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Minnesota North Stars

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The Minnesota North Stars hockey team in action against the New York Islanders, 1981. The North Stars played in their first Stanley Cup finals against the New York Islanders in that year and lost the series 4-1.

The Minnesota North Stars hockey team in action against the New York Islanders, 1981. The North Stars played in their first Stanley Cup finals against the New York Islanders in that year and lost the series 4-1.

The Minnesota North Stars were one of the teams created during the National Hockey League’s first expansion in 1966, which finally brought an NHL team to the “state of hockey.” Their twenty-nine-year residency in the state produced two trips to the Stanley Cup finals, but their sudden departure to Dallas in 1993 shocked fans throughout Minnesota.

After the NHL announced that they would expand from six teams to twelve in 1965, a group of investors put together a bid for a franchise. Although the sports market in Minneapolis-St. Paul was smaller than others, the NHL chose Minnesota on February 9, 1966. As a condition of their successful bid, investors were required to build an arena that could hold at least 12,500 spectators. This led to construction of Bloomington’s Metropolitan Sports Center, which was built in just over a year.

The North Stars played their first game on the road against the St. Louis Blues on October 11, 1967. It ended in a tie. On October 21, the North Stars hosted their first home game against the California/Oakland Seals—which ended with the North Stars’ first win. However, tragedy soon struck the team. Bill Masterson, a center, hit his head in a legal check on January 13, 1968, at the Met Center. His injury was severe, and he died of his injuries two days later in a hospital. His death is the only direct death resulting from gameplay in the NHL. It precipitated regulations for mandatory helmets, though they weren’t required until 1979. Even with this tragedy, the North Stars ended their inaugural season with a trip to the playoffs, losing to St. Louis in the semifinals.

The decade that followed was less successful. The team’s second season ended with the North Stars in last place for the entire league. In 1978, Lou Nanne became the team’s general manager, and the Cleveland Barons merged with the North Stars, bringing new ownership and players to the team. On January 7, 1980, the North Stars played the Philadelphia Flyers in front of a record crowd at the Met Center. At that time, the Flyers held the record for the longest winning streak in the NHL—that is, until the North Stars beat them 7-1. This momentum led to a successful postseason, but the team lost to the Flyers and were denied their Stanley Cup debut. The following season, however, was their chance: the North Stars met the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals. While they lost the series to the Islanders 4-1, their 1980-81 season was proof that the North Stars were a formidable franchise.

In 1987, Lou Nanne hired Minnesota hockey legend Herb Brooks to coach the team, but he was unable to relight the spark of his 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice.” The North Stars ended the season in last place, Brooks wasn’t rehired, and Nanne resigned as GM. In 1990, the team was eventually sold to Norm Green, a Canadian investor. With new coaching and personnel, the North Stars had another successful year in 1991, reaching the Stanley Cup finals once again. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat them in a 4-2 series—denying the North Stars Stanley Cup glory.

When the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission denied Norm Green the opportunity to improve the Met Center and connect it to the new Mall of America, he decided he would find another city to house the North Stars. On March 10, 1993, in the midst of the season, he announced that the team would move to Dallas for the 1993–94 season. As the North Stars’ tenure in Minnesota came to a sudden close, they lost their last game at the Met Center on April 13, 1993, against the Chicago Blackhawks and lost their last game ever against Detroit a few days later.

The Met Center was demolished in December 1994 and Minnesota was left without an NHL team. Fans blamed Norm Green—under the moniker “Norm Greed”—for harming Minnesota’s proud hockey tradition. However, the state wouldn’t be without an NHL team for long. The NHL expanded again, and the Minnesota Wild debuted in 2000.

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© Minnesota Historical Society
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  • Related Resources

National Hockey League. Minnesota North Stars Official 1967–68 Hockey Program. Minneapolis: Minnesota North Stars, 1967. Available at the Minnesota Historical Library as GV848.M56 M45 1967.

Raider, Adam. Frozen in Time: A Minnesota North Stars History. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2014.

Rekela, George. A History of Professional Hockey in Minnesota: From the North Stars to the Wild. Charleston: History Press, 2014.

Showers, Bob. Minnesota North Stars: History and Memories with Lou Nanne. Edina, MN: Beaver’s Pond Press, 2007.

