For 25 seasons, the Dallas Stars have had the NHL market cornered in Texas.

However, they wouldn’t mind having some company, according to president and CEO Jim LItes, who said “I would love it if we had a team in Houston.”

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Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has said he was “very interested” in the possibility of bringing an NHL team to Houston, and was in the early stages of evaluating opportunities for a franchise.

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According to Lites, who was with the Stars when they moved to Dallas in 1993 and is in his third stint with the franchise, the prospect of a Houston team was broached 25 years ago when the Minnesota North Stars were looking for a new home. That revelation was part of a wide-ranging interview Lites did Friday with the Houston Chronicle.

He also discussed the challenges of selling the NHL in Texas, the advice he’d give a prospective NHL franchise owner in Houston, Las Vegas’ runaway expansion success on and off the ice this season and other hockey topics.

Q: What would the presence of a Houston team mean to the Stars?

A: On a practical level given our contractual situations, it’s going to require a negotiation for us because of television (territory). Rightfully so, as we have built and sustained a hockey presence in Texas and utilized it. Ten or 15 years ago, it might’ve been harder for us to have a team come in because we were smaller and less significant and the entire market was smaller. But we negotiated our arrangements with Fox based on their abilities to carry our games into that market. If another team comes into that market, if it’s expansion or a move, it’s going to require at least a negotiation because of existing arrangements. But that was also true in Vegas because the L.A. Kings’ and Anaheim Ducks’ television was going into the Vegas market. It’s a consideration.

On the other hand, I think that Houston and Dallas are wonderful competitors and partners potentially. I would love it if we had a team in Houston. From a personal and professional standpoint, the good of our fans and our minor-league fans in Austin, what a great thing to be able to go to those places. We have a wonderful partner in the American Hockey League with the San Antonio Spurs and the Rampage. I think it would be great for San Antonio if Houston had a team. It would be great for Austin if Houston had a team. And it would obviously be great for Houstonians if Houston had a team. I think it would do nothing but stimulate our sport in a great market.

Q: Your biggest rivalries throughout your time in Dallas – Detroit, Colorado and Edmonton – were forged during the playoffs. What would it mean to have a natural geographic rival after all this time without one?

A: The closest team to us is Nashville or St. Louis, they’re almost equidistant. We have healthy rivalries with them, but none that are natural geographic rivalries. There’s no Rangers-Devils, Rangers-Islanders or Detroit-Chicago, where they’ve been playing against each other for (decades). I would think Dallas and Houston would become rivals in the same way that Pittsburgh and Philly are. They’re not real close, but they’re the same distance. They’re close enough that they’re in the same state. (Houston) obviously would be a natural rival to us. People that lived in Austin would go to see teams in both places. If they were Houston fans, they’d be going to Dallas to see us play Houston and vice versa. In that regard, I think it would be great. And there’s so much business between Dallas and Houston, particularly if high-speed rail becomes a reality, which I think it’s going to. It’d be great.

Q: What was the biggest challenge bringing the NHL to a nontraditional hockey market?

A: They were myriad. There were lots of challenges. Remember, it’s 25 years now. Twenty-five years ago, there wasn’t any social media. So communicating to fans and getting our message out, the way to do that was more concentrated. The market was half as big, so you had to communicate in the traditional fashion. You just had to get on people’s radar. More people read the newspaper, watched local news on television and listened to radio. It wasn’t as diverse, and it was also harder because there were less ways to do it. So we had to muscle our way into traditional media to get it done. The biggest challenges were how do you communicate with people (about) a sport that they were not used to and aren’t aware of and didn’t have any history (locally).

Quite frankly, Houston had a much more vibrant hockey heritage than Dallas did. Houston would’ve been more attractive. I got to Dallas as partners with (then-Stars owner) Norm Green because I was on the expansion committee. The Minnesota North Stars should’ve ended up in Anaheim and it didn’t happen and I was part of the (group) that had to deliver the message to him (from) the board that that was how it was going to be. But he could go anywhere else. We looked seriously at Houston and ended up in Dallas because Don Carter, the owner of the Mavericks, was very receptive to the Stars going in and being a tenant in his building, which wasn’t true in Houston at that time. The old building in Houston, there wasn’t a cozy relationship with the NBA franchise there. Dallas made more sense for logistic reasons. But the Dallas Stars just as easily could’ve ended up in Houston as Dallas.

Q: You got to Dallas at an interesting time with the Cowboys just winning a Super Bowl, the Mavericks at the lowest point in their history and the Rangers a year away from moving into a new ballpark. What did you really have to do to stand out in that market?

A: Ha, we had to stand on our heads and yell really loud. Here’s one of the reasons why I think we were really successful: Reunion Arena was really well-located in Dallas. It was downtown and people were used to going there for Mavs games. It was the center of attention and in a really good spot. It was located perfectly to appeal to the entire community.

And we had a good team. It wasn’t an expansion team. And if we had an expansion team, we probably would’ve failed. We started with a great product built in the image of the Montreal Canadiens by (coach/general manager) Bob Gainey. This was a team that two years before had made the Stanley Cup Final and while it had faltered the year before it came (to Dallas), as most teams do when everybody finds out they’re moving. Everything went to (expletive), to use a hockey phrase. But the team was good. So you had the combination of a good building that accommodated us, a market that was always curious and wealthy, a team that was a winner and had a 97-point season to start in Dallas. More importantly, we played a style that was really rough. There were famous games during that first season in Dallas Stars history where the city loved us. We had a bunch of big, tough, rough teams and Bob loved to play tough. And we won a lot and fought a lot. I really enjoyed it because you could just see the Dallas community didn’t know what the rules were, but loved the sport. It’s a much more sophisticated market now at 25 years later. And on the business side, I had a great staff. This is really important to these teams.

