The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Before the 1978–79 NHL season, the team merged with the Cleveland Barons after the league granted them permission due to each team's respective financial struggles. Eventually, the franchise relocated to Dallas for the 1993–94 NHL season where the team was rebranded as the Dallas Stars. The Stars played out of Reunion Arena located in downtown Dallas from their relocation in 1993 until 2001, when the team moved less than  into the American Airlines Center located in the nearby Victory Park neighborhood of Dallas, an arena they share with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Stars have won eight division titles in Dallas, two Presidents' Trophies as the top regular season team in the league, the Western Conference championship three times, and the Stanley Cup in 1999, where center Joe Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs that year. Over the course of the franchise's history in both Minnesota and Dallas, the franchise has appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals five times (1981, 1991, 1999, 2000, and 2020).

In 2000, Neal Broten was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2009, Brett Hull became the first Dallas Stars player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, followed by Ed Belfour and Joe Nieuwendyk in 2011 and Mike Modano in 2014; Modano is the highest-scoring player in franchise history. In 2010, brothers Derian and Kevin Hatcher were also inducted to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Franchise history

Minnesota North Stars (1967–1993)

The Minnesota North Stars began play in 1967 as part of the league's six-team expansion. Home games were played at the newly constructed Metropolitan Sports Center ("Met Center") in Bloomington, Minnesota. Initially successful both on the ice and at the gate, the North Stars fell victim to financial problems after several poor seasons in the mid-1970s.

In 1978, the North Stars merged with the Cleveland Barons (formerly the California Golden Seals), owned by George III and Gordon Gund. With both teams on the verge of folding, the league permitted the two failing franchises to merge. The merged team continued as the Minnesota North Stars, while the Seals/Barons franchise records were retired. However, the Gunds were the merged team's principal owners, and the North Stars assumed the Barons' place in the Adams Division in order to balance out the divisions. The merger brought with it a number of talented players, and the North Stars were revived—they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, where they lost in five games to the New York Islanders. However, by the early 1990s, declining attendance and the inability to secure a new downtown revenue-generating arena led ownership to request permission to move the team to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1990. The league rejected the request and instead agreed to award an expansion franchise, the San Jose Sharks, to the Gund brothers. The North Stars were sold to a group of investors that were originally looking to place a team in San Jose, although one of the group's members, former Calgary Flames part-owner Norman Green, would eventually gain control of the team. In the following season, the North Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After the 1990–91 season, the North Stars suffered through declining profits coupled with distraction and uncertainty caused by relocation attempts. The team's fortunes were further impeded by the terms of the settlement with the Gund brothers, in which they were permitted to take a number of North Stars players to San Jose. In their final two seasons in Minnesota, the team adopted a new logo which omitted any reference to the word "North" from "North Stars", leading many fans to anticipate the team heading south. Green explored the possibility of moving the team to Anaheim to play at a new arena (which is now the Honda Center) under construction, and intended to call the team the Los Angeles Stars. However, in 1992 the league decided to award an expansion franchise to The Walt Disney Company to play in Anaheim's new arena, this franchise eventually became the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Relocation and Early Years in Dallas (1993–1998)

In 1993, amid further attendance woes and bitter personal controversy, Green obtained permission from the league to move the team to Dallas, for the 1993–94 season, with the decision announced on March 10, 1993. Green was convinced by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach that Dallas would be a suitable market for an NHL team. With the team's move to the Southern United States, Green decided to drop the "North" adjective but otherwise retained the "Stars" nickname, which in its shortened form quickly proved popular as it matched the state of Texas' official nickname as "The Lone Star State." An NHL franchise Dallas was an experiment for the league, as at that time the Stars would be one of the three southernmost teams in the league along with two recently created expansion teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers as the league's first real ventures into southern non-traditional hockey markets. The Stars would move into Reunion Arena, built in 1980, the downtown arena already occupied by the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks.

To quell the ensuing controversy surrounding the North Stars move to Dallas, the NHL promised that the Twin Cities would receive an expansion franchise in the near future; that promise was fulfilled in 2000 in the form of the Minnesota Wild.

With the league changing the names of the conferences and divisions that season, the newly relocated Stars were placed in the Central Division of the Western Conference, and played their first game in Dallas on October 5, 1993, a 6–4 win against the Detroit Red Wings. In that game, Neal Broten scored the first Stars goal in Dallas. Though the Stars were relatively still low on the Dallas-Fort Worth sports pecking order upon their arrival, popularity of the team grew rapidly and the immediate success of the team on the ice, as well as Mike Modano's career-best season (50 goals, 93 points) helped spur the team's popularity in North Texas. The Stars set franchise bests in wins (42) and points (97) in their first season in Dallas, qualifying for the 1994 playoffs. The Stars further shocked the hockey world by sweeping the St. Louis Blues in the first round, but lost to the eventual Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks in the second round. The Stars' success in their first season along with Modano's spectacular on-ice performances, would be an integral part of the Stars' eventual franchise success in the immediate years to come.

The almost immediate success of the Stars was also helped by the long legacy of minor-league hockey in the area. Both incarnations of the Central Hockey League had two teams in the area, the Dallas Black Hawks and the Fort Worth Texans for years before the Stars' arrival. The two teams were bitter rivals, and some of the traditions and famous rivalry incidents, including what is thought to be the first known use anywhere at an athletic event of "Rock and Roll Part 2" by the Fort Worth Texans and the famous "10 Cent Beer Night" near-riot in 1978 helped create awareness of hockey. Amateur and youth hockey in North Texas were also extremely popular because of the long presence of the minor league teams.

Green, who had run into financial problems stemming from his business ventures outside of hockey, was forced to sell the team to businessman Tom Hicks in December 1995.

Beginning of the Tom Hicks era and building for a championship
The 1994–95 season was shortened by an owners' lockout. The Stars traded captain Mark Tinordi along with Rick Mrozik to the Washington Capitals before the season began for Kevin Hatcher. Longtime North Stars hold-over Neal Broten was named his replacement, although he was traded too after only 17 games to the New Jersey Devils. Broten was replaced by Kevin's younger brother Derian Hatcher as team captain, a role he would serve in for the next decade. The Stars played only 48 games that season posting a record of 17–23–8. Despite the shortened season and the losing record, the Stars again made the playoffs, losing in five games to the Red Wings in the first round.

The 1995–96 season would be the first season under new owner Tom Hicks. In the off-season, the Stars traded for former Montreal Canadiens' captain and three-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner Guy Carbonneau, who was then with the St. Louis Blues. With the Stars struggling to begin the season, general manager and head coach Bob Gainey traded for center Joe Nieuwendyk from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Corey Millen and Jarome Iginla, then a Stars prospect. The Stars recorded only 11 wins in the first half of the season, and Bob Gainey relinquished his coaching duties in January to be the full-time general manager of the team. The Stars soon hired Michigan K-Wings head coach Ken Hitchcock to replace him; it would be his first NHL head coaching position. The Stars then traded for Benoit Hogue from the Toronto Maple Leafs late in the season, but ultimately finished in sixth place in the Central Division, missing the playoffs for the first time since moving to Texas.

In the 1996 off-season, the Stars continued to revamp their roster, adding defensemen Darryl Sydor from the Los Angeles Kings followed by Sergei Zubov from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Kevin Hatcher. Zubov would serve as the Stars' top defenseman and powerplay quarterback until leaving the league in 2009. On the ice, Ken Hitchcock's first season proved to be a good one. The Stars bested their 1994 totals, posting 48 wins and reaching the 100-point mark for the first time in franchise history. The Stars won the Central Division, their first division title since 1983–84 (when they were still the Minnesota North Stars) and were seeded second in the playoffs. Despite the regular season success, the youthful Stars were upset in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. Defenseman Grant Ledyard tripped in overtime of Game 7, allowing Todd Marchant to score the game- and series-winning goal on a breakaway against goaltender Andy Moog.

During the 1997 off-season, the Stars signed star goaltender Ed Belfour as a free agent after a well-publicized falling-out with the San Jose Sharks, which had traded a number of players to the Chicago Blackhawks to obtain him in January in the previous season. Andy Moog was allowed to leave via free agency, but later returned to the Stars as an assistant coach. The 1997–98 season was another banner year for the Stars. The Stars again set franchise records in wins (49) and points (109). Dallas acquired Mike Keane at the deadline from the New York Rangers. The Stars won the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy as the league's best regular season team, as well as the Central Division title for the second season in a row. Belfour set franchise season records for goals against average (1.88), wins (37) and just missed out on the Jennings Trophy by one goal to Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. The Stars were the first overall seed for the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs and defeated the eighth-seeded San Jose Sharks in six games in the first round. Notorious enforcer Bryan Marchment injured Joe Nieuwendyk's right knee, forcing him to miss the rest of the playoffs with torn ligaments. In the second round, they again met the Edmonton Oilers, this time defeating them in five games. However, without Nieuwendyk, the Stars lacked the firepower to overcome the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals and lost in six games. The Red Wings went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Contending for Titles and 1999 Stanley Cup Championship (1998–2004)

1999 Stanley Cup Championship and 2000 Stanley Cup Finals runs

In the 1998 off-season, after falling just short in the Western Conference Finals, the Stars added what they believed was the final piece toward winning a championship: star goalscoring winger Brett Hull. Hull had already had a successful career with the St. Louis Blues, with three consecutive 70-goal seasons and a Hart Memorial Trophy, but a fallout with Blues management led Hull to leave St. Louis via free agency. Additionally, this was the first season for the Stars in the Pacific Division after the 1998 NHL division re-alignment.

