I am a big time Dallas Stars fan.... They are contenders on the ice and great to watch. But their tactics in/around recreational and travel hockey are to be questioned and derided.

I am one of the 100 people interviewed by this USA Today reporter. Don't worry - I told him I don't trust his leftist organization... but I respected him at least revealing the dark underbelly of the Dallas Stars using their power and political connections in both government AND over TAHA (Tx USA Hockey affiliate) to ensure their monopoly not only on DFW hockey, but the state as a whole.

Worth a read:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2025/08/01/nhl-dallas-stars-texas-youth-hockey-monopoly/84289184007/

sam callahan said:

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Sounds like an opportunity for someone to build their own ice rink.

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Yep. Which one of you billionaire Aggies wants to take it on?

I have ideas... but no capital.

sam callahan said:

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Sounds like an opportunity for someone to build their own ice rink.

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Yep.

Our old Allergist said that when he was starting his out, he was told to place his business within a block of the largest Allergist you can find and you will never run out of clients.


I didn't read the article, but if they are pissing off lots of parents looks like an opportunity for someone to start a new league.

Whoever pays for it, is going to have opinions on how it's ran, too.

Hockey, swimming, golf, and other sports are expensive. If you essentially get subsidized facilities, there will be strings attached.

sam callahan said:

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Whoever pays for it, is going to have opinions on how it's ran, too.

Hockey, swimming, golf, and other sports are expensive. If you essentially get subsidized facilities, there will be strings attached.

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That's one of the major issues.

Euless, Frisco, Farmers Branch, Mansfield, McKinney have NOT held the Stars to a reasonable accountability on use of the taxpayer funded rinks.

Their other rinks - Plano, Richardson, Valley Ranch (Travel only) - are owned by Stars management/leaders but being managed by the Stars in the same system.

Northlake (construction) and apparently Forney (negotiations) should be aware of this and demand accountability.

A Texas kid just won the cup and brought it to Dallas

First I've ever heard of this but perhaps the fact that its being reported and light is shining will bring about some change.

GAC06 said:

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A Texas kid just won the cup and brought it to Dallas

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Of course. And his father was a longtime Dallas Maverick and Denver Nugget and a current NBA coach and a multi-millionaire. Seth Jones was even born in the same hospital as my kids.....

....but this does NOT mean that the problems that were discussed in the story are not real to the vast majority of the parents in the Texas youth hockey ecosystem.......

..I would venture to guess even Seth Jones knows about a lot of the issues. I know former players (including one longtime Finnish Dallas Star) who would agree with the sentiments that there is a hockey mafia run by the Stars.

Logos Stick said:

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First I've ever heard of this but perhaps the fact that its being reported and light is shining will bring about some change.

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That should be the point.

I still love the on ice product (the NHL team) and believe that they can do better with their rinks by not asserting control over youth hockey or TAHA. There are enough players in Texas now to draw districts to rinks with independent hockey associations that buy ice time at reasonable costs.

A guy I used to work with was saying this a few years ago. I know nothing of youth hockey or how it all works but he was convinced the Stars were acting nefariously.

I don't see a line of people willing to put $20+ million into building rinks and competing with the Stars. 99% of that article seemed like sour grapes.

My kid used to play hockey (not TAHA travel hockey) and it is ridiculous how much money parents have to shell out for them to be successful. And the highest most of these kids will ever get is to play in college club sports and beer league.

My theory was that linking Children's Health with the Stars was creating a tax shelter but this story checks out on all levels.

And on the other hand. If you want to have nice things, you have to not bite the hand that feeds you.

Private ice rinks are generally crappy, falling apart, poorly managed, gross, leaky affairs because they are too expensive to maintain without overcharging your customers.

Walking into a StarCenter rink after playing elsewhere (looking at you, Sugar Land) is like walking into the Emerald City. So yeah it is more expensive.

Yeah when I played, I'd often slum it at the ole Iceoplex in Addison. The Star Centers were much nicer

I refuse to play at Stars Centers anymore as they have many issues and continue to piss off players. We have enough rinks that you have a choice if you don't mind driving.

The Stars don't give a puck?

Yeah, you'll be pretty lucky to have access to ice at all in some regions. I remember attending an event circa 2003 or so to support Space City Ice Station in Friendswood and keep them from selling the facility to the Lexus dealership there by Baybrook Mall. Our home rink was at Sharpstown Mall (yikes!) while all that was going down.

Space City Ice wasn't a particularly nice rink. Honestly, it was bit of a dump, and I thought Sugar Land was relatively nice in comparison. But it was only 20 minutes from home instead of 45 minutes (and that's if you were lucky with traffic). They did manage to put together an ownership group which saved the rink, so travel to practices and home games at least was reasonable. Still, we spent every other weekend of hockey season traveling across Houston to Sugar Land, Willowbrook, Memorial City, or College Station for away games.

Nevertheless, that ownership group sold the facility about ten years later in 2014 after all of their kids had aged out of playing youth hockey. They certainly didn't see it as a worthwhile business venture after they no longer had a personal attachment to the rink, and nobody has built a new rink anywhere closer ever since.

