The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white. The North Stars played 2,062 regular season games and made the NHL playoffs 17 times, including two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, but were unable to win the Stanley Cup. After the 1992–93 season, the franchise moved to Dallas, and the team was renamed the Dallas Stars.
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captain and a number of alternate captains who speak to the officials when the captain is on the bench. Captains wear a "C" on their sweaters, while alternate captains wear an "A".
Robert Michael Gainey is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars organization before returning to Montreal as general manager from 2003 to 2010. Currently, Gainey serves as a team consultant for the St. Louis Blues as well as a volunteer senior advisor for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2017 Gainey was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Brian Edward Bellows is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played nearly 1,200 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Washington Capitals. He was a member of the 1993 Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens.
Douglas McArthur Jarvis is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford Whalers in the National Hockey League. He was a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Canadiens.
Robert David Smith is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Smith was the majority owner of the Halifax Mooseheads junior hockey team for twenty years until February 2023. He played for the Minnesota North Stars and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in four Stanley Cup Finals and won the 1986 Stanley Cup with the Canadiens. Smith was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, but grew up in Ottawa, Ontario.
Neal LaMoy Broten is an American former professional ice hockey player. A member of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980, Broten was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000 having appeared in 1,099 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games from 1981 to 1997 with the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings. He is the older brother of Aaron and Paul Broten.
Steven Mark Christoff is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played 248 regular season games in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars, Calgary Flames, and Los Angeles Kings in 1980–84.
Dino Ciccarelli is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League from 1980 to 1999, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he had his third-highest scoring season. He scored 1,200 points in his NHL career. His 608 career NHL goals are also the most goals scored by a draft-eligible player who was not drafted by an NHL team. Ciccarelli was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Glenn Allan "Chico" Resch is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and television sportscaster. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1973 to 1987, and won a Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders in 1979–80. He has served as the color commentator for telecasts of New Jersey Devils games on MSG Network and MSG Plus.
Kent Åke Nilsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers, as well as teams across various European leagues. During his NHL career he was called "Mr. Magic" and "The Magic Man", referring to his exceptional puck skills. Wayne Gretzky commented on Nilsson's skills saying "Skills-wise he might have been the most skilled hockey player I ever saw in my entire career".
Craig Lee Ludwig is an American former professional hockey player. He played as a defenceman in the National Hockey League from 1982 to 1999 and was renowned for his shot-blocking ability. Ludwig was the color analyst for the Dallas Stars television and radio broadcasts for two seasons from 2016 to 2018.
Glen Robert Sonmor was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, scout and coach. He played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers from 1953 to 1955, though most of his career was spent in the minor American Hockey League. After his playing career, Sonmor turned to coaching. He led the University of Minnesota from 1966 to 1972, then went to the World Hockey Association, where he was the general manager, and occasional coach, of the Minnesota Fighting Saints and Birmingham Bulls between 1972 and 1978. He then moved to the NHL to coach the Minnesota North Stars from 1978 to 1987. Later in his career, Sonmor became a scout for the Minnesota Wild of the NHL.
William Donald Nyrop was an American professional ice hockey player. He played 207 games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota North Stars from 1976 to 1982. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens three times, in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Internationally Nyrop played for the American national team at the 1976 Canada Cup, where he served as captain.
Curtis Martin Fraser is an American former professional ice hockey player who played for the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1978-79 and 1989-90. He featured in the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals with the Canucks.
Richard St. Croix is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 131 games in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1978 and 1985. After his playing career he worked as an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs. He also served as a goaltending coach for the Dallas Stars, and an assistant coach and goaltending coach for the Manitoba Moose and St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft by the Flyers, and his two sons would also be drafted, though neither played in the NHL.
Gilles Emile Meloche is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, scout and former player. Meloche played as a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins. He is currently a special assignment scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Until 2013 he was the team's longtime goaltending coach, during which time the team won three Stanley Cups. Meloche was born in Montreal, Quebec.
David Richard Langevin is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 216 games for the Edmonton Oilers in the World Hockey Association (WHA) as well as 513 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings between 1977 and 1987. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Louis Vincent Anthony Nanne is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League defenceman and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars between 1968 and 1978 and then served as the general manager of the team from 1978 to 1988. He also coached the team briefly during the 1978–79 season. Internationally Nanne played for the American national team at the 1968 Winter Olympics and the 1976 and 1977 World Championships, as well as 1976 Canada Cup, and managed the American teams at the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.
Donald Clinton Jackson is an American ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player who played 315 games in the National Hockey League between 1978 and 1987. Jackson began his coaching career in 1988.
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