In the 1998–99 season, the Stars won 51 games, surpassing the 50-win mark for the first time in franchise history. They also recorded 114 points, which still stands today as a franchise record. They won their first Pacific Division by 24 points (their third consecutive division title), a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy, the Jennings Trophy as the league's top defensive team, and were awarded home-ice advantage throughout the 1999 playoffs. Winger Jere Lehtinen was also awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

In the first round of the playoffs, Dallas faced the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars swept the Oilers in four close games, winning Game 4 in the third overtime on a goal by Joe Nieuwendyk. They then faced the St. Louis Blues in the second round. After taking a 2–0 series lead, the Blues came back to tie the series. The Stars then won the next two games to beat the Blues in six games. The series again ended on an overtime goal, this time in Game 6 from Mike Modano. In the Conference Finals, they faced the Colorado Avalanche for the first time in Stars playoff history. This would be the first of four playoff meetings between the Stars and Avalanche in the next seven years. After both the Stars and the Avalanche split the first four games at a 2–2 series tie, the Avalanche won Game 5 by a score of 7–5, taking a 3–2 series lead, The Stars rallied winning game six on the road, and Game 7 at home, both by 4–1 scorelines.

This was the Stars' first Stanley Cup Finals appearance as the Dallas Stars, although they made the finals twice as the Minnesota North Stars. They faced the Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres, who had defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After splitting the first four games, the Stars vaunted defense would hold the Sabres to only one goal in the next two, winning Game 5 2–0 and Game 6 2–1 on a triple-overtime goal by Brett Hull. Hull's goal at 14:51 of the third overtime was allowed to stand only after a lengthy official review. That season, the league still had the "crease rule" in effect, which provided that if any player of the attacking team who did not have possession of the puck entered the crease before the puck, then any resulting goal was disallowed. Hull had initially gained possession of the puck outside the crease and had made a shot that was blocked by Buffalo goaltender Dominik Hasek. One of Hull's skates entered the crease as he corralled the rebound, and Hull's second shot scored the Cup-winning goal. The goal was eventually allowed, as having simply blocked Hull's shot rather than catching it, Hasek never took possession of the puck away from Hull. Officials therefore determined that rather than calling it a loose puck, Hull would be considered to have had continuous possession of the puck from before his first shot outside the crease. The complexity of the crease rule, and the attendant difficulties in understanding its application by fans and players alike, combined with the controversy arising out of the disputed Stanley Cup-winning goal, resulted in the crease rule being repealed the following season. Hull's goal marked the 13th time a Stanley Cup-winning goal was scored in overtime, and only the fourth to be scored in multiple overtimes. This was the only time between 1995 and 2003 that a team other than the New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche or Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup.

The team added veterans Kirk Muller, Dave Manson and Sylvain Cote in an effort to defend their Stanley Cup championship in . On December 31, 1999, Brett Hull scored his 600 and 601st career goals in a 5–4 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Stars ultimately won the Pacific Division for the second year in a row, and were seeded second in the Western Conference. Dallas then defeated the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks in the first and second rounds, both 4–1 series victories. The Stars, for the second season in a row, defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals in seven games to reach their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, where they met the New Jersey Devils. Because the Devils finished the regular season with one more point than Dallas, the Stars had to play their first playoff series without home-ice advantage since 1995. The Stars lost all three games at the Reunion Arena in the Finals, and lost the series in Game 6 on a double-overtime goal by New Jersey forward Jason Arnott.

2001–2004
Hoping to win back the Stanley Cup, the Stars again captured the Pacific Division, posting a solid 48–24–8–2 record in the 2000–01 season. In the playoffs, the Stars and the Edmonton Oilers met in the first round, battling back-and-forth through the first four games, with each game decided by one goal, including three going into overtime. Game 5 would also go to overtime, as the Stars took a 3–2 series lead on a goal by Kirk Muller. However, in Game 6 in Edmonton, the Stars did not need overtime, advancing to the second round with a 3–1 win. Facing the St. Louis Blues, the Stars would run out of gas, being swept in four straight games. The Game 2 loss would be the last NHL game played in Reunion Arena.

Moving into the brand new American Airlines Center for the 2001–02 season, the Stars had a slow start to the season, as goaltender Ed Belfour struggled through one of his worst seasons. Head coach Ken Hitchcock was eventually fired, being replaced by Rick Wilson. Despite the coaching change, the Stars continued to play poor hockey. With the prospect of missing the playoffs, the Stars traded 1999 Conn Smythe winner Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Randy McKay and Jason Arnott, who scored the game-winning goal in the 2000 Finals against Dallas. The Stars would eventually go on to post a respectable record of 35–28–13–5. However, it would not be enough for the playoffs, as they fell four points short of the final eighth spot in the Western Conference. Following the season, coach Rick Wilson would return to assistant coaching duties, as the Stars brought in Dave Tippett as his replacement.

As in the 2002 off-season, Ed Belfour left via free agency to the Toronto Maple Leafs. To begin the 2002–03 season, the Stars awarded the starting goaltending position to Marty Turco, who went on to have one of the best seasons in NHL history, posting the lowest goals-against average (GAA) since 1940, at 1.76. However, missing 18 games late in the season likely cost him a shot at the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top regular season goaltender. Regardless, the Stars posted the best record in the Western Conference at 46–17–15–4, and along the way, two-way star Jere Lehtinen won his third Frank J. Selke Trophy. In the playoffs, the Stars once again met the Edmonton Oilers, and once again the Oilers would prove a contentious opponent, winning two of the first three games. However, the Stars would prove the better team again by winning the next three games to take the series in six games. The Stars' second-round series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim got off to an unbelievable start, as the game went deep into overtime tied 3–3. However, Mighty Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 60 shots as the Ducks scored early in the fifth overtime. Game 2 would be more of the same, as the Ducks stunned the Stars in overtime. Desperately needing a win, the Stars bounced back to take Game 3 in Anaheim. However, the Ducks would take a 3–1 series lead by breaking a scoreless tie late in the third period of Game 4. In Game 5, the Stars finally solved Giguere by scoring four goals to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, the Stars' dreams of a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals would end in heartbreaking fashion as the Ducks broke a 3–3 tie with 1:06 left in Game 6 on a goal by defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh.

Coming off their disappointing playoff loss, the Stars would get off to a shaky start to the 2003–04 season, as they played mediocre hockey through the first three months of the season, posting a sub-.500 record. However, as the calendar turned to 2004, the Stars began to find their game, as they posted a 9–4–3 record in January. As the season wore on, the Stars would get stronger, climbing up the playoff ladder and eventually reaching second place in the Pacific Division, where they finished with a solid 41–26–13–2 record; Marty Turco had another outstanding season, recording a 1.98 GAA. However, the Stars could not carry their momentum into the playoffs, as they were beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in five games in the first round.

Post-Lockout Era (2005–2008)
Coming out of the owners' lockout that cancelled the entire 2004–05 season, the Stars remained one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference for the start of 2005–06, as they won four of their first five games on the way to a solid October. November would be even better for Dallas, as they won 10 of 13 games and took over first place in the Pacific Division, a position they would hold most of the season, as they went on to finish with a terrific record of 53–23–6. One reason for the Stars' success was their strong play in shootouts, as forward Jussi Jokinen was nearly automatic, making 10-of-13 shot attempts. Also performing strongly in shootouts was Sergei Zubov, who used a slow-but-steady backhand to go 7-for-12, as the Stars ultimately won 12 of 13 games that were settled by a shootout. As the number two seed in the Western Conference, the Stars faced the seventh-seeded Colorado Avalanche. The Stars were favorited to win the Western Conference, and some even predicted them to win the Stanley Cup. However, the Stars would stumble right from the start, losing Game 1 by a score of 5–2 as the Avalanche scored five unanswered goals after the Stars jumped out to a promising 2–0 lead. Game 2 would see the Stars suffer another setback at home, as the Stars lost in overtime 5–4 on a goal by Joe Sakic. On the road in Game 3, the Stars led 3–2 in the final minute before the Avalanche forced overtime on a goal by Andrew Brunette, while Alex Tanguay won the game just 69 seconds into overtime to put the Stars in a 3–0 hole. The Stars would avoid the sweep with a 4–1 win in Game 4, but overtime would doom them again in Game 5, as Andrew Brunette scored the series winner at 6:05, ending the Stars' playoffs hopes after just five games.

Dallas hosts the All-Star Game (2006–07 season)
Following the previous season's disappointing first-round playoff loss at the hands of the seventh-seeded Avalanche, the Stars made a number of changes during the 2006 off-season. Former Stars goalkeeper Andy Moog was promoted to assistant general manager for player development (he kept his job as goaltending coach) and former player Ulf Dahlen was hired as an assistant coach. The Stars allowed center Jason Arnott, defenseman Willie Mitchell and goaltender Johan Hedberg to leave as free agents. Forward Niko Kapanen was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers and the remaining two years on fan-favorite right winger Bill Guerin's contract were bought out. The Stars also received Patrik Stefan and Jaroslav Modry in the Atlanta trade, and signed Eric Lindros, Jeff Halpern, Matthew Barnaby and Darryl Sydor as free agents. Young goaltender Mike Smith was promoted to the NHL to serve as Marty Turco's backup. During the season, key future pieces – center Mike Ribeiro and defenseman Mattias Norstrom – were added through separate trades. Young players Joel Lundqvist, Krys Barch, Nicklas Grossmann and Chris Conner all saw significant ice time while other players were out of the lineup with injuries.

On September 29, 2006, Brenden Morrow was announced as new team captain, taking the role over from Mike Modano, who had served as the incumbent since 2003. On March 13, 2007, Modano scored his 500th career NHL goal, making him only the 39th player and second American to ever reach the milestone. On March 17, Modano scored his 502nd and 503rd NHL goals, breaking the record for an American-born player, previously held by Joe Mullen.

On January 24, 2007, the NHL All-Star Game was held at the American Airlines Center. Defenseman Philippe Boucher and goaltender Marty Turco would represent the Stars as part of the Western Conference All-Star roster. The Stars qualified for the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference and squared off against the Vancouver Canucks in the first round. Marty Turco delivered three shutout wins in Games 2, 5 and 6, but the Stars' offense failed to capitalize and they lost the series in seven games, the third season in a row that they lost in the first round.

