A PGP Guide to: The Dallas Stars

A PGP Guide to: The Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars aesthetic is Green, Texas sized expectations, Finnish hockey players everywhere, insanely good drafting, playoff drama, and a team that has been right there for years without quite finishing the job. They have 1 Stanley Cup, a history that technically starts in Minnesota, one of the best young cores in hockey, a captain who has basically grown up inside the organization, and a current roster that feels permanently stuck somewhere between being a legitimate Cup favorite and asking themselves how did THAT just happen?

The Basics

Team: Dallas Stars

Conference: Western Conference

Division: Central Division

Arena: American Airlines Center

Location: Dallas, Texas

Franchise Founded: 1967 as the Minnesota North Stars

Moved to Dallas: 1993

Team Colors: Victory Green, black, silver and white

Stanley Cups: 1 – 1999

Stanley Cup Final Appearances: 1981, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2020

Biggest Rivals: Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights

The franchise itself dates back to the NHL’s 1967 expansion, when the team entered the league as the Minnesota North Stars. They relocated to Dallas in 1993, so Dallas technically inherited all of the North Stars’ franchise history and records. The Stars currently play at American Airlines Center, but recently, the Stars announced a proposed new arena in Plano, envisioned as the centerpiece of a larger sports and entertainment district. For now though, the American Airlines Center will remain home to the team through at least the 2030-31 season.

The Origin Story

Before there were Dallas Stars, there were the Minnesota North Stars. Minnesota joined the NHL in 1967 as part of the league’s massive expansion from six teams to twelve. The North Stars actually had some success there, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1981 & 1991, but financial struggles, ownership issues and attendance problems eventually pushed the franchise toward relocation. In 1993, owner Norman Green moved the North Stars from Minnesota to Texas and shortened the name from the Minnesota North Stars to the Dallas Stars.

Putting an NHL team in Texas sounded a little ridiculous to some people at the time, but it worked. Dallas quickly became one of the league’s strongest teams in the late 1990s, building around Mike Modano while adding players like Joe Nieuwendyk, Sergei Zubov, Ed Belfour and eventually Brett Hull. General manager Bob Gainey built one of the deepest rosters of the era, and Dallas won five consecutive division titles beginning in 1996-97.

The Vibe Check

The Dallas Stars feel extremely Texas while also being aggressively Finnish. You have Victory Green jerseys, a giant star logo, a hockey team playing in a football country, fans yelling “STARS!” during the national anthem, Jamie Benn looking permanently annoyed, and approximately half of Finland appearing to have passed through the organization at some point. However, just like any franchise, beneath the fun identity is a franchise with genuinely high expectations. Dallas isn't really a lovable rebuilding team. They aren't an underdog that everyone is just happy to see make the playoffs. This is a franchise that has spent the last several years expecting to compete for the Stanley Cup.

The History You Need to Know

As said earlier, the first chapter technically belongs to Minnesota. The North Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, losing to the New York Islanders in 1981 & Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. Two years after that second Final appearance, the franchise relocated to Dallas and Dallas became a powerhouse.

By the late 1990s, the Stars had Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Sergei Zubov, Ed Belfour, Derian Hatcher and Brett Hull under head coach Ken Hitchcock. They won the Presidents’ Trophy in both 1998 & 1999 and finally reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. Dallas faced the Buffalo Sabres and won the series in six games and the ending became one of the most famous, and controversial, goals in NHL history.  We discussed this a bit in our Buffalo Sabres guide, but as a reminder, game 6 went to triple overtime, where Brett Hull scored to give Dallas its first Stanley Cup. The controversy came from Hull’s skate being in the crease when he scored, which many Buffalo fans believed should have made the goal illegal under the crease rules being enforced at the time. Regardless, Nieuwendyk won the Conn Smythe, while Modano, Hull, Zubov and Belfour became forever attached to the greatest era in Stars history.

The Stars returned to the Final the very next season in 2000 but lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games.Dallas remained competitive through much of the 2000s, but there would eventually be a gap between generations. Eventually, the modern Stars started taking shape.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin became the faces of the franchise during the 2010s. Dallas added pieces like John Klingberg and eventually drafted an absurd number of core players, including Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. The biggest turning point came in the 2017 NHL Draft, which was basically theft. Dallas selected Heiskanen 3rd overall, Oettinger at 26th and Robertson at 39th. Now, all three players are franchise cornerstones.

In 2020, Dallas made an unexpected run through the bubble playoffs and reached its first Stanley Cup Final in twenty years. The Stars ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. And since then, Dallas has lived in a constant state of getting close. Dallas reached the Western Conference Final in 2023, 2024 and 2025, but were eliminated by Vegas, then Edmonton twice.

