The Dallas Stars have been hiding in the shadows since the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals. The Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks, and Texas Rangers have been the primary sports teams for quite some time in the DFW Metroplex. All of that changed after the Mikko Rantanen trade last Friday. It's like hockey has exited the Dallas-Fort Worth Sports Cellar and entered the spotlight. I don't remember when Stars hockey had the metroplex this excited. Rantanen has brought tremendous optimism about another sports championship coming to the metroplex.
I saw a video this morning on Twitter about how sports bars have been empty around the American Airlines Center since the Luka Doncic trade. I'm not shocked about the news. When you trade one of the best European talents the league has seen for a bag of chips, it can tick off a lot of your fanbase. I don't blame Maverick fans for protesting outside the American Airlines Center. That was awful to do to a player who might help the Lakers win the NBA Title this season.
The Dallas Observer reports the Luka trade might be affecting businesses around the AAC. pic.twitter.com/hIaRoUYd52
— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) March 12, 2025
Now, back to hockey, Rantanen has brought in a new viewership when it comes to hockey. Victory+ reported that the game against Edmonton was the most-viewed Stars game on the streaming platform this season. More than 165K viewers tuned in to see the debut of Rantanen in a Stars uniform. If that doesn't show how a player can revive the hockey spirit in the DFW Metroplex, I don't know what will. Maybe it's all the fans waiting for the Stars to announce the sale of his jersey. In the meantime, some fans have been making makeshift Rantanen jerseys.
New fit just dropped for Stars fans 😂🌟 pic.twitter.com/1n38FX8se3
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 9, 2025
No offense to Tyler Seguin, but some Stars' fans are just being resourceful until Rantanen's jersey hits the market. Rantanen's ability to be a scoring threat every time he takes the ice has Stars' fans salivating on how good this team will be once Seguin returns to the lineup. Right now, Seguin is skating and should be back before the end of the regular season and in time for the playoffs. This could be the season in which the Stars return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Dallas Morning News Sports Reporter Tim Cowlishaw wrote this week, "Mikko Rantanen comes ‘pretty close’ to Luka Doncic’s superstardom." He's correct about which level DFW Sports fans are comparing this trade by Jim Nill. This extends the Stars' contention for the Stanley Cup Finals for a couple more seasons. With the talent the Stars have under contract for the future and Mikko Rantanen, hockey fandom will continue to increase heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.