Return to playoff prominence (2007–08 season)
In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Stars drafted the relatively unknown Jamie Benn 129th overall. After starting a lackluster 7–7–3 in the 2007–08 season, general manager Doug Armstrong was fired by the team. He was replaced by an unusual "co-general manager" arrangement of former assistant GM Les Jackson and former Stars player Brett Hull. On November 8, 2007, Mike Modano became the top American born point scorer of all-time, finishing off a shorthanded breakaway opportunity on San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.

On February 26, 2008, just hours before the trade deadline, the Stars traded for All-Star center Brad Richards from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for backup goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern. The Stars rallied to a final record of 45–30–7 and qualified for the playoffs as the fifth seed, matching up with the defending Stanley Cup champion, the Anaheim Ducks, in the first round. After a rough end to the season, only winning two games in March of that year, the Stars shocked everyone by winning the first two games of the series in Anaheim, and then would go on to finish off the Ducks in six games, their first playoff series win since 2003. In the second round, the Stars matched up with the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. Once again, the Stars surprised everyone by winning the first two games of the series on the road. In Game 2, Brad Richards tied an NHL record by recording four points in the third period. The Stars would then take a 3–0 series lead after a Mattias Norstrom overtime goal in Game 3. After the Sharks staved off elimination with back to back wins in Games 4 and 5, captain Brenden Morrow finished the Sharks off in Game 6 with a powerplay goal nearly halfway into the fourth overtime, a moment nicknamed "Cinco De Morrow" by Stars fans as Game 6 ended in the early morning hours of the Cinco De Mayo holiday on May 5. The win sent the Stars to their first Western Conference Finals since 2000, where they met the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings. After falling behind in the series 3–0, the Stars made a series of it winning Games 4 and 5 before ultimately being ousted by the Red Wings in six games.

Transition Seasons (2008–2011)

The 2008–09 season saw the early loss for the season of captain Brenden Morrow to an ACL tear. Off-season free agent acquisition Sean Avery caused a media uproar over comments he made to a Canadian reporter about ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert and her relationship with Calgary Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf before a game in Calgary. The incident forced the team to suspend Avery for the season; he was later waived by the Stars. That incident, plus injuries to key players Brad Richards and Sergei Zubov, caused the Stars to tailspin to a 12th-place finish and the first missed playoffs for Dallas since 2002.

In the wake of the season, the Stars hired a new general manager, former player and alternate captain Joe Nieuwendyk. Hull and Jackson remained with the Stars, but were reassigned to new roles within the organization. Less than a week after he was hired, Nieuwendyk fired six-season head coach Dave Tippett on June 10, 2009, and hired Marc Crawford the next day as his replacement. Other off-season moves included the addition of Charlie Huddy as assistant coach in charge of defense and the promotions of Stu Barnes and Andy Moog to assistant coaches.

The Stars' 2009–10 season was similar to the previous one. Inconsistent play and defensive struggles plagued the team throughout the season, as they failed to adjust to Marc Crawford's new offensively-minded system, and owner Tom Hicks' financial troubles prevented the team from spending more than $45 million on payroll, over $11 million beneath the league salary cap. The Stars failed to win more than three games in a row all season, finished in last in the Pacific Division and repeated their 12th place conference finish from the year before with a record of 37–31–14 for 88 points. This was the first time that they would miss the playoffs two seasons in a row since the Stars moved to Texas. In the off-season, long-time goaltender Marty Turco was let go in favor of Kari Lehtonen to become the team's number one goaltender for the future. In the Star's last game of the season, away against the Minnesota Wild, Mike Modano was named the game's first star and skated around the rink after the game wearing his North Stars uniform, receiving a rousing ovation.

In the 2010 off-season, the Stars released Marty Turco and Mike Modano, the face of the franchise for the past two decades. Modano subsequently signed with the Detroit Red Wings while Turco joined the Chicago Blackhawks. Winger Jere Lehtinen, who played his entire career with the Stars, announced his retirement in December 2010. The team also made key acquisitions, such as winger Adam Burish (who was on the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks) and goaltender Andrew Raycroft. They also gave Jonathan Cheechoo a try-out, but he was cut and later signed with division rivals San Jose Sharks.

To begin the 2010–11 season, the Stars won their first three games in a row, going on a three-game win streak for the first time since the 2008–09 season by beating the New Jersey Devils in overtime in the season opener, New York Islanders in a shootout, and against the Red Wings in the Stars' home opener that featured an emotional return for Mike Modano, as the Stars crowd gave Modano a standing ovation as he was shown on the American Airlines Center jumbotron during a timeout in the game.

After a hot start to the new season, the Stars would dominate the first half of the season, staying in both the Pacific Division lead and within the top three spots of the Western Conference. Through the first half of the season they compiled a 30–15–6 record. However, after the All-Star Break the Stars went into a slump, going on numerous losing streaks which included one-goal losses and blowing late leads in numerous games. Through this though, the Stars still remained in the playoff picture. On the day of the trade deadline, the Stars traded up and comer James Neal and Matt Niskanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Alex Goligoski. After struggling much of the second half of the season the Stars still had a chance to make the playoffs by winning all their games in the month of April. They managed to win all of them except for their season finale as they lost on the road at the Minnesota Wild 5–3, costing them a playoff spot.

After missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, Dallas fired coach Marc Crawford on April 12, 2011. In the spring of 2011, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, the team had been "financially managed" by the league for over a year. On June 16, 2011, Dallas hired Glen Gulutzan to be head coach, making him the sixth coach since the franchise's move from Minnesota. On September 13, 2011, lenders voted to agree to have the Stars file for bankruptcy and sold at auction. On September 21, 2011, Mike Modano announced his retirement from the league. By October 22, 2011, competing bids to buy the club were due. Vancouver businessman and Kamloops Blazers owner Tom Gaglardi's bid was the only one submitted, clearing the way for him to enter the final stages of taking over ownership of the team. Gaglardi's purchase was approved by the NHL Board of Governors on November 18, 2011.

A bankruptcy court judge approved the bid for an enterprise value of $240 million. First lien creditors got about 75 cents on the dollar. The Stars lost $38 million during their last fiscal year and $92 million over the last three seasons.

Arrival of Tom Gaglardi and "Victory Green" Era (2011–present)
As the new owner, Gaglardi's first move was bringing back former Stars President Jim Lites to once again take the reins as team president and CEO. To begin the 2011–12 season, the Stars once again jumped out to a fast start, going 22–15–1 through the first 38 games of the season. However, when the second half of the season began, the Stars slumped through the months of January and February, before getting hot again in late February. Throughout March, the Stars regained the lead of the Pacific Division. Beginning on March 26, 2012, the Stars embarked on a western road trip that saw them visit the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks. Going into the road trip, the Stars were in control of their own destiny, having to gain four points on the road trip to win their first Pacific Division title since the 2005–06 season. After the Stars lost 5–4 in Calgary to the Flames, the Stars beat the Oilers two nights later, 3–1. This would be their last win of the season, as the Stars were rolled over by the Canucks and Sharks. Even though they had lost the division crown, the Stars still had a chance to clinch a playoff spot. However, the Stars were eliminated from playoff contention on April 5 in a 2–0 loss to the playoff-bound Nashville Predators. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, setting a franchise record for consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance.

On July 1, 2012, the team signed free agent veterans Jaromir Jagr, Ray Whitney, and Aaron Rome. The next day, the Stars traded fan-favorite Steve Ott and Adam Pardy to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for center Derek Roy. When 2012–13 NHL lockout ended in January 2013 and a 48-game season began the Stars embarked on an up-and-down season, though staying in the race for one of the eight Western Conference playoff spots most of the shortened season. In mid-season, forward Michael Ryder was traded to his former team, the Montreal Canadiens, for Erik Cole. This shocked many as Ryder has become an almost overnight fan-favorite to Stars fans in his time with Dallas thanks to his stellar 35-goal campaign the previous season in 2011–12. Before the trade deadline in early April, the Stars began to falter and team captain Brenden Morrow was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins; Roy was traded to the Vancouver Canucks; Jagr to the Boston Bruins; and Tomas Vincour to the Colorado Avalanche to close out the NHL trade deadline, all in exchange for draft picks and prospects. After all of the trades at the trade deadline, the Stars' remaining young players pulled together to win six of their next eight games, thus propelling the Stars back into the 2013 playoff race. However, the Stars would drop their final five games, losing all of them while gaining only one point, eliminating them from playoff contention. The Stars had now missed the playoffs in five straight seasons, continuing to set the all-time record for the franchise (dating back to the franchise's history in Minnesota) for most consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance.

2013–2019: Emergence of Jamie Benn and Arrival of Tyler Seguin

The day after their final regular season game of the 2012–13 season (a 3–0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings), the Stars fired general manager Joe Nieuwendyk. The next day, the Stars introduced their 11th all-time general manager, Jim Nill, the former assistant general manager of the Red Wings. On May 14, 2013, the coaching staff was also fired, and on May 31, 2013, Scott White was re-introduced as the director of hockey operations. Nill made his first big trade as general manager when he acquired the former second overall draft pick from the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Tyler Seguin, as well as Rich Peverley and Ryan Button from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow.

During the 2013 off-season, the league underwent a major realignment. Dallas' returned to a revamped Central Division, bringing them a much more broadcast-friendly schedule for divisional away games. The Stars had long lobbied for this, as they were unhappy with the large number of games they had to play on the road in the Pacific Time Zone as a member of the Pacific Division since the 1998–99 season. Under new head coach Lindy Ruff and led by 84-point and 79-point campaigns from Seguin and newly-minted captain Jamie Benn respectively, the Stars made it to the 2014 playoffs, returning to the Playoffs for the first time since 2008 with a successful 40–31–11 record, finishing with 91 points and fifth in the Central Division during the 2013–14 season. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Anaheim Ducks in six games with a 5–4 overtime loss in Game 6.

