In this All Sports History video we'll look back at what happened to the Minnesota North Stars before they moved to Dallas in 1993.

Here's what this "Minnesota North Stars History" video covers:

For 26 years Minnesota (widely known as one of the best places for hockey) was home to a NHL team, the North Stars. So what exactly led to the team leaving after so many seasons? In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how the team’s struggles to stay relevant, and an owner’s mismanagement and personal scandals ultimately doomed the franchise’s chances of survival in Minnesota.

With expansion to the NHL in 1967, and just after the Metropolitan Center (which would become the Minnesota North Stars Arena for their entire existence), the team began their first ever season in franchise history. After overcoming a tragedy in 1968, when star player Bill Masterton died after falling to the ice hard, the team found itself in playoff contention during its first season. Some early Minnesota North Stars highlights included beating the Los Angeles Kings, and getting one game away from the Stanley Cup final before losing to the St. Louis Blues in 1968. The team would soon face stiff competition not just in the NHL, but outside the league as well. in 1972, the World Hockey Association formed in the hopes of competing with the NHL, and one of the original teams was the Minnesota Fighting Saints. It didn't help that during this time the North Stars had begun to struggle, failing to reach the playoffs three years in a row. Even with the Fighting Saints outdrawing the North Stars on occasion, the Fighting Saints folded in 1976 due to financial problems with the team. Things continued to get worse for the North Stars, who were routinely drawing fewer and fewer crowds. The Cleveland Barons were also struggling pretty badly, and the owners George and Gordon Gund pitched a radical idea to the NHL. Why not merge the North Stars and Barons together? Well that's exactly what they did, and in 1979 the two teams officially merged with the North Stars remaining while the Barons ceased operations.

By the early 1980's the North Stars fortunes began to change. In 1981, the infamous Minnesota North Stars vs Boston Bruins Brawl happened which helped spark the team onto an incredible run at the Stanley Cup. The brawl produced the Minnesota North Stars full game record of 211 penalty minutes. The team unexpectedly defeated the Bruins, Sabres, and the Flames to reach the finals for the first time in team history. Unfortunately, they ran into to the red hot New York Islanders who had just won the cup the previous year. The Islanders proved to be too much for the North Stars, who were defeated in five games. After realignment in 1982, the North Stars would languish season after season until in absolutely dreadful 1987 season where they only won 19 games. The only true bright spot during this period was the drafting of Minnesota North Stars Mike Modano, who would go on to have a hall of fame career. The Gund Brothers ended up selling the team in 1990, and Norman Green took over as the new owner. During this time, the team embarked on yet another improbable run throughout the Minnesota North Stars 1991 playoffs. The Stars reached the finals once again, only to be defeated by the Penguins in 6 games. It was long after this that Norm Green decided to move the team due to a number issues surrounding the franchise. The Minnesota North Stars last game took place on April 13, 1993. It would be another 7 years before Minnesota regained an NHL team, when the Wild first played in 2000. The Wild have on occasion played tribute to the North Stars, like in 2020 when they wore reverse retro sweaters inspired by the Minnesota North Stars jersey 1978.

So what did you guys think of the Minnesota North Stars move to Dallas? What do you most remember about the North Star’s time in Minnesota? Let me know in the comments below!

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MINNESOTA NORTH STARS? // RELOCATED: A MINNESOTA NORTH STARS DOCUMENTARY