1975–78
- Andre Beaulieu, 1977–78
- Lou Nanne, 1977–78
- Harry Howell, 1978–79
- Glen Sonmor, 1978–87
- Murray Oliver, 1982–83
- Bill Mahoney, 1983–85
- Lorne Henning, 1985–87
- Herb Brooks, 1987–88
- Pierre Page, 1988–90
- Bob Gainey, 1990–93
Notable players
Hockey Hall of Fame
Players | |||
---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
Leo Boivin | D | 1969–1970 | 1986 |
Mike Gartner | RW | 1989–1990 | 2001 |
Larry Murphy | D | 1989–1990 | 2004 |
Gump Worsley | G | 1969–1974 | 1980 |
Dino Ciccarelli | RW | 1980–1989 | 2010 |
Mike Modano | C | 1989–1993 | 2014 |
Retired numbers
Minnesota North Stars retired numbers | ||||
N° | Player | Position | Tenure | N° Retirement |
---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Bill Goldsworthy | RW | 1967–1977 | February 15, 1992 |
19 | Bill Masterton | C | 1967–1968 | January 17, 1987 |
These numbers remain retired with the Dallas Stars today. In addition to Goldsworthy and Masterton, the Stars have retired the number 7 of Neal Broten, who played with the North Stars from 1981 to 1993, and the number 9 of Mike Modano who played from 1988 to 1993.
First-round draft picks
- 1967: Wayne Cheesman(fourth overall)
- 1968: Jim Benzelock(fifth overall)
- 1969: Dick Redmond(fifth overall)
- 1972: Jerry Byers(12th overall)
- 1974: Doug Hicks(sixth overall)
- 1975: Bryan Maxwell(fourth overall)
- 1976: Glen Sharpley(third overall)
- 1977: Brad Maxwell(seventh overall)
- 1978: Bobby Smith(first overall)
- Tom McCarthy(10th overall)
- 1980: Brad Palmer(16th overall)
- 1981: Ron Meighan(13th overall)
- 1982: Brian Bellows(second overall)
- 1983: Brian Lawton(first overall)
- 1984: David Quinn(13th overall)
- 1986: Warren Babe(12th overall)
- 1987: Dave Archibald(sixth overall)
- 1988: Mike Modano(first overall)
- 1989: Doug Zmolek(seventh overall)
- 1990: Derian Hatcher(eighth overall)
- 1991: Richard Matvichuk(eighth overall)
Logos and colors
The North Stars were known for their "classic" green and gold color scheme. For 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 a complete redesign. The new logo and uniforms were carried over to Dallas after the team moved south.
Broadcasting
WTCN-TV Channel 11 (now
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.[39] Al Shaver was the play-by-play radio announcer throughout the Stars' stay in Minnesota.[39] During the WCCO era, Shaver 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 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.[39] Following the team's departure to Dallas, he called University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey games until his retirement in 1996.[39]
It was on the night of the Stars' final game at Joe Louis Arena versus the Detroit Red Wings that Shaver first shared 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
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 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."[40]
Radio
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
Years | Play-by-play
|
Color commentator(s) |
1967–71 | Al Shaver | Larry Jagoe |
1971–72 | Al Shaver | Paul Giel |
1972–78 | Al Shaver | Steve Cannon |
1978–80 | Al Shaver | Tom Reid |
1980–82 | Al Shaver | Ted Robinson |
1982–84 | Al Shaver | Russ Small |
1984–89 | Al Shaver | Tom Reid |
1989–90 | Al Shaver | Bill Goldsworthy |
1990–92 | Al Shaver | Ralph Strangis |
1992–93 | Doug McLeod | Doug Woog (select games) Tom Vannelli (select games) Wally Shaver (select games) |
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 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
After retiring as a player, Reid spent 12 years as color commentator for the North Stars. After the team's move to Dallas, Reid continued as an analyst for NCAA hockey. He and
Although Strangis had a great deal of broadcast experience, his tryout as color commentator on the Minnesota North Stars radio network was a longshot; other better-known sportscasters received more air time during the auditioning process. The five potential candidates split up a game as guest commentators alongside Al Shaver, then voice of the Minnesota North Stars. The two better-known talents each took a period and then the three longshots split up the third, with Strangis going last. When Al Shaver was asked who he liked the best, he chose Strangis. Ralph shone in his audition, with the perfect ability to complement Shaver's play-by-play with insights from the players and his own intimate knowledge of the game. When the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, Shaver decided to not to migrate south with the franchise and retired. After three more seasons as color commentator (teaming with Mike Fornes), Strangis migrated to the play-by-play mic, effectively cementing his status as the "Voice of the Stars."