I haven't kept up with it, but I can only imagine local hockey is completely dead in the whole Clear Lake area at this point. It was difficult enough to field a complete team when there was a home rink.

Speaking of ridiculous nonsense from another rink...

Honestly, youth soccer isn't too much different once you get further up the food chain, and your dominate powers who call the shots are the big clubs……but the end result is the same.

You get dads who coach and want to do it their way and are doing fine are hampered by clubs who want you to pay for their trainers. If you don't they run you off.

Dad leaves, becomes a renegade coach and his kid gets punished from that point on.

TheEternalOptimist said:

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sam callahan said:

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Sounds like an opportunity for someone to build their own ice rink.

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Yep. Which one of you billionaire Aggies wants to take it on?

I have ideas... but no capital.

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The notion that only billionaires could afford to build an ice rink makes me think you are not posting in good faith and makes me want to support the Dallas Stars even though I never watch hockey.

I would enroll my kids in a less expensive and more accessible sport.

Texas velvet maestro said:

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If Texas kids were supposed to play hockey we'd have more frozen ponds.

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Post of the century. Hockey is a novelty. Sorry IDGAS.
Go Outside.

Danny Vermin said:

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Speaking of ridiculous nonsense from another rink...

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It appears someone needs to teach you and the ones that shared this how to save an image instead of screen capture. Or it's really bad AI, and fake.

Seems heavy handed for a professional sports team to get involved in the daily workings of youth sports leagues, down to who is coaching and blacklisting certain kids. Surely the organization has more important things to focus on??

Quote:

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Kat Pierce's son played the 2024 season for his local high school team and a competitive travel club, the McKinney North Stars. She said she and her husband spent about $30,000 on hockey expenses last year alone.

Club and league fees which cover teams' ice rental cost about $9,000. Another $8,000 went toward airfare, hotels, rental cars, gas, and meals for out-of-town games and tournaments. The rest covered private camps, lessons, training, equipment and team apparel.

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Quote:

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Pierce and her husband struggle to make ends meet. Medical ailments have prevented her from working consistently, she said. Her husband works a full-time job and makes side income from refereeing and donating plasma.

"We live hand-to-mouth," Pierce said. "It's a huge struggle just to keep your kid's dreams alive.

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What a bunch of f'ing wetards. Good lord, it's youth sports.

Is that a screenshot of a screenshot of a screenshot?

GAC06 said:

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Yeah when I played, I'd often slum it at the ole Iceoplex in Addison. The Star Centers were much nicer

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You mean Addison Square Gardens?

Do FC Dallas Youth Academy next

I miss the Houston Aeros. Those were some fun games to attend (and affordable).

Teslag said:

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Quote:

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Kat Pierce's son played the 2024 season for his local high school team and a competitive travel club, the McKinney North Stars. She said she and her husband spent about $30,000 on hockey expenses last year alone.

Club and league fees which cover teams' ice rental cost about $9,000. Another $8,000 went toward airfare, hotels, rental cars, gas, and meals for out-of-town games and tournaments. The rest covered private camps, lessons, training, equipment and team apparel.

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Quote:

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Pierce and her husband struggle to make ends meet. Medical ailments have prevented her from working consistently, she said. Her husband works a full-time job and makes side income from refereeing and donating plasma.

"We live hand-to-mouth," Pierce said. "It's a huge struggle just to keep your kid's dreams alive.

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What a bunch of f'ing wetards. Good lord, it's youth sports.

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"Medical ailments"

My son played in the Dallas Stars Youth Hockey League from age 5 to 17 until about 8 years ago. It used to be one organization but now appears split between U6-U9 and U10-U18. Anyway, the same people in the article were running it back then, and I always assumed they broke even or even lost a little to generate interest and goodwill with the communities around Dallas. There were always disgruntled parents for various reasons which happens everywhere there is youth sports. Definitely some sour grapes going on, but it also appears absolute power corrupts and it's time for the Stars to bring in new leadership and clarify what their mission actually is.

Hockey will always be expensive, and it's very easy to get lured into the upper echelons ("Hey your kid's pretty good. You should take him to the free practice this travel team having Saturday at noon to see how he compares."), but "cheap" hockey was available for about $1000 a season + equipment and other opportunities for practice and ice time. I don't think current base rates are that much more.

At one time, there was another rink just two miles away at Stonebriar Mall and another up north near Fieldhouse USA, but both shut down. Not sure why, but the one up north had a 3/4 size rink and was very popular for lessons and a summer off-season league. I don't see how an independent rink could survive these days.

I'd be interested to know how USA Today got wind of what was going on and not DMN. Someone knew somebody there I'm sure.

Texas velvet maestro said:

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If Texas kids were supposed to play hockey we'd have more frozen ponds.

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"If God had intended Texans to ski, he would have made bulls*t white." - popular bumper sticker in Colorado

Bet there are more people doing this with all of the club sports than you realize.
Dance, baseball, softball, etc.