By 2026, the issue wasn't if Dallas could become a contender because they had been one for a while, but people were asking if they could ever get through the West. Instead, they finished with the 3rd best record in the NHL, then lost to the Minnesota Wild in the first round. This season, the Dallas Stars’ window is still open, but the pressure is just growing.

The Icons

Mike Modano

If you associate one person with Dallas Stars hockey, it’s probably Mike Modano. He was drafted 1st overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, moved with the franchise to Dallas, became the face of hockey in Texas and helped lead the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup.

Modano remains the franchise's all time leader in basically everything important, including games played, goals, assists and points. His number 9 is retired and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Brett Hull

Brett Hull wasn't in Dallas forever, but he gave the franchise its most famous moment. Hull signed with the Stars in 1998 and scored the triple overtime Stanley Cup winning goal against Buffalo a year later. If you ever want to start an argument between a Dallas fan and a Buffalo fan, just mention him.

Joe Nieuwendyk

Joe Nieuwendyk was one of the key pieces that turned Dallas into a champion. The Stars acquired him from Calgary in 1995 & by 1999 he was one of their biggest playoff performers. He scored 11 goals during the Cup run & won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Sergei Zubov

Sergei Zubov is one of the greatest defensemen in franchise history. Dallas acquired him in 1996 and his skating, intelligence and puck movement became an enormous part of the Stars' championship era. He remains the franchise leader among defensemen in numerous categories, and Dallas retired his number 56 in 2022.

Ed Belfour

Ed Belfour was the goalie behind the 1999 championship. He arrived in Dallas in 1997 & helped turn an already very good team into one capable of winning everything. During the 1999 run, he survived playoff matchups against Grant Fuhr, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hašek before lifting the Cup. Not exactly an easy goalie path!

Derian Hatcher

Derian Hatcher was the captain of the 1999 Stanley Cup team and represented exactly what that Dallas era was about – huge, physical and incredibly difficult to play against. When Dallas won in 1999, Hatcher became the first American born captain to lead a team to the Stanley Cup.

Jere Lehtinen

Jere Lehtinen spent his entire NHL career with Dallas and became one of the best defensive forwards of his generation. He won the Selke Trophy three times, helped Dallas win the 1999 Cup & had his number 26 retired by the organization in 2017. 

Jamie Benn

Jamie Benn belongs in the franchise icon conversation now too. Dallas drafted him 129th overall in 2007, which turned into one of the great late round steals of his generation. He eventually became an Art Ross Trophy winner & the captain of the Stars. He's been captain since the 2013-14 season, making him the longest serving captain in franchise history. 

The Current Era

Dallas is in one of those rare situations where the older generation and the next generation are overlapping. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are still here, but this isn't really their team anymore. The franchise now revolves around players like Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger and Mikko Rantanen, with Roope Hintz, Thomas Harley and others forming an incredibly deep supporting cast. That smooth transition is why Dallas has managed to stay competitive without fully tearing everything down.

This franchise has one of the most incredible drafting departments I have ever seen! They’ve managed to overlap veterans with younger players while developing them in ways that compliment whatever version of the team is desired. The Stars keep finding NHL players outside the obvious spots in the draft, which is a huge reason they have remained contenders despite having expensive veterans and constantly drafting late.

The 2026 offseason was more about navigating the salary cap than blowing up the roster. Dallas traded Mavrik Bourque and Ilya Lyubushkin to create flexibility, brought back Joel Kiviranta, re-signed Jamie Benn and then handled the biggest piece of business by getting Jason Robertson under contract for another season. But it begs the question, is this the last run for the BennGuin duo?

The Players You Need to Know

Jason Robertson

The superstar scorer.

Jason Robertson, usually just Robo, has developed into one of the best offensive players in hockey. Dallas drafted him 39th overall in 2017, which looks increasingly ridiculous considering what he became. Robertson exploded for 45 goals & 96 points in 2025-26, leading Dallas in scoring. This summer, after entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, he signed a one year, $12 million contract. The one year deal is extremely important because it means his long term future is going to be one of the biggest Stars storylines going into the new season.

Wyatt Johnston

The kid who is absolutely not a kid anymore.

For a while, Wyatt Johnston's entire brand was basically “wait, he's HOW old?” Dallas drafted him 23rd overall in 2021, and he immediately developed into one of the most important players on the roster. Then in 2025-26 Johnston scored 45 goals & 86 points in 82 games, setting career highs for the 3rd consecutive season!! He's now locked into a five year, $42 million deal that runs through 2029-30. At this point, he's not simply the exciting young guy anymore, he's one of Dallas's stars.