Nill made another big trade as general manager when he acquired Jason Spezza and Ludwig Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He also signed Senators player Ales Hemsky as a free agent on a three-year, $12 million contract on July 1, 2014. Despite these moves and a 92-point 41–31–10 campaign, the Stars finished with the second-lowest goaltender save percentage in the league during the 2014–15 season, which resulted in them failing to qualify for the 2015 playoffs due to their sixth-place finish in the Central Division. The lone bright spot of the 2014–15 season was Jamie Benn winning the Art Ross Trophy. On April 11, 2015, Benn scored four points in the Stars' last regular season game to finish with 87 points on the season and win the Art Ross Trophy. His final point, a secondary assist with 8.5 seconds left in regulation in the game, allowed him to overtake John Tavares for the award.

In the 2015 off-season the Stars made a couple additions to the team, first trading with the Chicago Blackhawks for three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Sharp as well as defenceman Stephen Johns in exchange for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt. The Stars also signed via free agency Sharp's teammate from the Blackhawks Johnny Oduya to a two-year contract. In the 2015–16 season, the Stars won their first Central Division title since 1998 and posted the best regular season record in the Western Conference with a 50–23–9 record good enough for 109 points. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the Minnesota Wild in six games. In the second round, they faced the St. Louis Blues in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, but lost the series in seven games. The Stars finished with a 34–37–11 record in an injury-plagued 2016–17 season, missing the playoffs for the seventh time in the past nine seasons. As a result, the team announced that head coach Lindy Ruff's contract would not be renewed. Ken Hitchcock returned as head coach for the following season, however once again the Stars missed the playoffs. Hitchcock retired after the season and was succeeded at the head coaching spot by Jim Montgomery. Montgomery's first season as the Stars coach saw the team finish with a 43–32–7 record, good enough to return to the playoffs as the first wild card team in the Western Conference. The Stars defeated the Central Division-champion Nashville Predators in a six-game series the first round, but fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in seven games, losing Game 7 on the road in double-overtime by a score of 2–1 despite a 52-save performance by goaltender Ben Bishop.

2019–2020: NHL Winter Classic hosts and 2020 Western Conference Championship

Going into the 2019–20 season, the Stars added veteran forwards Joe Pavelski from the San Jose Sharks and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks in free agency. To start the 2019–20 season the Stars sputtered to a 1–7–1 start through their first nine games. However the Stars soon rallied and rattled off a 14–1–1 record between October 19 and November 25 of 2019, which catapulted the Stars to an eventual season record of 37–24–8 through 69 games, as the regular season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barely two full months into his second season as Stars head coach, on December 10, 2019 the Stars fired head coach Jim Montgomery for "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of the Dallas Stars and the National Hockey League." General manager Jim Nill said the situation had come to light the previous weekend, and involved "a material act of unprofessionalism" egregious enough to demand Montgomery's immediate firing. He did not offer specifics "out of respect for everyone involved," only saying that it did not involve abuse of players or criminal conduct. Rick Bowness, who joined the team a month after Montgomery's hiring in May 2018, was named interim coach, while Derek Laxdal (who was the head coach of the Stars' AHL affiliate Texas Stars at the time) would be promoted to the assistant coaching position that was vacated by Bowness.

On January 1, 2020 the Stars hosted the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl in a rematch of the previous seasons' first-round playoff series, where the Stars prevailed with a 4–2 victory. This was the first NHL outdoor game for both teams and with a sold-out crowd of 85,630 at the Cotton Bowl, it was the second-most attended game in NHL history. The NHL returned from the March 2020 regular season pause due to the COVID-19 Pandemic a little under six months later in August 2020, where the Stars advanced to the playoffs. By virtue of having one of the top four highest point percentages in the Western Conference at the time the season was suspended, the Stars played in a round-robin tournament against three of the other top four teams in the Western Conference (Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues) in order to determine the team's seed for the playoffs; Dallas was ultimately seeded as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, entering them into a first-round series against the Calgary Flames. The Stars defeated the Flames in six games in the first round, and then defeated the Colorado Avalanche in a seven game series that ended with a Joel Kiviranta hat-trick performance in Game 7, which included his series-winning OT goal. The Stars would defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2000, as the Stars would end a second consecutive series of the playoffs with a series-winning OT goal when Denis Gurianov scored 3:36 into the first overtime period of Game 5, winning the game 3–2 for the Stars. The Stars would go on to face the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Stars won Game 1 of the series by a 4–1 score but would eventually fall to the Lightning in six games.

2020–present
Coming off the Stars' run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, interim head coach Rick Bowness was named full-time head coach on October 29, 2020. In the following season, an injury-plagued campaign caused the Stars to finish the COVID-shortened 56-game schedule with a 23–19–14 record, finishing fifth in the Central Division with 60 points and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Stars would rebound in the 2021–22 season with a 98-point 46–30–6 record, good enough for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs where they played the Pacific Division-champion Calgary Flames in the first round. They were defeated by the Flames in seven games,losing 3–2 in overtime of Game 7 in Calgary. In Game 7 the Stars took the game to overtime despite the Flames making twice as many shots and attempts as the Stars, with the Stars' young starting netminder Jake Oettinger recording 64 saves, the second-highest in playoff history behind only Kelly Hrudey's 73 during the 1987 Easter Epic. The Stars were eliminated when Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau finally scored 15:09 into the first overtime period to end the game 3–2. After the team's playoff elimination, head coach Rick Bowness announced that he would be leaving the team.

On June 21, 2022 the Stars hired Peter DeBoer as their head coach, the 10th in franchise history since the team moved to Dallas. In the 2022 off-season the Stars added in free agency both forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Colin Miller, however lost veteran defenseman John Klingberg to the Anaheim Ducks via free agency after eight seasons with the Stars. Led by their trio of veterans Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, and captain Jamie Benn, as well as the emergence of a young core of players including netminder Jake Oettinger, forwards Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Wyatt Johnston, and defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the Stars completed their first season under Peter DeBoer with a 108-point 47–21–14 regular season record, just barely being beat out by the Colorado Avalanche by one point for the 2022–23 Central Division title. In only his second full season with the Stars, Jason Robertson set a new Dallas Stars record for total points in a season with 109 points, surpassing the previous record of 93 points set by Mike Modano in the Stars' first season in Dallas back in 1993–94. Robertson accomplished this feat in a game at the Arizona Coyotes on March 31, 2023 when he scored a goal as part of a Stars 5–2 win over the Coyotes, his goal was his record-breaking 94th point of the season and 100th goal of his career. Captain Jamie Benn also had a resurgent regular season, finishing with a 78-point season that included 33 goals scored for a season nicknamed by both Stars fans and pundits alike as the "Bennaissance" for his first 75-plus point season since 2017–18.

Along with trade deadline acquisitions Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov, the Stars entered the 2023 playoffs as the number two seed in the Central Division, matching them up in a first round series against the Minnesota Wild for their first playoff series versus one another since 2016. The Stars opened the playoffs at home with an double-overtime loss in Game 1, as nearly midway through regulation of Game 1 Joe Pavelski was knocked out with a concussion for the remainder of the first round series on a hit by Wild defenseman Matt Dumba. The Stars responded with a win in Game 2 fueled by a Roope Hintz hat-trick performance, winning four of the next five games in the series after Game 1 to eliminate the Wild in six games. The Stars then faced the Seattle Kraken in the second round of the playoffs. The Kraken, in only their second season of existence, had upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Pavelski returned to the Stars for Game 1 of the series, scoring all four of the Stars' goals in the game, however the Stars lost by a score of 5–4 in overtime. The Stars would go on to win the series, winning Game 7 at home by a score of 2-1, sending the Stars to the Western Conference Finals and setting up a rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Finals versus the Vegas Golden Knights. The Stars would immediately go down 3-0 in the series versus Vegas after dropping the first two games in overtime on the road and a 4-0 loss at home in Game 3, in Game 3 captain Jamie Benn was suspended for two games for an illegal cross-check on Vegas captain Mark Stone. Though the Stars would win Games 4 and 5 without Benn and extend the series, the Golden Knights would ultimately defeat the Stars in six games with a 6–0 win in Game 6.

Team information

Arena

When the Stars first moved from Minnesota, they played in Reunion Arena, which they shared with the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. For hockey, Reunion Arena held 17,001 for NHL games. Throughout the hockey history of Reunion Arena, the arena was known for having one of the worst ice surfaces in the league, especially in its final days hosting the Stars. The Stars played at Reunion for eight years, from 1993–2001. Before the 2001–02 NHL season, both the Stars and the Mavericks moved into the new American Airlines Center, which is in the Victory Park neighborhood of Dallas, just north of Reunion Arena. The American Airlines Center holds 18,584 for Stars and NHL games. On January 24, 2007, the AAC hosted the 2007 National Hockey League All-Star Game. The AAC and the Dallas Stars have won several local and NHL awards for the "Best Fan Experience".

Broadcast
All Dallas Stars games are broadcast on radio on KTCK under a five-year deal announced in January 2009. KTCK replaced WBAP, which had broadcast games since the beginning of the 1994 season after KLIF has broadcast the first season in Dallas in 1993. Television coverage occurs primarily on Bally Sports Southwest, with KTXA (Channel 21) or BSSW+ broadcasting games when BSSW has a conflict.

The Stars, along with the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes are one of only three NHL teams to simulcast the entirety of their games on TV and radio, which the team has done since their 1993 arrival in Dallas. The original broadcast team from 1993 to 1996 was Mike Fornes (play-by-play) and Ralph Strangis (color). Fornes left the broadcast team after the 1995–96 season; Strangis moved to the play-by-play role and color commentator Daryl "Razor" Reaugh was added. Although both the DFW area's large media market and the team's fan base could theoretically support separate television and radio broadcast teams, the Stars have continued simulcasting due to the popularity of "Ralph and Razor" (as they are known) among local listeners and viewers. Like other NHL teams, the Stars now have a live radio broadcast transmitted inside American Airlines Center on 97.5 FM. This is done because AM radio signals often cannot penetrate concrete and steel building exteriors.

