The Stars "wrote one of the NHL's great success stories back in the '90s" after relocating from Minnesota, but "selling hockey in Texas is difficult in the best of times, and that means the challenges to find success could be even tougher 20-something years into the process," according to Mike Heika of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The Stars pushed their "average attendance to 18,376 last season" and increased "buzz by posting the second-best record in the NHL." Stars President & CEO Jim Lites said, "Having a history is actually something we do have to overcome now. We were fresh and new and we had a chance to make a good first impression back then. Now, we've been here and people have formed opinions, and to be frank, some of that isn't good. I think going through a rough stretch and a bankruptcy created some apathy about our team." Stars Owner Tom Gaglardi said, "The first step has always been to put a winner on the ice, and I think we're doing that." Stars Exec VP & CRO Brad Alberts said that one of the keys to "washing away the bad past was rebranding the team." By changing the logo and colors in '13, the team was "able to make a visual fresh start that sent a message." Alberts: "I give Tom a lot of credit for that. It was his idea, and I think our people then executed it well." Heika noted the Stars have "gone from about 5,000 season tickets to almost 14,000 in a span of four years." The team has the "second-lowest average ticket price in the league after" the '14-15 season at $38.37. Lites said that figure "will increase." Meanwhile, the Stars have "found new partners for signage and advertising," and they have "increased youth hockey participation" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/11).