Mikko Rantanen

The blockbuster superstar.

Mikko Rantanen becoming a Dallas Star was one of those NHL transactions that still looks slightly fake. Dallas acquired him from Carolina at the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for Logan Stankoven and a massive package of draft picks, then immediately signed him to an 8 year, $96 million extension. And yes, before Carolina, Rantanen had spent basically his entire career terrorizing Dallas as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, but now he's one of their franchise players. During his first full season with Dallas last year,  Rantanen recorded 77 points in 64 games. He's under contract through 2032-33, so the Finnish invasion is not going anywhere.

Miro Heiskanen

The engine of the blue line.

Miro Heiskanen might be the easiest Stars player to underestimate if you're only looking at goals, but he controls an enormous amount of what Dallas does. The Stars drafted him 3rd overall in 2017 & he has become their top defenseman, powerplay option, transition engine and the player they trust to eat terrifying amounts of ice time. Heiskanen bounced back from an injury shortened 2024-25 season with 63 points in 77 games in 2025-26 while averaging more than 25 minutes per game. In the playoffs, that average jumped above 30 minutes!!

Jake Oettinger

The goalie carrying very normal expectations of “please win us a Cup.”

Jake Oettinger has been Dallas's starting goalie since establishing himself during the 2022 playoffs. He's big, athletic and capable of completely taking over games when he's locked in. His last season was statistically uneven by his standards as he went 35-12-6 with a .899 save percentage, but the Stars still clearly see him as their long term answer. He's entering the second season of an eight year contract, so Dallas has committed to Otter, and now they need postseason Otter.

Roope Hintz

The extremely fast Finnish center.

Roope Hintz is one of those players who makes Dallas much harder to play against than people realize. He's fast, responsible defensively, dangerous offensively and fits almost anywhere inside the Stars' top six. His last season was interrupted by injuries and limited him to 53 games, where he recorded 44 points, but he's still locked into a long term deal through 2030-31. Also, Dallas's Finnish Mafia would collapse without him.

Thomas Harley

The other major piece of the blue line.

Thomas Harley has developed from promising young defenseman into a major part of Dallas's future. His last season numbers dropped from his breakout season the year before, but the Stars clearly aren't worried as Harley begins an eight year contract extension in the new season. Between Harley and Heiskanen, Dallas has invested a LOT into making sure its blue line has two high end, puck moving defensemen for years.

Jamie Benn

The captain & last man standing from an older era.

Jamie Benn has been the captain of the Dallas Stars since 2013. He's survived coaching changes, roster changes, rebuildish periods, playoff heartbreak, the 2020 Cup run and the rise of an entirely new generation. At 36, he's obviously no longer the player Dallas is building around, but he's still important to the culture of the team. The Stars re-signed Benn in July 2026 to a one year contract, keeping him in Dallas for at least one more run.

Tyler Seguin

The veteran wild card.

I cannot believe I’m old enough to call Tyler Seguin a veteran, but here we are. Tyler has been in Dallas since a massive 2013 trade that brought him over from Boston, and for years he and Jamie Benn essentially were Dallas Stars hockey. His recent story has unfortunately become heavily tied to injuries as he only played 27 games last season after tearing his ACL in December. He's entering the final year of his eight year contract this season, which makes this a pretty significant season for him personally and for Dallas. 

The Rivalries

Colorado Avalanche

The Stars and Avalanche were Western Conference powers at basically the exact same time in the late 1990s, which gave us back-to-back Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000 with Dallas winning both in seven games, both times. And then Dallas and Colorado kept finding each other. Colorado knocked Dallas out in 2004 & 2006. Dallas eliminated Colorado in the 2020 bubble, again in 2024 and again in a seven game first round series in 2025. Then Dallas went and acquired Mikko Rantanen from Carolina approximately five minutes after he had stopped being an Avalanche. So yeah there's history here.

Minnesota Wild

This rivalry is weird because Minnesota's hockey history is literally Dallas's hockey history. The Stars franchise was the Minnesota North Stars until 1993, but then Minnesota went without an NHL team until the Wild began playing in 2000. That means Wild fans exist in a hockey market where old North Stars jerseys, memories and history are still everywhere, while the official franchise records belong to Dallas. It’s kinda like a custody issue if you think about it.

The playoff meetings have only made it stronger. Dallas defeated Minnesota in the first round in 2016 & 2023, but Minnesota finally got revenge in 2026, knocking the Stars out in six games, and after how that series went, this rivalry definitely isn't cooling down.