Strangis retired from the booth after the 2014–15 season and was replaced by Dave Strader. In June 2016, Strader was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a fairly rare and aggressive form of cancer of the bile duct. To begin the 2016–17 season, Reaugh assumed play-by-play duties while Strader underwent treatment. Studio analyst and former Stars defenseman, Craig Ludwig, took over as color commentator. During a break in Strader's treatment, he returned to the broadcast booth on February 18, 2017, a 4–3 overtime home win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, the Stars saluted Strader at center ice. On October 1, 2017, Strader died of cancer at age 62, leaving Reaugh and Ludwig to call the 2017–18 season. In July 2018, the Stars announced that Reaugh would return to color commentary for the 2018–19 season, with former studio host Josh Bogorad taking over the play-by-play.

Logo and jersey design

When they debuted in Dallas for the 1993–94 season, they kept the same uniform design from their later Minnesota days, except for the addition of the Texas logo patch on the shoulders. Away uniforms were black and home uniforms were white. With minor trim changes, a darker shade of green, and the word 'Dallas' added in the 1994–95 season, they kept this original design until after their 1999 Stanley Cup-winning campaign. During this time the black pants included the word "Dallas" in gold run through the sides with green stripes.

In the 1997–98 season, the Stars introduced an alternate uniform that partly resembled those worn during the NHL All-Star Game at the time. The uniform was mostly green on top and black at the bottom, in a star-shaped design. For the 1999–2000 season, it became the primary away uniform, and was paired with a new home uniform featuring the same basic design, with white on top and green at the bottom. They kept this design until the 2006–07 season, during which the league switched color designations on home and away jerseys in the 2003–04 season. The striping was also eliminated on the black pants.

The Stars introduced an alternate jersey for the 2003–04 season that proved both embarrassing and unpopular to critics and fans. The uniform, which introduced a red as a new trim color, was black with a green bottom and featured a modern representation of the constellation Taurus topped by a trailing green star with red trail marks. However, fans and critics derided the uniform crest for its resemblance to a uterus, nicknaming it the "Mooterus." The uniform was used until the 2005–06 season.

With the switch to the Reebok Edge uniform system, the jerseys underwent a complete redesign. The home black jersey, introduced for the 2007–08 season, features the player's number on the chest and an arched 'Dallas' in white with gold trim, with the primary logo on the shoulders. The primary away jerseys, which were used from 2007 to 2010 and was used as an alternate for its final season, had the Stars logo crest in front and the uniform number on the top right, with the Texas alternate logo on the shoulders. An alternate white jersey based on the home black jersey was introduced for the 2008–09 season; they became the regular away uniforms for the 2010–11 season. The lettering is in green with gold and black trim. Both uniforms were used until the 2012–13 season.

A new logo and uniforms were introduced for the 2013–14 season. Silver replaced gold as the tertiary color, while green (in a new shade called "Victory Green," similar to the old North Stars' shade of green) was reintroduced as a primary uniform color. The new logo features the letter D centering a star, symbolizing Dallas' nickname as "The Big D." The home uniforms are in green with black and white striping, while the away uniforms are in white with a green shoulder yoke, and black and green striping. The inner collar features the team name on the home uniforms, and the city name on the away uniforms. The secondary logo, with the primary inside a roundel with the team name, is featured in the shoulders. This design was retained once Adidas took over as uniform supplier prior to the 2017–18 season, the only exception being "Victory Green" replacing both "Stars" and "Dallas" on the inner collar of the home and away uniforms respectively.

The Stars unveiled a special edition uniform for the 2020 NHL Winter Classic, featuring a design inspired from the defunct USHL Dallas Texans hockey club. The uniform features the word "Stars" (with the star substituting for the letter A) in the middle of the big letter "D". Both are in white with silver trim. A silhouette of the state of Texas in silver and green trim with the letter "D" inside adorns the left sleeve.

For the 2020–21 season, the Stars added a black alternate uniform with neon green accents (presumably in honor of the Bank of America Plaza tower in downtown Dallas) featuring the alternate "Texas D" logo in front. A neon green star is added on the left side of the collar, symbolizing Texas' "Lone Star State" nickname. Numbers are in 3D-accented black with neon green accents. The Stars also released a "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform for the 2020–21 season in collaboration with Adidas, bringing back the 1999–2007 uniform design but with the current color scheme in place of the original green, gold and black colors. The design also featured white pants. A second "Reverse Retro" alternate was released in the 2022–23 season, using the 1993–94 black uniform but with the current Victory Green and silver stripes.

Minor league affiliates

The Dallas Stars are presently affiliated with two minor league teams. The Texas Stars are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Dallas Stars, who after becoming unaffiliated with the Iowa Stars in 2008, did not have an AHL affiliate for the 2008–09 season. The Texas Stars began play in the AHL in the 2009–10 season as an affiliate for Dallas. They are located in Cedar Park, Texas (northwest of Austin).

In addition to their AHL affiliate, the Dallas Stars are also affiliated with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. Based in Boise, the Steelheads play home games at the Idaho Central Arena since 2003.

Traditions
Since the 2005–06 season, national anthems are performed by Celena Rae, a Fort Worth native and a former semi-finalist on American Idol. During "The Star-Spangled Banner", the fans yell the team name "stars" in the lines "whose broad stripes and bright stars" and "O say does that star spangled banner yet wave". At games, as part of the entertainment, a Kahlenberg KDT-123 fog horn sounds after every Stars goal.

When the Stars take the ice at the beginning of each game, the song "Puck Off" (also referred to as the "Dallas Stars Fight Song") by Pantera, is played in the arena. Members of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area band had become friends with members of the Stars in the 1990s, especially following the team's Stanley Cup win in 1999. "Puck Off" later also became the team's goal celebration song. During the song, fans chant the only lyrics in the song, "Dallas! Stars! Dallas! Stars!" while pumping their fists in the air. After a penalty on the opposing team is announced, Stars public address announcer shouts, "Your Dallas Stars are on...the..." with the fans finishing "power play!", immediately after which a clip of the Muse song "Knights of Cydonia" is played. After each Stars win, the Stevie Ray Vaughan (a Dallas native) and Double Trouble song "The House is a Rockin'" is played. A song of unknown origin called "The Darkness Music" is played after nearly every away goal. In recent years, fans have usually yelled, "Who cares!?" after away team goals are announced by the public address announcer.

The Stars have hosted a home game on New Year's Eve every year since 1997, except in 2004, 2012, 2019, 2020 and 2021 (the first two being due to lockouts, the third being due to their participation in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic, the fourth being due to the delayed off-season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fifth was postponed to February 13 due to a team-wide COVID-19 outbreak). For a period of time, the game coincided with the Big D NYE celebration (now on hiatus) on the south side of the arena in AT&T Plaza.

Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Stars. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Dallas Stars seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players

Current roster

Team captains
Note: This list does not include former captains of the Minnesota North Stars and Oakland Seals

Mark Tinordi, 1993–1995
Neal Broten, 1995
Derian Hatcher, 1995–2003
Mike Modano, 2003–2006
Brenden Morrow, 2006–2013
Jamie Benn, 2013–present

League and team honors

Awards and trophies

Stanley Cup
1998–99

Presidents' Trophy
1997–98, 1998–99

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
1998–99, 1999–2000, 2019–20

Art Ross Trophy
Jamie Benn: 2014–15

Conn Smythe Trophy
Joe Nieuwendyk: 1998–99

Frank J. Selke Trophy
Jere Lehtinen: 1997–98, 1998–99, 2002–03

Lester Patrick Trophy
Neal Broten: 1997–98

Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award
Ed Belfour: 1999–2000
Marty Turco: 2000–01, 2002–03

William M. Jennings Trophy
Ed Belfour and Roman Turek: 1998–99

First-round draft picks

Note: This list does not include selections of the Minnesota North Stars.

1993: Todd Harvey (9th overall)
1994: Jason Botterill (20th overall)
1995: Jarome Iginla (11th overall)
1996: Ric Jackman (5th overall)
1997: Brenden Morrow (25th overall)
1998: None
1999: None
2000: Steve Ott (25th overall)
2001: Jason Bacashihua (26th overall)
2002: Martin Vagner (26th overall)
2003: None
2004: Mark Fistric (28th overall)
2005: Matt Niskanen (28th overall)
2006: Ivan Vishnevskiy (27th overall)
2007: None
2008: None
2009: Scott Glennie (8th overall)
2010: Jack Campbell (11th overall)
2011: Jamie Oleksiak (14th overall)
2012: Radek Faksa (13th overall)
2013: Valeri Nichushkin (10th overall)
2013: Jason Dickinson (29th overall)
2014: Julius Honka (14th overall)
2015: Denis Guryanov (12th overall)
2016: Riley Tufte (25th overall)
2017: Miro Heiskanen (3rd overall) and Jake Oettinger (26th overall)
2018: Ty Dellandrea (13th overall)
2019: Thomas Harley (18th overall)
2020: Mavrik Bourque (30th overall)
2021: Wyatt Johnston (23rd overall)
2022: Lian Bichsel (18th overall)

Hall of Famers
The Dallas Stars presently acknowledge an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame inductees acknowledged by the Stars include 13 former players and three builders of the sport. The three individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former Stars executives, and head coaches. The tenure of five player inductees, and the three builders acknowledged by the Stars occurred when the franchise was based in Minnesota (1967–1993). Mike Modano is the only Hall of Fame inductee that played with the franchise before and after its relocation to Dallas.

In addition to players and builders, the Stars also acknowledge an affiliation Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Dave Strader. Providing play-by-play for the Stars, he was a recipient of the Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his contributions in hockey broadcasting.