Q: How much did the on-ice success go to creating your brand and identity in that market?

A: Totally. And winning is really important to this day. This franchise went bankrupt in 2011 and fell into disarray because of all kinds of economic issues (then-owner Tom Hicks) had and probably with this other sports (holdings) more than the Stars. Winning is really important and playoff participation is really important. It’s really tough to lose on a sustained basis in any market other than a few. In 2007, when I left the Stars before I came back in 2011, guess who the worst team in the National Hockey League was in terms of attendance and ticket revenue? Chicago. They were 30th in the league. Now they’re one of the best. I took over Detroit in 1982 and they were the worst. If you suck for a while, you’re not going to be good (business-wise). I don’t care where you are.

Q: You spoke about how important it was to be an existing team relocating and not an expansion team. Is that the case anymore when you see what Vegas has done this season?

A: Look, Vegas is a complete anomaly. And I’m thrilled for them. They have a brilliant coach and a good general manager. They’ve done everything right. And they’re winning. Good for them – I mean it. And it shocks me they do it with that roster. And a bunch of their players have surprised me and are probably much better than everybody thought they would be. And they’re doing great. But don’t kid yourself, you’re much better off with an existing team than with an expansion roster. But (commissioner) Gary Bettman, to his credit, has done a good job of making the expansion teams more successful because of a better draft situation for them (and) they have better players. You’re only protecting nine guys now.

Q: You worked in two nontraditional markets in Dallas and Phoenix. What are some of the similarities and differences between them?

A: It’s hard because Phoenix’s arena is in the wrong spot (in Glendale). I’m sorry, I’m not speaking out of school. I was there when the building came out of the ground. We drew really well in Phoenix when we were downtown. I was only there one season when the building went under construction. They built it in the wrong place. (Being in) Glendale, Arizona, would be like if we built in Forney. It’s not fun (driving to Glendale from Phoenix) and there’s no money there. Don’t kid yourself. I’m not a big proponent of suburban (arenas). Buildings should be right in the center of the universe. American Airlines Center is the best-located arena in the world. It fits right in the middle of downtown Dallas. Houston’s (location) is great. I don’t know the owner (Tilman Fertitta) other than by reputation and I don’t hear anything about him other than he’s hell-bent on making the Rockets, the city of Houston and his arena really successful. And the best thing he can do to round out that opportunity for himself and the city and reach his goals is to bring an NHL franchise there. Because it’s going to be successful.

Q: What would be the biggest piece of advice you’d give to someone bringing an NHL team to Houston or another nontraditional market?

A: Make sure you hire a really good general manager. That’s the most important thing to do – make sure your top hockey executive is terrific. I’d say hire experienced hands who are creative and work well with people and then listen to them. What I like with what Vegas did is they hired George McPhee (as GM) and Gerard Gallant (as coach). And those are experienced hands and they’re doing a great job. That owner (Bill Foley) is in a dynamic market and a great building, captured everybody’s imagination and done everything well. My advice to the prospective owner of the Houston hockey team: hire good hockey people.

Q: What about as far as selling the sport?

A: Make sure you touch all the bases. Get a good practice facility and stimulate your environment there. Make sure that the amateur hockey programs are strong. When I first got here, for every youth hockey player in Dallas, there were five in Houston. Now there’s 50 to 1 because of us being here. Just touch all the bases. Spend some money, do it right and work with the existing people. We’d love to help.

Q: How key was constructing the StarsCenter rinks in the suburbs to building your fan base?

A: They remain a big part of our business. We’ve got one coming on line in September in Mansfield in Tarrant County, southeast of Fort Worth. And we’re expanding to a third sheet in McKinney in the northern suburbs of Dallas. They’re key because people touch and feel the sport. Kids get to play, mom and dad are watching, brothers and sisters are watching the kids playing. There’s a younger brother playing and all of a sudden they’re Stars fans and wearing our gear and they’ve got sticks and pucks in their hands. We get schools excited about ball hockey and all of a sudden we’re an alternative to football and baseball.

Q: From your experience in the league and on the expansion committee, how complicated a process is expansion or a relocation of a team?

A: They’re really complicated. It’s a lot of moving parts. I’ve been around the National Hockey League some 35 years. When I started, there were 21 teams and 16 made the playoffs. There’s now 31 and 16 teams make the playoffs. I’m not a big pro-expansion guy but I do like healthy markets. I’m a pro-strategic expansion guy. Meaning if you’re expanding for the right reasons to a new market, then I’m really in favor of it. So if you’re expanding to make sure there’s an equal number of teams and the travel is normalized, that helps.

Q: How surprised were you with the success of the Seattle expansion bid’s ticket drive?

A: I’m not surprised at all. Those owners are fantastic. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing for work with both Mr. (David) Bonderman and Mr. (Jerry) Bruckheimer in a prior life. They were going to Vegas before the economy went to crap in 2008 and I was in their mix. I met both of them on occasion and toured the American Airlines Center with them when we first opened (in 2001). Jerry Bruckheimer is a hero of mine. He’s a Detroit guy like I was and he’s a big hockey fan and I think they’re going to be unbelievable owners in Seattle. I think the market is terrific. It’s a natural hockey market. It’s really vibrant there and an international city. It’s a home run and it was reflected in the 25,000 (ticket) deposits they got in one day.