St. Louis Blues

The Stars-Blues rivalry has a lot of old Central Division hatred attached to it. The franchises have met over and over in the postseason, including some brutal series during the late 1990s and then two especially painful Dallas eliminations in the modern era. St. Louis beat Dallas in a 7 game 2nd round series in 2016. Then they did it again in 2019, when Game 7 went to double overtime & Pat Maroon ended Dallas's season, then the Blues went on to win the Stanley Cup and Dallas fans have not forgotten.

Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas hasn't existed long enough to have an old school rivalry with Dallas, but apparently they decided to speedrun one! The teams met in the 2020 Western Conference Final, which Dallas won. Then Vegas eliminated Dallas in the 2023 Western Conference Final on the way to winning the Stanley Cup. They met AGAIN in the first round in 2024, when Dallas finally got revenge & eliminated the defending champions in seven games.

These two teams have spent several years operating in basically the same competitive tier as they’re both expected to win the West going into almost any recent season, but there’s only room for one.

The Fanbase

Stars fans are one of my favorite examples of why the argument that people in the South don't understand hockey is tired. Dallas has been in Texas for more than thirty years now. There are adults who have literally never lived in a world where Dallas didn't have an NHL team. The franchise has also played a major role in growing youth hockey across North Texas, which means its legacy isn't just about putting an NHL team somewhere warm. Dallas helped build an actual hockey ecosystem in the region.

The fans have their own little traditions, the biggest being during the national anthem. When the singer gets to “whose broad stripes and bright STARS…”, the entire building screams STARS. Then there's the goal song, “Puck Off” by Pantera, which is about as Texas as a hockey team can possibly get. Members of Pantera were Stars fans, became friends with players during the team's late 90s era and created the song specifically for the team.

The Retired Numbers

The franchise has officially retired 6 numbers, and because Dallas inherited the North Stars' franchise history, some belong to players from the Minnesota era.

No. 7 — Neal Broten

A Minnesota hockey legend who played for the North Stars and moved with the franchise to Dallas. He scored the first goal in Dallas Stars history after the relocation!

No. 8 — Bill Goldsworthy

One of the original North Stars stars and one of the franchise's first major offensive players.

No. 9 — Mike Modano

The franchise player, face of Dallas hockey, and the easiest jersey retirement decision imaginable.

No. 19 — Bill Masterton

Masterton was part of the inaugural Minnesota North Stars team and scored the first goal in franchise history. In January 1968, he suffered a catastrophic head injury during a game and died two days later at age 29. The NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, was created in his memory. His number 19 has never been worn by another player in franchise history. 

No. 26 — Jere Lehtinen

The 3 time Selke winner, lifelong Star and 1999 Stanley Cup champion.

No. 56 — Sergei Zubov

One of the greatest defensemen to ever play for Dallas and one of the brains behind the 1999 championship team.

The Team Identity

Dallas might be one of the best examples in the NHL of how to remain competitive without constantly nuking your roster and starting over. Their identity is built around drafting ridiculously well, developing players, keeping a strong veteran core and then being aggressive when they think the Cup window is open. The Rantanen trade is basically the perfect example.

Dallas already had Robertson, Johnston, Hintz, Heiskanen, Oettinger, Harley, and instead of saying “good enough,” they traded a major young player and multiple premium draft picks to add another superstar because they believed this roster could win a Stanley Cup.

The Stars are in contention and patience is running out. Three straight Western Conference Finals without a Cup already hurts, but following that with a first round exit after a 112 point season made things even messier. So heading into the new season, Dallas has Robertson coming off 96 points, Johnston coming off 45 goals, Rantanen locked in long term, Heiskanen and Harley controlling the defense, Oettinger in net and Benn returning for another year. There aren't a lot of excuses left.

Why You Should Watch Them

You should watch the Dallas Stars because they have basically everything that makes following a hockey team fun. They have history. They have one of the NHL's best jerseys/colors and one of the league's most recognizable fan traditions. They have a legitimate superstar group with an entire subcollection of Finnish men. They have a young star in Wyatt Johnston who somehow keeps getting better and Jason Robertson who’s chasing another huge season. They have Mikko Rantanen trying to win another Cup with a team that used to be one of his biggest playoff enemies. They have Jake Oettinger trying to become the guy in net when it matters most. And they have captain Jamie Benn trying to squeeze one more championship run out of the only NHL organization he's ever known.

Most importantly, Dallas is entering that extremely entertaining stage of a contender's life cycle where they’ve spent years getting close and this season is about whether they can finally finish the story.