Retired numbers

Notes:
 The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise (Minnesota and Dallas) history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
  – current Stars player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Franchise individual records

Most goals in a season: Dino Ciccarelli; Brian Bellows, 55 (1981–82; 1989–90)
Most assists in a season: Neal Broten, 76 (1985–86)
Most points in a season: Bobby Smith, 114 (1981–82)
Most penalty minutes in a season: Basil McRae, 378 (1987–88)
Most points in a season, defenseman: Craig Hartsburg, 77 (1981–82)
Most points in a season, rookie: Neal Broten, 98 (1981–82)
Most goals in a season, rookie: Neal Broten, 38 (1981–82)*
Most wins in a season: Marty Turco, 41 (2005–06)
Most shutouts in a season: Marty Turco, 9 (2003–04)

See also
 List of Dallas Stars head coaches
 List of Dallas Stars players
 List of Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars general managers

Notes

References

External links

National Hockey League teams
1993 establishments in Texas
Central Division (NHL)
Ice hockey clubs established in 1993
Ice hockey teams in Texas
National Hockey League in the Sun Belt

Dallas Stars


Paul E. Perschmann (November 27, 1952 – April 28, 2009) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name,  Playboy Buddy Rose. He wrestled primarily for the AWA, WWF, and for promoter Don Owen in Pacific Northwest Wrestling.

Early life
Paul E. Perschmann was born on November 27, 1952, in Omaha, Nebraska.  In his youth, he participated in baseball, softball, and hockey.

Professional wrestling career

American Wrestling Association (1973–1976)
Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s. Under his own name, he made his debut as a babyface on December 3, 1973, in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, in a 10-minute draw with fellow campmate Bob Remus (better known as Sgt. Slaughter). He continued to wrestle under his own name for the duration of his initial tenure, facing such opponents as Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Billy Robinson, and Jos LeDuc. After being defeated by Khosrow Vaziri (The Iron Sheik) at a house show in Milwaukee, WI on January 3, 1976, Perschmann departed from the promotion.

National Wrestling Alliance (1976–1982)
Perschmann joined NWA Western States and made his debut twelve days later, losing to Red Bastien at a house show in Amarillo, Texas, on January 15, 1976. He wrestled in several National Wrestling Alliance territories that year before settling in the collective's Pacific Northwest Wrestling promotion. He made his debut on October 15, 1976, and wrestled Rick Hunter to a draw. This was also the first time that he did not wrestle under his name, instead having been redubbed "Buddy Rose".

Now wrestling as Buddy Rose both in the PNW and other NWA outfits, on May 24, 1977, he received his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship title opportunity when he faced Harley Race in an unsuccessful effort in Portland, Oregon. However, later that year he would capture his first championship, teaming with Jesse Ventura to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title. After losing the titles that June, he would team with Ed Wiskoski (Colonel DeBeers) to regain them from Lonnie Mayne and Sam Oliver in a "loser leaves town" match on December 6, 1977. Rose would team on and off with Wiskoski for several decades afterwards, no matter whether the latter was using his "Polish Prince", "Mega Maharishi Imed", or "Colonel De Beers" gimmicks.

In 1978 Rose partnered with John Studd to win the 50th State Big Time Wrestling tag-team championship. They would lose them on June 14, 1978, in Honolulu to John Tolos and Steve Strong. Later that summer Rose entered a tournament to crown the vacant NWA San Francisco United States Heavyweight Title. He won it on September 16, 1978, when he defeated Dean Ho, securing his first singles championship. Meanwhile, in the PNW, Rose and Wiskoski were finally beaten for the PNW Tag-Team titles by Dutch Savage and Johnny Boyd on November 21, 1978.

By 1979 Perschmann was now a mainstay of the PNW and one of their top attractions. At some point in the year Rose & Wiskoski regained the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title. On May 8, 1979, in Portland, Oregon, he wrestled PNW Heavyweight Champion "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to a draw, the start of a feud which Piper credits in his autobiography as establishing his name in the business. Three days later Rose regained the Big Time Wrestling United States Title by pinning Ron Starr. However his efforts to win the PNW's primary title remained unsuccessful, as he was unable to defeat Piper or latter champion Stan Stasiak.

However, on November 17, 1979, Rose finally broke through when he defeated Stasiak to win the PNW Heavyweight Championship. His first title reign saw defenses against Roddy Piper, Ron Bass, King Parsons, and Don Leo Jonathan. He would finally lose the title on March 22, 1980, to Rick Martel. While he was initially unable to regain the championship, he feuded with Martell, Piper, and The Sheepherders for much of the year. On July 28, 1980, he and Wiskoski defeated The Sheepherders in a loser leaves town match; on August 8 Martell & Piper defeated them to win the vacant PNW Tag-Team Championship.

On August 16, 1980, Rose defeated Martel to regain the PNW Northwest Heavyweight Championship, and following this triumph by defeating Roddy Piper in a loser leaves town encounter on September 20 in Portland, Oregon. He successfully defended the title that winter against Jonathan Boyd and Sivi Afi before losing it to Jay Youngblood in early 1981. Rose would get a measure of revenge by defeating Youngblood in a loser leaves town match on May 12, 1981. On October 6, 1981, he capture the Northwest Heavyweight Championship for a third time, defeating Steve Regal in Portland. Regal would regain it eighteen days later in a rematch.

While continuing to be a mainstay in Portland Northwest Wrestling, Rose also traveled to fellow NWA territory Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1982. Teaming with Rip Oliver they won two televised matches before losing to the Funk Brothers in the first round of a tournament to crown the NWA World Tag-Team Championship on February 28, 1982, in Atlanta. Back in PNW and five years after his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match, Rose earned another shot—this time against current champion Ric Flair. Flair however was victorious in a match that was refereed by Curt Hennig.

Rose next embarked on a lengthy tour of New Japan Pro-Wrestling that spring, wrestling opponents including Yoshiaki Yatsu, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Animal Hamaguchi. He returned to the PNW in June and had multiple matches with Matt Bourne before finally departing for the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation (1982–1983)
While still finishing up with the PNW, Rose made his WWF debut on June 1, 1982, at a Championship Wrestling taping in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at the Agricultural Hall.

Now managed by Grand Wizard and accompanied by two women to ringside (one was Sherri Martell and the other Judy Martin), he pinned Steve King. Rose wrestled twenty two matches at television tapings between June and August, which served to keep him in the public eye until he finished his PNW commitments and began the WWF house show loop. On August 30, 1982, he worked a main event against Bob Backlund for the WWF World Heavyweight Title, but was unsuccessful. Rose quickly moved to a house show feud with former WWF Tag-Team Champion Tony Garea and dominated the series.

On October 4, 1982, he challenged Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden; like the match with Backlund in August this too was unsuccessful. Rose faced Morales numerous additional times but was unable to win the title. He eventually moved that winter to a house show series with Curt Hennig, where he found considerable success.

Pacific Northwest Wrestling (1983–1984)
Following another tour of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Rose returned to the PNW on May 8, 1983, and defeated Jesse Barr. On August 20 he teamed with Brian Adidas to win the PNW Tag Team titles from Rip Oliver and The Assassin, but would lose the belts back eleven days later. On October 11, 1983, he teamed with former opponent Curt Hennig and captured the tag-team titles back from Oliver and the Assassin. Again the reign was short-lived as they in turn were beaten by Dynamite Kid and Oliver. Following a third tour of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Rose returned to the PNW and defeated Rip Oliver to win the Heavyweight Championship at an event on April 28, 1984. He defended the title against Oliver and future tag-team partner Doug Somers before losing it later that year and returning to the World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation (1984–1985)
Rose returned to the WWF in 1984. He appeared on Piper's Pit on the December 22 episode of Championship Wrestling and was now managed by Bobby Heenan. On the February 26, 1985, edition of Prime Time Wrestling he was defeated by Barry Windham. He was later put under a mask as "The Executioner", losing to Tito Santana in the opening match of the inaugural WrestleMania. This would be his last match, as he departed once more for the PNW.

National Wrestling Alliance (1985)
He returned on April 29 edition of PNW Portland Wrestling, losing to Steve Pardee via DQ. On May 21, 1985, the PNW held a 60th Anniversary Wrestling Extravaganza at the Portland Memorial Coliseum attended by an estimated 13,000; Rose was defeated by Roddy Piper at the event. Over the next two months he feuded with Billy Jack Haynes and Billy Two Eagles.

In August 1985 Rose began a tour of Championship Wrestling from Florida and formed a partnership with Rick Rude. Rose was more dominant in this run, defeating Billy Jack Haynes, Frank Lang, and Cocoa Samoa. On October 6, 1985, he earned a NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship shot against Wahoo McDaniel but lost via DQ. He did capture the NWA Florida Bahamian Championship and held it until October 18, where he lost it to Tyree Pride in Nassau, Bahamas.

American Wrestling Association (1986–1987)
Ten years after his first run, Buddy Rose returned to the AWA on March 9, 1986, and defeated Scott Hall via disqualification at an event in St. Paul, Minnesota. He also renewed his tag-team partnership with Ed Wiskoski, who was now wrestling as Colonel DeBeers. Rose and DeBeers lost to AWA World Tag-Team Champions Scott Hall and Curt Hennig on March 23, 1986, leading him to quickly form a new team with Doug Somers.

On May 17, 1986, Rose and Somers defeated Hennig and Hall via countout, but won the AWA World Tag-Team Championship anyway via stipulation. That summer they began to feud with The Midnight Rockers, a series that Michaels would later credit as taking his team with Jannetty to the next level.

World Wrestling Federation (1990–1991)
Rose returned to the WWF on February 5, 1990, at a house show in Brandon, Manitoba, and was defeated by Hillbilly Jim. He made his televised return on the March 12th edition of Prime Time Wrestling, teaming up with Iron Mike Sharpe against The Hart Foundation. Rose was primarily used as an enhancement talent during this run, losing his televised matches to elevate other stars. Rose lost to Kerry Von Erich in Von Erich's WWF television debut on the July 1990 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII. Having gained a large amount of weight, Rose turned it into a comical gimmick; when the ring announcer introduced him and listed his weight at 317 pounds, Rose would angrily take the microphone away from the announcer, and claim to weigh "a slim, trim, 217 pounds"; this drew jeers from the crowd. On occasion, he would do one-handed push-ups and kip-ups in the ring, and challenge muscular opponents to a "pose-down." Rose claims that Vince McMahon told the locker room, "I want everybody to work out... except for Buddy," knowing that Rose's weight was his gimmick. Rose memorably appeared in a faux infomercial for the "Buddy Rose Blow Away Diet," which consisted of pouring powder all over himself and then "blowing away the fat" with a household fan; Rose looked exactly the same, after the blow away.

