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'No Stars: When Minnesota Lost Pro Hockey'. FOX 9 Documentary premieres Thursday

By and
Published  November 12, 2024 9:49am CST
Sports
FOX 9

The Brief

    • DOC9 spent months interviewing fans, players and team employees about what led to the team’s departure and the lasting impact it has had on professional sports in Minnesota.
    • Norm Green relocated the franchise in 1993 after a dispute over public financing for the team’s stadium in Bloomington.
    • The Met Center was demolished 30 years ago, putting an exclamation point on the end of the North Stars franchise.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - How can Minnesota, the State of Hockey, lose a professional hockey team? This documentary examines all the factors that ultimately led to the North Stars relocating to Texas in 1993.

How to watch 

The documentary "No Stars: When Minnesota Lost Pro Hockey" airs on FOX 9+ at 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 14. You can also watch it live in the player above. 

If you miss it, tune in at 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 on FOX 9. 

You can also watch the documentary on demand on FOX LOCAL, FOX9.com and on FOX 9’s YouTube channel. 

What to expect

Chapter 1: The Forgotten Franchise

'The Stars can be anywhere'

FOX 9 recently talked to fans, former players and team executives about the controversial jersey change as part of a documentary about the North Stars leaving Minnesota. Watch "NO STARS: When Minnesota Lost Pro Hockey" starting on Nov. 14 on FOX 9, FOX LOCAL and YouTube.

North Stars fans became hockey orphans when Norm Green moved the team. The success of the Dallas Stars, including the 1999 Stanley Cup, only added to their pain.

Chapter 2: State of Hockey

No money for Met Center

FOX 9 recently interviewed former team executives and government officials about disputes over stadium funding as part of a documentary about the North Stars leaving Minnesota.

How can a professional hockey team fail in the State of Hockey? The North Stars struggled financially for decades. The team almost folded, merged with another failing franchise, and then was split in two before ultimately relocating in 1993. 

Chapter 3: Norm Green

Before "Norm Green Sucks" chants, fans praised the North Stars owner after he took control in 1990. 

Chapter 4: The Met

The Met: Home of the North Stars

"It was like going to a cathedral." FOX 9 recently interviewed former team executives and government officials about disputes over stadium funding as part of a documentary about the North Stars leaving Minnesota.

Fans loved the small stadium in Bloomington because of the quirky colored seats and great sight lines. Players loved the Met Center because it was one of the loudest stadiums in the NHL and the ice was "the best." But it lacked suites needed for modern day franchises and Norm Green wanted public money to update the aging stadium.

Chapter 5: Shifting Stars

Was Norm Green already planning on relocating the franchise when he changed the North Stars logo heading into the 1991-1992 season?

Chapter 6: Better Off?

After the North Stars left, the City of St. Paul lobbied the NHL to bring an expansion team back to Minnesota but needed to build a new stadium first. The XCEL Energy Center in downtown St. Paul has been home to the Minnesota Wild for nearly 25 years. There are now plans to renovate the stadium that again involve public funding.

How the North Stars failed

FOX 9 interviewed fans, media members and former team employees about the North Stars’ financial struggles as part of an upcoming documentary about the franchise leaving Minnesota.