When the NHL reached the go-go 1990s, expansion and relocation became all the rage. Cities were jumping at the opportunity to throw money into new stadiums, doing their best to either earn rights to expansion franchises or to lure other, existing franchises with their newly built, state of the art stadiums.
Such was the case in Dallas, and they were able to bring hockey all the way south to Texas from the frigid north from whence it was created. That meant the Minnesota North Stars, a stalwart of the Stanley Cup playoffs who twice reached the finals, were no more, with Minnesota - a hotbed of hockey in the states - bereft of a pro hockey franchise.