In this run however Rose was not winless; he did secure pinfall wins against Jim Powers, Pez Whatley, Dale Wolfe, Jim Brunzell, and Dustin Rhodes on house shows.

On August 27, 1990, he wrestled Shane Douglas in the dark match of SummerSlam '90. Rose finally gained his first televised victory on the December 10, 1990, edition of Prime Time Wrestling, where he defeated Mario Mancini. Rose left the company after a January 14, 1991, house show encounter against Koko B. Ware in Huntington, WV.

Pacific Northwest Wrestling (1991–1992)
Buddy Rose returned to Pacific Northwest Wrestling and began to experience a career revival. He made his debut on a television show on December 21, 1991, and upset PNW Champion Demolition Crush in a non-title match. Four days later on Christmas Day, Crush defeated Rose at a house show in Portland, Oregon. During the first half of 1992 Rose gained victories over CW Bergstrom, Mike Winner, and Brickhouse Brown, while falling in defeat to Jesse Barr and Bart Sawyer.

West Coast Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)
By May 1992 Rose had moved to West Coast Championship Wrestling out of Vancouver and entered a feud with Timothy Flowers. On September 26, 1992, he teamed with Michelle Starr to face Mighty Quinn and Mike Roselli for the vacant WCCW Tag-Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. On October 16, 1992, Rose and Starr defeated Quinn and Roselli to win the WCCW titles at a house show in Surrey, British Columbia. Their reign lasted until March 27, 1993, when they were defeated by Moondog Moretti and Timothy Flowers.

Oregon Pro Wrestling Federation (1994)
In 1994 Rose jumped to the Oregon Pro Wrestling Federation, a newly formed company owned by Billy Jack Haynes and Ron Barber. On February 2, 1994, he defeated Mike Miller to win the vacant OPWF Heavyweight Championship. Rose remained champion of the OPWF until April 16, when he lost the title to Scott Norton. That summer he began to team with Buddy Wayne and would win the OPWF Tag-Team Championship from Mike Miller and Lou Andrews.

Late career (1995–2005)
Rose made two appearances in the California-based All Pro Wrestling in 1995, before moving on to the fledgling American Wrestling Federation in 1996. In his first appearance he lost to Sgt. Slaughter at an event in Oakville, WA on August 16, 1996. He would wrestle in several other house shows that summer for the AWF. In 1997 he renewed his rivalry with Timothy Flowers in the International Championship Wrestling Promotion based in British Columbia.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Rose hosted a call-in talk show on a Portland radio station. Rose managed the Butcher in the short-lived revival of Portland Wrestling. Rose's final match occurred at Wrestle Reunion 2005 in Tampa, Florida, where he teamed with Colonel DeBeers and Bob Orton Jr. against Jimmy Valiant, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka. The match was billed as Jimmy Valiant's retirement match, but Rose also retired after the match. Rose continued to make personal appearances, and opened a wrestling training school with DeBeers in Portland.

Personal life
Rose was first married to Lanette Lucinda Hansch.  Buddy and Lanette have one daughter, Alexia, born in May 1977 in Portland, Oregon. Buddy's daughter has 4 children; Luke, Sofia, Lane, and Brooke, Buddy's grandchildren. He later married Toni Osborne (the sister of Matt Osborne), and they were divorced three months into their marriage. Buddy lastly married Tammy Marie Kelly, a wrestling fan living in the pacific northwest, she and Buddy were married from 1990 until his death in 2009. Buddy also had a brother named Gary. Rose enjoyed Motown music and had two dachshunds, Prince and Penny.

Rose battled drug addiction, which caused him to gain weight and repeatedly shoot himself in the foot, which got him in trouble. He later went to rehab as an outpatient for six weeks.

Death
On April 28, 2009, Rose was found dead in his chair in front of his television at his home in Vancouver, Washington, by his wife. The medical examiner attributed his death to natural causes. Rose, who had struggled with his weight since the late 1980s, experienced problems with blood sugar and diabetes.

Championships and accomplishments
50th State Big Time Wrestling
NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with John Studd
American Wrestling Association
AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Doug Somers
Cauliflower Alley Club
Other honoree (2004)
NWA All-Star Wrestling
NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (2 time) – with Chris Colt (1) and Rip Oliver (1)
NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (1 time)
NWA San Francisco
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (2 times)
NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Ed Wiskoski
Oregon Professional Wrestling Federation
OPWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
OPWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Buddy Wayne
Pacific Coast Championship Wrestling
PCCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - Buddy Wayne
Pacific Northwest Wrestling
NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (8 times)
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (12 times) – with Jesse Ventura (2 times), Colonel DeBeers (4 times), Rip Oliver (2 times), Stan Stasiak (1 time), Brian Adias (1 time), Curt Hennig (1 time), and Avalanche (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
 PWI ranked him # 265 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1992.
Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
Tag Team of the Year (1978, 1981, 1994) with Ed Wiskwoski, Rip Oliver and Buddy Wayne
Wrestler of the Year (1980–1981)
Universal Independent Wrestling
UIW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
WWE
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019)

References

External links

1952 births
2009 deaths
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
American male professional wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from Nevada
Heenan Family members
AWA World Tag Team Champions
NWA Florida Bahamian Champions
NWA United States Heavyweight Champions (San Francisco version)
WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees

Buddy Rose


Jan Eduard de Quay (August 26, 1901 in 's-Hertogenbosch – July 4, 1985 in Beers) was a Dutch politician of the Catholic People's Party (KVP).

De Quay studied psychology at Utrecht University and was a professor at Tilburg University.

During the beginning of World War II - from 1940 to 1941 - he was one of the three leaders of the Dutch Union ("Nederlandsche Unie"). This political movement wanted to unite the Dutch people considering the changed situation due to the German occupation. In December 1941 the Dutch Union was forbidden by the Germans.

From mid 1942 to mid 1943 the German occupier imprisoned him in Kamp Sint-Michielsgestel. Afterwards he went in hiding in the south of the Netherlands till the liberation of that part of the country in 1944.

Around the end of the war he was defense minister for a couple of months. Because of his wartime activities (prime) minister Willem Drees didn't want him to  include in his cabinets.

Because of this he was queen's commissioner of the province of North Brabant from 1946 to 1959.

In 1959 he returned to national politics as prime minister of the De Quay cabinet. It consisted of the three Christian parties (Anti-Revolutionary Party, Catholic People's Party and Christian Historical Union) and the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. The cabinet lasted till 1963.

Three years later, he became transport and water management minister and also deputy prime minister in the Zijlstra cabinet. This government lasted only a year.

In the meantime he was a senator (1963-1966) and also afterwards (1967-1969).

De Quay was a Roman Catholic. He died in 1985, aged 83.

References
  Bio at Parlement.com

1901 births
1985 deaths
Catholic People's Party politicians
Deputy Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
Dutch academics
Dutch people of World War II
Dutch provincial politicians
Dutch Roman Catholics
Members of the Senate of the Netherlands
Government ministers of the Netherlands
Governors
People from 's-Hertogenbosch
Politicians from North Brabant
Prime Ministers of the Netherlands
Prisoners
Dutch psychologists

Jan de Quay


is a Japanese manga series by Kazuya Minekura set in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan in the mid-1990s. There is also an alternate universe dōjinshi and two episode OVA called Shiritsu Araiso Koto Gakko Seitokai Shikkobu (私立荒磯高等学校生徒会執行部 Araiso Private School Student Council Executive Committee). Wild Adapter was also adapted as a two episode OVA in 2014, which is set in the universe of the manga series.

Overview
Although originally serialized in a boy's love anthology magazine, the content of the manga mixes seinen action and mystery with shōnen-ai themes and thus does not fall clearly into either category. The volumes are stand alones, each with its own storyline and theme that fit into the broader arc of the general plot, which has Kubota and Tokitoh, the main characters, investigating a mysterious drug, 'W·A', and finding out about Tokitoh's past before his amnesia. As such, the overall series is largely character-driven, rather than action-driven, and other events and issues are shown as part of the lives of the main characters. The storytelling is done through a different side character for each volume, and the author has described the series as "the lives of the protagonists as seen, and described by an onlooker". There is plenty of violence and bloodshed in the manga, which also deals with serious issues, and a theme for each volume, such as the cult of religion, the power of words, the struggle for survival. The yakuza underworld serves as a setting for the series, but it is not the main focal point. Rather, it is the interactions between the two protagonists, and the exploration of their characters.

The artstyle of the manga is stark black and white with clean sharp lines, and there is less shading or grey tones. Keeping in line with Minekura's style the characters are highly detailed, with emphasis on facial features, especially the hair, and anatomically accurate bodies. The backgrounds are also highly detailed and portray the Tokyo urban landscape very realistically. A unique feature of the manga has all the pages and spaces outside the panels coloured black, a technique usually used in manga only to reflect a past event or a flashback.

This work was originally serialized in Japan in Chara  magazine, starting from 2001, and was published by Tokuma Shoten. Since 2011, it is published by Zero Sum Ward of Ichijinsha. The series is licensed in North America by Tokyopop, the first volume of which was published in January 2007. There are 6 volumes which were originally published between 2001 and 2008. The series is also published in English by Chuang Yi, in German by Carlsen Comics and is published in East Asia.

