Before the Stars were the Stars, they were the North Stars, belonging to the state of Minnesota rather than the southern city of Dallas, Texas. As the Minnesota North Stars, they joined the NHL in 1967 as part of the league’s first main modern expansion efforts. The North Stars muddled around for about a decade, mostly missing the playoffs or losing in the First Round, but hit their stride in 1980 when they made their first-ever run to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated in five by the Philadelphia Flyers. The team went one better in 1981, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for a date with the powerful New York Islanders, which they lost in five games. The North Stars gave it another go a decade later in 1991, when they made their second Finals appearance, but came up against one of the greatest players of all time in Mario Lemieux and were defeated by his Pittsburgh Penguins4-2. Despite their improvement on the ice and enthusiastic hockey culture of Minnesota, the franchise was facing financial difficulties and ended up relocating to Dallas in 1993 (though their original home was awarded a second franchise, the Minnesota Wild, in 2000). Texas being the Lone Star State, the team retained the second half of their name, dropping the “North” for obvious geographical regions. The Dallas Stars carried on with the momentum of their predecessors into the following seasons, battling their way into the playoffs in three out of their first four seasons. The Stars’ first breakthrough came in 1998, when the team reached the Western Conference Finals, losing out to the powerful Detroit Red Wings in six games. The final year of the millennium would prove to be their year, though, as the Stars not only squeezed past the crushing attack of the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in the 1999 Conference Finals but also defeated the Buffalo Sabres in six to win the franchise’s first, and to this date only, Stanley Cup. The Stars did try to add to this tally in the very next season, but lost the 2000 Finals to the New Jersey Devils. After a decade or so in the wilderness, missing out on the playoffs or going out in the First Round, the Stars haveexperienced a resurgence in recent years, even managing another run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020, where they lost in six to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Stars’ many fans across Texas will be hoping to see their team back in the Finals again soon, and hopefully on the winning end of the stick next time.

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