08/22/25
August 01, 2025
He Who Controls the Ice Controls the Universe: The Dallas Stars have used a monopoly on ice rinks in North Texas to take control of youth and recreational hockey, crush dissent by players and coaches and wring out ever-increasing profits from what used to be a community good. Some of their execs carried out a hotel kickback scheme for themselves. How far are they taking this insanity? When one dad explored coaching for an independent rink instead, a Stars official banned his daughters from all of their rinks. The girls are 5 and 7.
This is one of the craziest things an American sports franchise has ever done. They started out with the understandable goal of helping a youth hockey infrastructure grow in a place that didn't offer much. Then they embraced every cutthroat and greedy tactic of the travel team/advanced youth sports racket. It is way out of hand.
It also is alienating a lot of parents and players who should be prime Stars fan base potential. Dumb on all levels.
posted by rcade at 08:40 AM on August 02, 2025
My first thought was that I hope that there's a Phil Knight or T. Boone Pickens out there somewhere who will show their money and make this right.
Then I decided that this makes me mad enough to hope that someone steps up and handles it Texas style.
Off Duty Officer Hockey Mom to Responders Outside Arena: "I Just Got To The Point Where I Wanted To Measure The Side Of That Zamboni With A Clip Of Armor Piercing Rounds".
posted by beaverboard at 10:19 AM on August 02, 2025
We see the same shit - but to a far lesser degree - here in Reno. We have one rink owned by a nonprofit. Parents who disagree with coaching and league management decisions, or who want their kids to level up, are forced to travel to South Tahoe (1+ hour each way), Roseville, CA (~2 hours) or Vacaville, CA (~2.5 hours). When they do that, they are blocked from attending in-house hockey academies and from getting ice time for private lessons. Of course, our rink does it out of territoriality rather than pure cynical profit motive.
posted by tahoemoj at 12:51 PM on August 13, 2025
These sound like completely normal, rational actions.