Story

"W·A," later identified as "Wild Adapter," is the name of a dangerous drug which transforms its users into an animalistic state; the users exhibit superhuman strength and a berserker mentality until the drug causes his or her organs to explode, effectively killing them. The corpses left behind by W·A are covered in fur and sport cat-like claws. The police are baffled by W•A even as they investigate the remains of W·A users, and the Yakuza wants it. Two powerful rival yakuza groups, the Izumokai and the Toujougumi are fighting to figure out and gain control of the source of W·A, a task made harder by the fact that no user of W·A have managed to stay alive after consuming the drug.

Amid this, 17-year-old Kubota, the first of two main protagonists, have somehow managed to stumble into the position of Head of the Izumokai youth group, despite not being a gang member before that. He is aided by the second-in-command, Komiya, in his yakuza jobs and it is through Komiya that he knows of the existence of W·A. Komiya is killed by the rival Toujougumi gang when investigating W·A, and Kubota quits the gang after Komiya's death, but not before taking out twelve high-ranking members of the Toujougumi gang, and disappears from the yakuza world.

Soon after, Kubota picks up a stranger with amnesia whom he names Tokitoh, and they start living together. Tokitoh has no idea of his identity, or why his right hand is a furry, clawed paw identical to the animalistic bodies of dead W·A users, yet he is still alive. Kubota and Tokitoh then set out on a mission to investigate W·A, hoping to discover Tokitoh's past at the same time. The manga details their quest to investigate every victim of W·A, and following up on any leads provided by Kou, a drugstore owner who is Kubota's current employer, or Kasai, Kubota's detective uncle. These tips however are usually red herrings or traps and lead nowhere.

In the process, Kubota and Tokitoh often get mixed up with the yakuza who are just as eager to seek W·A. Sanada, leader back of Izumokai gang and Kubota's former employer is fascinated by Kubota, and constantly keeps tabs on him. Sekiya, leader of Toujougumi just wants to get his hands on W·A. In their various clashes with the yakuza Kubota and Tokitoh rarely emerge unscathed, but they always manage to survive and make it out somehow, ready to follow the next lead.

Characters
 Kubota Makoto

In volume one of Wild Adapter, Kubota is 16. He becomes leader of the Yakuza's Izumokai youth division when he is offered two guns; one of them is dangerously defective and the other is safe and functional. He chooses the functional gun and executes the youth division's previous leader who was revealed to be a spy from the rival Yakuza. Kubota leaves the Izumokai after only seven months, and a year later, re-emerges as Tokitoh's protector.

He is seen as calm, collected, and focused, as well as cool, callous, and aloof. He is cruel and insensitive, but at the same time, childish and sweet. To both friends and enemies, they find him terrifying at times—whether because he can insensitively break a man's arm, or because of his smile. He is never seen without a cigarette, and his favored brand is Seven Stars.

Komiya, in volume 1, says he has no logic to him. He says, "Interested in nothing, yet fiercely curious about everything. Acts like he doesn't care, but with so much desire in his eyes. Only caring for himself, but completely masochistic. Needing nothing, clinging to everything. Chaos existing inside tight order...All of these fevered colors merging into black...and disappearing. He's just like this city."

Kubota is extremely possessive of Tokito, and is a very talented mahjong player.

 voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa on drama CDs and in the Executive Committee OVA

 Tokito Minoru

Tokitoh is first introduced as a boy running from pursuers. He collapses, unconscious, in an alley, where Kubota finds him soon after leaving the Izumokai. Tokitoh's right hand is that of a beast's—and that of deceased W·A users—and it occasionally causes him immense pain. He keeps it covered by a black glove. He has no memory of his past before Kubota picked him up, other than flashes of a menacing figure who calls him "Minoru." Tokitoh is loud, impulsive, stubborn, and tactless at times, but he is straightforward, kind-hearted, and a very loyal ally.

Kubota, along with several other characters, refers to Tokitoh as a "cat," or "stray cat." Tokitoh calls Kubota "Kubo-chan." Tokitoh is highly protective of Kubota, and gets jealous easily when he thinks someone else is closer to Kubota.

 voiced by Hideo Ishikawa on drama CDs and in the Executive Committee OVA

Yakuza

Izumokai

 Sanada is the daikou, or leader, of the Izumokai. He takes a special interest in Kubota when he becomes leader of the Youth Division. He has a vicious dog named Ark—named for his favorite brand of cigarettes, Ark Royal Vanilla. After Kubota leaves the Izumokai, Sanada follows him around.
 Komiya Nobuo is the second-in-command in the Izumokai Youth Division. He is doubtful of Kubota when he first takes up the leader position, but over the course of the first volume, develops feelings for him. Komiya's mother is a drug-using prostitute who is almost killed at the hands of a W·A user. Komiya is killed at the end of the first volume when he obtains a sample of W·A for Kubota. Komiya's death is the reason why Kubota leaves the Izumokai.
 Osamu is the man who takes Kubota's place as the leader of the Izumokai Youth Division. He is introduced at the end of volume 4 as a cold, ruthless man willing to do anything to climb up the yakuza ranks. In volume 6, he is responsible for abducting Tokitoh to the Izumokai's off-shore oil tanker.
 Ryuunosuke/Tatchan is Osamu's second-in-command and childhood friend. He is more compassionate and friendly than Osamu.

Toujougumi

• Sekiya Jun is the leader of the Toujougumi Youth Division, and becomes the daikou when Kubota kills the previous leader as his condition of leaving the Izumokai at the end of volume 1. In his one major confrontation with Kubota and Tokitoh in volume 2, Sekiya tells them that he knows about W·A, at least, and makes it clear that he suspects Tokitoh is also involved. He acts suggestively toward Tokitoh and has a stereotypically homosexual attitude; he speaks with a lisp and refers to himself with the feminine "atashi" (rather than the more masculine "ore," "jibun," or "boku"). Saori calls him an "okama"—an offensive term for a homosexual man.

 voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki on drama CDs

Police

 Kasai is Kubota's uncle and a detective. He gives Kubota information regarding W·A and helps him out in various ways, like letting Kubota off the hook when he turns up at the scenes of assorted murders or gang turf-wars. He is very concerned about his nephew, but his advice does not always get across to Kubota.
 Araki is Kasai's rookie detective. He accompanies Kasai to crime scenes and is infamous for his weak stomach around W·A scenes.
 Hasebe is another detective who detains Kubota on suspicion of murder in volume 4.

Friends

 Kou manages a small shop in the Chinese area of Yokohama. He acts as Tokitoh's doctor ("veterinarian"), despite the fact that he is unlicensed. Tokitoh resents him and calls him various things like, "quack" or "unlicensed bastard." Kou sells various questionable odd and ends in his shop, including weapons and drugs and is good at getting information. He employs Kubota for odd jobs like deliveries.
 voiced by Toshihiko Seki on drama CDs
 Ookuba Saori is a girl who runs into Kubota and Tokitoh; volume 2 details her interaction with them, and is most likely her sole appearance in the story as a whole. Saori is a pregnant girl who runs away from home, intending to find her boyfriend. She encounters Kubota when she's trying to shoplift from a convenience store, and later becomes more involved with Kubota and Tokitoh when she discovers that her boyfriend is dead as an effect of W·A. It is strongly implied at the end of the volume that she has an abortion.
 Takizawa Ryouji is a reporter who encounters Kubota and Tokitoh in volume 3 and becomes quite fond of them. He joins Kubota and Tokitoh in investigating a religious cult called "Kaikou no Kiba"—"Fang of Fortune"—and its possible connections to W·A. Takizawa becomes a freelance reporter in volume 4.
 Anna is an old friend of Kubota's who works as a prostitute. She asks for Kubota's help in volume 4, but ends up generally making Tokitoh jealous and uneasy. She knew Kubota when he was 15 and took his virginity.
 Shouta is a young neighbor of Kubota and Tokitoh's. He lived in the next-door apartment when Kubota first brought Tokitoh home, and was instrumental in socializing Tokitoh. He moved away before the events of volume 2, but his character is not revealed until volume 5.

Executive committee

Wild Adapter's characters first made their debut in one of Minekura's earlier works, a dōjinshi titled Araiso Private High School Student Council Executive Committee. In Executive Committee, Kubota and Tokitoh are high school students who are on the executive committee, a kind of juvenile police force. The stories in Executive Committee are largely silly and plotless, such as resolving mysteries over a cheat-sheet for an exam, or acting as bodyguards for a spoiled teen idol.

Executive Committee is also a two-episode OVA.

References and notes

External links
 Nitro, Kazuya Minekura's official website
 Tokuma Shoten website
 Official WA site

2001 manga
2002 anime OVAs

Action anime and manga
Ichijinsha manga
Mystery anime and manga
Tokuma Shoten manga
Tokyopop titles
Yakuza in anime and manga

Wild Adapter


Erik Tobias Karlsson, (born 15 May 1977) is a Swedish competitive dancer and  choreographer. Karlsson has been dancing since the age of eight, and has been a professional dancer and choreographer, mainly in ballroom dancing, since 1999. He has participated in several seasons of the TV4 celebrity dance show Let's Dance, where he won the third season dancing with Tina Nordström. He has also danced with Arja Saijonmaa, Anna Sahlin, Elisabet Höglund, Agneta Sjödin Tina Thörner, Camilla Henemark, and Anette Norberg. He has participated in fourteen seasons overall of the celebrity dance show both in Sweden and the Danish version  Vild med dans, where he has danced with Sofie Stougaard, Zindy Laursen, and Tina Lund. He has also danced in the Norwegian version Skal vi danse with celebrities Triana Iglesias and Cecilie Skog.

In 2008, Karlsson participated in the dance show So You Think You Can Dance Scandinavia which was broadcast on Kanal5, he has also participated in Fort Boyard both in the Swedish and Danish version in 2010 and 2013. He also worked as a judge on the show Talang Sverige 2014 which was broadcast on TV3.

References

External links

Living people
1977 births
Swedish male dancers
Swedish ballroom dancers
Let's Dance (Swedish TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance contestants
21st-century Swedish dancers

Tobias Karlsson (dancer)