•1. The Dallas Stars are not a “bad” market. Per Forbes, they are ranked 12/32 teams in valuation which means they are an above average franchise from a business perspective. Attendance too has been very healthy for most of its existence and youth hockey has taken off in North Texas. By most accounts, the Stars have been one of the more successful sunbelt franchises and well deserving of a franchise. This is not Carolina, Florida, Atlanta, or Columbus. Its in the league with Tampa, Vegas, and Nashville for successful sunbelt teams.
•2. The MN Wild too have carved out a good fanbase. However, Minnesota is ranked 21/32 teams in valuation so its literally a below average NHL franchise from a business perspective. The fans still turn out but its debatable whether MN loves the pros or college/high school more. To a business owner, Dallas is a better market for the NHL than Minnesota. The Stars are worth more, have higher attendance, a bigger social media presence/fanbase, have made the playoffs a higher % of their history, and won a Stanley Cup. These are undeniable facts. Thus Norm’s decision to move to Dallas was not completely baseless in retrospect.
•3. While the NHL should always be in the state of hockey, its not as much of a slam dunk market as one would think. Too many residents care about amateur hockey or even other NHL teams. The aura of the Wild are well below even the Vikings in the state as a point of pride. In the North Stars final years, they had the lowest attendance in the NHL, one of the lowest season ticket bases, were losing money almost every year, and were per the LA Times a franchise “on the decline.” Although owner Norm Green had his issues, leaving Minnesota wasn’t exactly a crazy decision given all the issues. And clearly, the Stars have been a better NHL market to the NHL than the Wild so the move was financially logical.
•4. A franchise doesn’t leave a market unless it has issues. Norm Green would have never relocated the Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, or Kings.