Just so you know, Stars are not moving

The Dallas Business Journal consulted an economic expert who told them the Stars could, maybe, possibly, move, so the Stars had to refute that story today. In the story, Todd Jewell, a sports economist at the University of Texas said: “There’s some thought that the NHL has overreached in the southern United States, especially in the southwest. These teams are not doing as well as the NHL had hoped. This isn’t enough of a hockey hotbed to put up with a team that’s not always in the playoffs.”He added: “Hockey is Canada’s national sport and it irks Canadians a little bit that the majority of NHL teams are in the United States and the U.S. doesn’t appreciate the sport as much as Canadians.” Stars interim president Tony Tavares, who initially declined comment for the story because it was about the sale of the Stars, issued this statement: “Any opinion or rumor that it is even possible for the Dallas Stars to move from North Texas is unequivocally untrue. The Dallas Stars are not moving. The team’s current contractual agreements with both the City of Dallas and American Airlines Center prohibits the Stars from moving.” Tavares added, “While I cannot get into the details of the sale of the team, I can say that the process is ongoing and we are hopeful to have new ownership for the Dallas Stars soon.” The Stars issued a couple of facts with the Tavares statement: The contractual facts: The Dallas Stars have a contractual obligation (Non-Relocation Agreement) with the AAC lenders that would prevent the team from being moved until at least 2023. The Stars also have a Location Agreement with the City of Dallas that the team could not be moved until at least 2031. After that, there is a series of 10 one-year lease options that are designed to be attractive enough financially as to avert the movement of the team to a new facility during that period. From a logical standpoint, there are several other teams who could be moved before the Stars. Forbes put their franchise value at $227 million in November and one of our sources said Tom Gaglardi's offer to buy the Stars is in excess of $250. You could buy Phoenix or Atlanta for a lot less if you were looking to move a team. There are also other teams in worse financial shape than the Stars.