Related Images

The Minnesota North Stars hockey team in action against the New York Islanders, 1981. The North Stars played in their first Stanley Cup finals against the New York Islanders in that year and lost the series 4-1.
The Minnesota North Stars hockey team in action against the New York Islanders, 1981. The North Stars played in their first Stanley Cup finals against the New York Islanders in that year and lost the series 4-1.
The Minnesota North Stars hockey team at the Metropolitan Sports Center, 1969. The Minnesota North Stars played their home games at the Bloomington venue, better known as the Met Center.
The Minnesota North Stars hockey team at the Metropolitan Sports Center, 1969. The Minnesota North Stars played their home games at the Bloomington venue, better known as the Met Center.
The longtime logo of the Minnesota North Stars hockey team. Public domain.
The longtime logo of the Minnesota North Stars hockey team. Public domain.
Metropolitan Sports Center, ca. 1967. The complex, nicknamed the Met Center, was located near the Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The North Stars hockey team played there for their entire career in Minnesota.
Metropolitan Sports Center, ca. 1967. The complex, nicknamed the Met Center, was located near the Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The North Stars hockey team played there for their entire career in Minnesota.
The Minnesota North Stars’ goalie Gilles Meloche defends a shot on goal by the Islanders’ Anders Kallum in a Stanley Cup finals game at the Met Center in 1981.
The Minnesota North Stars’ goalie Gilles Meloche defends a shot on goal by the Islanders’ Anders Kallum in a Stanley Cup finals game at the Met Center in 1981.
The Minnesota North Stars’ schedule for 1989, featuring the radio stations that broadcast games and a seating chart for Met Center home games.
The Minnesota North Stars’ schedule for 1989, featuring the radio stations that broadcast games and a seating chart for Met Center home games.
A North Stars jersey from around 1990, during the team’s final years in Minnesota.
A North Stars jersey from around 1990, during the team’s final years in Minnesota.
The logo used by the Minnesota North Stars hockey team between 1991 and 1993.  Public domain. As owner Norm Green was looking to relocate the North Stars, the logo was redesigned and the word “North” was removed. Some fans saw this as an ominous sign for the future of Minnesota’s team. Public domain.
The logo used by the Minnesota North Stars hockey team between 1991 and 1993.  Public domain. As owner Norm Green was looking to relocate the North Stars, the logo was redesigned and the word “North” was removed. Some fans saw this as an ominous sign for the future of Minnesota’s team. Public domain.
Minnesota North Stars Stanley Cup pennant, 1991. As the North Stars made their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals, fan memorabilia was made to celebrate the achievement.
Minnesota North Stars Stanley Cup pennant, 1991. As the North Stars made their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals, fan memorabilia was made to celebrate the achievement.
Demolition of the Met Center (Metropolitan Sports Center) in Bloomington, 1994. The stadium was demolished after the North Stars hockey team left Minnesota. A common refrain among North Stars fans, who blamed owner Norm Green for abandoning the state, was “Norm sucks.”
Demolition of the Met Center (Metropolitan Sports Center) in Bloomington, 1994. The stadium was demolished after the North Stars hockey team left Minnesota. A common refrain among North Stars fans, who blamed owner Norm Green for abandoning the state, was “Norm sucks.”

Turning Point

On January 7, 1980, the North Stars beat the long-undefeated Philadelphia Flyers at the Met Center 7-1, giving the team momentum into the 1980-81 season, when they would make their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. Spectators set an attendance record at 15,962.

Chronology

1965

The National Hockey League officially announces that the league will double in size from six to twelve teams.

1966

Minneapolis–St. Paul is announced as one of six successful bidders for an NHL team, and construction begins on the Metropolitan Sports Center, also known as the Met Center.

1967

The Met Center opens and hosts its first hockey game on October 21. The North Stars beat the California/Oakland Seals 3-1.

1968

A California/Oakland Seals player checks Bill Masterson during a January 21 game, fatally injuring him. The North Stars end their inaugural season with a 27-32-15 record.

1974

Wren Blair is fired as general manager of the team. Jack Gordon, a former coach, takes on a dual role as general manager and coach.

1978

The owners of the Cleveland Barons (formerly the California/Oakland Seals), George and Gordon Gund, acquire the North Stars and the teams merge. The team stays in Minnesota as the North Stars. Lou Nanne is also hired as general manager.

1981

The North Stars make their first Stanley Cup appearance after “Cinderella story” wins through the playoffs. However, they lose to the New York Islanders in a 4-1 series.

1987

Lou Nanne hires Herb Brooks as coach.

1988

Due to injuries, the North Stars end the season last in the league. Herb Brooks isn’t hired back as coach. Lou Nanne resigns as general manager but becomes team president.

1990

As the franchise is losing money, the Gund brothers move to sell the team to Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg, who quickly sell the team to Norm Green.

1991

The North Stars make their second appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-2 series.

1993

In March, Norm Green announces that the team will be moving to Dallas for the 1993–94 season. In April, the North Stars play their final games at the Met Center and as a Minnesota team.

1994

The Met Center is demolished.

1997

The Minnesota Wild are announced as an expansion team, and the NHL returns to Minnesota, making their debut in the 2000–01 season.

1999

The Dallas Stars win their first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s third Stanley Cup appearance.