In a lot of ways, Tom Gaglardi was destined to own the Stars.

The Vancouver businessman made a failed bid to buy his hometown Canucks in 2004 which ended in bitter disappointment. So when Gaglardi got a second chance at NHL ownership in Texas, it seemed appropriate that it was where his mom grew up and where he made a lot of childhood memories.

"I think when you look at all of the business factors, it's been a great decision," Gaglardi said when asked about buying the Stars in 2011. "But when you take all of the family factors and the emotion of that, it makes it perfect, really."

In a high risk business, Gaglardi's ride so far has been kind of perfect. He got the Stars at a good price, with only $50 million of the $240 million sale price coming in cash. He also has benefited from a strong Texas economy and a quick retooling of the infrastructure of the team. Of course, Gaglardi receives a lot of credit for that last item.

"It all starts with Tom," Stars CEO and President Jim Lites said. "His dedication to the team, his financial backing, his drive...it all pushes us."

Lites was twice before the president of the team, starting with owner Norman Green when the Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993 and then leaving when owner Tom Hicks restructured management in 2002. He returned one year later and ran the show until 2007 when he and Hicks disagreed on firing then-GM Doug Armstrong (Lites said if Armstrong went, then so would he). So when Gaglaradi interviewed him to come back in 2011, Lites was a little taken aback by the tone of the interview.

Gaglardi point-blank asked Lites why he should hire a guy who had a significant hand in making a mess of the Stars. Lites shot back that it wasn't his fault and he couldn't control the owner. It was a rough first meeting.

"I honestly thought there was no way I was getting the job, but that's Tom's way, he wants to test you, he wants to see how you respond," Lites said. "Working with him now, I love it that way."

Gaglardi, 48, is a passionate hockey fan, and that's a big part of his role on the team. He's also an experienced businessman, and that's the calm part of the ownership side. Gaglardi's dad Bob started the Sandman hotel chain and Moxie's restaurant chain in Western Canada, and Gaglardi started working in the restaurants in high school. He advanced to running construction sites after high school and then became president of the company at age 26 in 1994.

In the intervening years, he has up-scaled his dad's company, expanding with Sutton Place Hotels and spreading to Eastern Canada. He also is planning hotels in the Dallas area and around the team's AHL affiliate in Cedar Park. It's a happy pairing of his day job and his fun job.

"I think the opportunity is there to make money off of hockey in non-hockey ways," Gaglardi said. "That's a huge plus, because it's hard to make money off a sports team."

Especially a Sunbelt hockey team. Former owner Norman Green was asked when the team was up for sale what kind of owner the Stars needed and replied: "A rich one. Owning a hockey team is like owning a yacht, it cost a lot of money, but it sure is fun."

Asked recently about that comment, Green chuckled and said: "I think Tom is perfect for this team. He seems to be doing exactly what he should be doing."

The good thing is the Stars have done it before. When Hicks bought the team in 1995, he invested a ton of cash, bought some great players, and won the Stanley Cup by 1999. The team was one of the great success stories in the NHL. But, it got cocky, overpriced the market, and stopped winning. Lites and Gaglardi have learned from history.

"You have to win, that's step one," Gaglardi said. "You can draw hockey fans in Canada and not always win, but you have to win to draw hockey fans in Texas. So that's what we're trying to do."

Gaglardi also enjoys the winning part most. He calls himself a fan first, and said he doesn't want to be too deep into the business side of the operation. Lites counters that Gaglardi had great ideas and gets updated on everything. He was a big player in the rebranding of the team with new colors, logos and uniforms, and also understands everything Lites is doing to try to create additional revenue.

"A lot of what he does with hotels and restaurants is what we do with ticketholders," Lites said. "It's a hospitality industry, so he has plenty of experience and great ideas."

It's just another part of the plan that seems kind of perfect. With Cedar Park becoming the "Frisco of Austin" and the land around American Airlines Center ripe with opportunity, Gaglardi seems to have "come back" to Texas at just the right time. Gaglardi's mom Karen is from Longview and she met Bob Gaglardi when he attended LeTorneau University, so Tom has spent his share of time in Texas as a kid. While his parents are divorced, Karen's family lives primarily in Burleson and Fort Worth now.

Having that upbringing, Gaglardi has always been a huge fan of the Cowboys, and said he takes Texas-sized pride in the fact that he expects to spend significant time in the Lone Star State going forward.

"It just seems like a good fit," Gaglardi said. "This seems like what I'm supposed to be doing."

Youngest owners in the NHL

Based on the owners as listed by the NHL, Tom Gaglardi is the youngest man to have primary ownership of a team. Here are the five youngest: