On April 29, 2013, a wave of change came to the Dallas Stars organization. Former player and fan favorite Joe Nieuwendyk was fired from the general manager position of the Stars, leaving them with an open hole to fill.
The team had not been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2007-2008 season and were building on the longest drought in franchise history. It was time to turn the team around before things got any worse.
Enter Jim Nill. After serving as the director of amateur scouting and player development with the Detroit Red Wings for 19 years, he was ready to step out of the assistant role and into the driver’s seat.