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We're almost at the home stretch of our NHL logo rankings and finish off this week at No. 6: The Dallas Stars. Judging by

comments on our previous articles, this will be a contentious one. The ninja star logo, introduced a year ago, was the first time the Dallas franchise moved away from a design that was used by the team from Minnesota - and the color was lightened again. You're either going to love it or hate it. We loved it. The THN staffers involved in the ranking process appreciated the new green (which is kind of a throwback to the North Star days) and how well it meshes with the silver star. The way the star (and the 'D') is sharply designed and colored kind of makes it look like a spur, which is a nice fit in Texas. We liked it enough to rank it No. 6 in the NHL - if you disagree, let us know why in the comments section below. We explain our reasoning for the ranking a little more later. And, heck, you can even try and design our own logo for the Stars. Use your artistic skills and send your logo redesign to editorial@thehockeynews.com. At the end of our logo rankings, we'll publish our favorite reader redesigns. (All logos below from

Chris Creamer's website.)

HISTORY OF THE STARS LOGO Originally, of course, the Stars came from the north. In 1967, when the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams, Minnesota was granted one of those franchises. As a result of a public contest, the team was named the North Stars, which gave a nod to the state's motto L'Etoile du Nord, or The Star of the North. The first logo had the full team name on it and a familiar looking 'N' pointing towards the northern star inside a green circle. The 'N' would be refined over the years, but this was the start of a green and yellow color combination I think most of us miss.



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In the mid-'70s, the North Stars upgraded the logo. They dropped the green circle around the image and added a yellow shadow behind the 'N'. This logo would be used for seven years, the last of which (1980-81), the North Stars made a Stanley Cup final appearance, losing in five games to the power house New York Islanders.

We're not huge fans of teams writing out their full name on a logo, so the change made to Minnesota's in the early-80s was for the better. On this one, a thin black outline was added to the 'N' and the star, and the green around the star became a little thicker too. This logo, which would be used for 10 years, was the last one tied to the original. In 1990-91, the North Stars reached their second Stanley Cup final in franchise history, this time losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Unfortunately for North Stars fans, the biggest highlight everyone remembers from that series is

Mario Lemieux's magnificent individual effort in Game 2 that posterized Shawn Chambers. Interestingly, like they did the year after reaching their first Stanley Cup final, Minnesota changed their primary logo again in 1991-92. The next logo cut off the team's connection with its roots and foreshadowed the relocation of 1993.

This logo, which is more attached to the Dallas franchise than the one located in Minnesota, actually appeared on the North Stars jersey first. The yellow on this logo had some mustard added to it and you can see black starting to creep in more to the Stars look. Minnesota used this one for only two years before the team picked up and left for Dallas, who continued to use the design, with some minor alterations.

In 1993-94, the Stars were northern no more, dropping the geographical reference from their name after moving south to Dallas. The logo used in the last days of the North Stars was retained, though the green and yellow were darkened even further and black became a prominent color on team jerseys. The word "Dallas" was also added in green above "Stars." This specific color scheme was used for only the first season in Texas, before it was darkened again, during a time when it seems everyone was going with black jerseys.

There isn't much to add about this color shading, other than to recognize it is the look used during the team's glory years. In 1998, Dallas reached its first conference final after the '93 relocation and in '99 they finally broke through. The Ken Hitchcock-coached team won the franchise's first Stanley Cup in a six-game victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Of course, the series concluded with one of the more controversial goals of all time, when Brett Hull appeared to have his foot in the crease. That stupid rule is, thankfully, long gone from the rule book, but

this highlight still enrages Sabres fans. Should it have counted? Dallas would make another Stanley Cup final in 2000, but lost it in six games to the New Jersey buzz saw.

And here we are in the modern day, with the logo we ranked No. 6 in the NHL. Why? Because this logo gives a shout out to the bright green past of the North Star days, while having meaning to the team's current destination. For the first time, Dallas came up with its own design - and it pops. The beveled star gives the logo a modern look and that shade of green is a thing of beauty that earns bonus points. And instead of designing a fancy star and calling it a day, a capital 'D' for Dallas was integrated into the look. More than just standing for the first letter in the city's name, 'Big D' is also a nickname for Dallas. This is an excellent logo with a unique, bright green for this era. Kudos Dallas, you deserve No. 6.



Dissenting opinion: "I'm not going to rip on the Dallas logo as I think it's pretty darn good and a HUGE upgrade from their previous efforts, but I will say it is a touch too high in the rankings and use this opportunity to (selfishly) suggest what I believe are the NHL's best 10 logos: 1. Minnesota 2. Nashville 3. Arizona 4. San Jose 5. Tampa Bay 6. Chicago 7. Florida 8. Detroit 9. Dallas 10. Anaheim (yes, Anaheim...why all the hate?)."

- Edward Fraser





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