I’ve always maintained that if they were going to keep retired numbers up from North Stars days they should have at put up one banner with the NS logo as a nod to the two final runs in Minnesota. Also I don’t know if the Wild want those retired numbers, nothing says they couldn’t retire 19 or 7 etc already, no 1 is retired for “Wild fans” which is very silly to me.
I’m rambling here, but it’s interesting that Carolina unretired numbers after they moved from Hartford…
The Dallas franchise has always been one foot in - one foot out on these things. I like that idea - and I pushed for another NStar banner with division titles and so on from the days in Minnesota - but nobody really cared.
From a copyright/league perspective the NHL owns the North Stars mark, so if the Wild really wanted to do something with it they also don’t need the Stars blessing
Great piece Ralph! As a newbie to hockey (started watching in 1997) the Dallas Stars have their own history for fans to remember and Minnesota should have their history returned to them, it is respectfully theirs.
I'm a former North Stars fan who followed and kept my fandom when the team moved south, being now a fellow Stars fan. While I totally agree with the reasons that led the team to leave Minny -- and I truly hated see them go back at the time, I respectfully disagree with the idea of giving all related North Stars elements back in Minnesota.
The North Stars and current Stars are part of the same franchise and are technically the same team. By looking at the seasons '92-'93 (the last in MN) and '93-'94 (the first in Dallas), the only change aside from playing home games elsewhere and roster changes is the addition of a Texas shoulder patch on the jersey. The team, ownership, staff and personnel remained globally the same.
They could have chosen to change name and forget about retired numbers but they didn't. They also brought back the kelly green from the Minnesota days when they rebrand in 2013. As part of the process with the new ownership, the banners of Masterton, Goldsworthy and Broten were redesigned with the new wordmark type and hung them in the rafters. For the 1999 Stanley Cup celebration, the team paid tribute to their previous run in 1991 as the North Stars. During the Zubov jersey retirement ceremony, relatives from the Masterton and Goldworthy were invited for the event. Somehow, the Stars organization still cares about its 26-year history in Minnesota, a long period that cannot be ignored and is part of the team's history.
On the other hand, Minnesota has now a team with its own logo and name. Another franchise that has no connection with the North Stars, hence the 'Stars' because it's a different entity. Having the previously cited banners in the X-cel doesn't make sense because these players never played with the Wild. They played with a team that is now in Dallas.
I understand that most of Dallas fans don't care about the team's past in Minnesota -- there are still some outliers like me and I know some of them, but some Wild fans (especially the younger ones) don't care about the North Stars either. A growing part of this fanbase grew up and know only the Wild. Marketing-wise, there's no point in twisting this into some bitter-nostalgia to grow the fanbase and I highly doubt that the Wild ownership want to go that route and go beyond the retro-reverse North Stars themed jersey. They have a great arena, it's a loyal and faithfull fanbase, it's up to the Wild team and their fans to build their own history and not claiming another one that is distinct of the franchise.
I’ve always maintained that if they were going to keep retired numbers up from North Stars days they should have at put up one banner with the NS logo as a nod to the two final runs in Minnesota. Also I don’t know if the Wild want those retired numbers, nothing says they couldn’t retire 19 or 7 etc already, no 1 is retired for “Wild fans” which is very silly to me.
I’m rambling here, but it’s interesting that Carolina unretired numbers after they moved from Hartford…
Good piece/discussion Ralph
The Dallas franchise has always been one foot in - one foot out on these things. I like that idea - and I pushed for another NStar banner with division titles and so on from the days in Minnesota - but nobody really cared.
From a copyright/league perspective the NHL owns the North Stars mark, so if the Wild really wanted to do something with it they also don’t need the Stars blessing
A great take from a guy with insight to both franchises.
Get a deal done
That may be a top 5 all time team logo. So simple.
Great piece Ralph! As a newbie to hockey (started watching in 1997) the Dallas Stars have their own history for fans to remember and Minnesota should have their history returned to them, it is respectfully theirs.
I thought the NHL owned the logo / namesake of the “North Stars” 🤷🏻♂️
I'm a former North Stars fan who followed and kept my fandom when the team moved south, being now a fellow Stars fan. While I totally agree with the reasons that led the team to leave Minny -- and I truly hated see them go back at the time, I respectfully disagree with the idea of giving all related North Stars elements back in Minnesota.
The North Stars and current Stars are part of the same franchise and are technically the same team. By looking at the seasons '92-'93 (the last in MN) and '93-'94 (the first in Dallas), the only change aside from playing home games elsewhere and roster changes is the addition of a Texas shoulder patch on the jersey. The team, ownership, staff and personnel remained globally the same.
They could have chosen to change name and forget about retired numbers but they didn't. They also brought back the kelly green from the Minnesota days when they rebrand in 2013. As part of the process with the new ownership, the banners of Masterton, Goldsworthy and Broten were redesigned with the new wordmark type and hung them in the rafters. For the 1999 Stanley Cup celebration, the team paid tribute to their previous run in 1991 as the North Stars. During the Zubov jersey retirement ceremony, relatives from the Masterton and Goldworthy were invited for the event. Somehow, the Stars organization still cares about its 26-year history in Minnesota, a long period that cannot be ignored and is part of the team's history.
On the other hand, Minnesota has now a team with its own logo and name. Another franchise that has no connection with the North Stars, hence the 'Stars' because it's a different entity. Having the previously cited banners in the X-cel doesn't make sense because these players never played with the Wild. They played with a team that is now in Dallas.
I understand that most of Dallas fans don't care about the team's past in Minnesota -- there are still some outliers like me and I know some of them, but some Wild fans (especially the younger ones) don't care about the North Stars either. A growing part of this fanbase grew up and know only the Wild. Marketing-wise, there's no point in twisting this into some bitter-nostalgia to grow the fanbase and I highly doubt that the Wild ownership want to go that route and go beyond the retro-reverse North Stars themed jersey. They have a great arena, it's a loyal and faithfull fanbase, it's up to the Wild team and their fans to build their own history and not claiming another one that is distinct of the franchise.