The city of Austin, the capitol of the Lone Star State, is about as far from a “traditional hockey market” as you can get. The metro area of the Austin has long been a stellar sports market, with the University of Texas flourishing in many different athletic competitions, but hockey was more of an afterthought.
In February of 2008, the Dallas Stars announced that their primary farm team will be relocating from Des Moines, Iowa to Cedar Park, Texas to rebrand themselves from the Iowa Stars to the Texas Stars. In doing that, the city of Austin and surrounding communities such as Cedar Park rejoiced.