Television
Years | Play-by-play | Color commentators |
1967–68 | Frank Buetel | Norm Aldred and Bob May |
1968–69 | Frank Buetel | Ed Harringan |
1969–70 | Frank Buetel | |
1970–73 | Hal Kelly | Joe Boyle |
1973–79 | Joe Boyle | Roger Buxton |
1979–80 | Bob Kurtz | Dave Sheehan |
1980–84 | Bob Kurtz | Tom Reid |
1984–85 | Frank Mazzocco | Fred Barrett and Roger Buxton |
1985–87 | Frank Mazzocco | Wally Shaver |
1987–88 | Bob Kurtz | Chico Resch |
1988–89 | Doug McLeod | Chico Resch |
1989–90 | Doug McLeod | Tom Reid |
1990–91 | Doug McLeod | Lou Nanne (select games) Dave Maloney (select games) |
1991–92 | Dave Hodge | Joe Micheletti |
1992–93 | Al Shaver | Ralph Strangis |
In 1979, Kurtz joined
See also
- List of Minnesota North Stars players
- List of Minnesota North Stars draft picks
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- California Seals
- Cleveland Barons
- List of defunct NHL teams
- 1967 NHL expansion
References
- ^ Showers 2007, p. 5
- ^ a b Showers 2007, p. 8
- ^ a b c d e Showers 2007, p. 9
- ^ "Robert Blair Ridder, 80, Hockey Executive". The New York Times. 2000-06-27. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
- ^ "Media mogul was owner of hockey team". Tribune Democrat. Johnstown, Pennsylvania. June 26, 2000. p. 21.
- ^ Ozanian, Mike (December 5, 2017). "The NHL's Most Valuable Teams". Forbes. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Minnesota North Stars". Sports E-cyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ a b Showers 2007, p. 28
- ^ Raider 2014, p. 8
- ^ a b "First Fatality". Time. 1968-01-26. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ Raider 2014, pp. 8–9
- ^ "Retired Numbers". Dallas Stars. Archived from the original on 2007-12-04. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ "Trophies". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
- ^ Raider 2014, pp. 13–14
- ^ Raider 2014, p. 26
- ^ "The WHA vs the North Stars". northstarshockey. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Youngblood, Kent (2013-03-05). "1980 – could history repeat itself?". Minneapolis StarTribune. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- ^ https://records.nhl.com/records/team-records/goals/most-goals-one-team-one-game
- ^ "One in a series of NHL division sizeups: Norris Division - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ a b "The Edmonton Oilers, behind Ken Linseman's power-play goal in... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
- ^ "The Calgary Flames regained the lead in the NHL... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Archives, T. H. W. (2023-12-06). "The Worst Teams in Stanley Cup Playoff History". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Hafner, Dan (1988-04-04). "NHL Roundup : Devils Need Overtime to Make the Playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Raider 2014, p. 75
- ^ "The 35 Biggest Moments in Modern Dallas History". Dmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ "Patrick Plus: Thanks, Norm Green". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
- ^ Wilson, Andrew (7 August 2014). "Don't Blame Gary Bettman". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Spleen for Green". Sports Illustrated. April 19, 1993. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ISBN 978-1-934454-38-1.
- ^ "A look back: The Minnesota North Stars, the story back then and its legacy today | State of Hockey News". stateofhockeynews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ Murphy, Austin (20 December 1993). "Gone but Not Forgotten: The still-unsettled Dallas Stars played a return engagement before Minnesota's sadder but wiser fans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Tranchina, John (26 October 2007). "Green a hockey pioneer in Dallas".
- ^ Ledra, Cristina (December 1, 2020). "Reverse Retro alternate jerseys for all 31 teams unveiled by NHL, adidas". NHL.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ "NHL Reverse Retro jerseys for all 32 teams unveiled by adidas". NHL.com. October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "Minnesota Wild Unveils New Alternate Uniform". National Hockey League. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota North Stars". The Internet Hockey Database.
- ^ a b c d "Al Shaver". Pavek Museum of Broadcasting. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ "Al Shaver's Last Call". Minnesota North Stars Memories. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ a b "Minnesota Wild - Team - Minnesota Wild Team". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
Bibliography
- Raider, Adam (2014), Frozen in Time: A Minnesota North Stars History, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 978-0-8032-4998-1
- Showers, Bob (2007), Minnesota North Stars: History and Memories with Lou Nanne, Beaver's Pond Press, ISBN 978-1-59298-197-7