They’re not in playoffs yet, but Dallas Stars making plans that include full arenas
The Dallas Stars are not quite in a position to return to the Stanley Cup Finals, but they are making plans to have a full arena in case they reach the playoffs.
The Stars have notified season ticket holders they intend to open the American Airlines Center to full capacity for the postseason, should they make the playoffs.
One tiny problem.
They’re not quite in the playoffs.
But in case the reigning Western Conference champs do squeeze themselves in, the Stars would be the first team in the NHL or NBA to play to a full capacity arena since the COVID pandemic forced arena restrictions in North America.
The Stars currently lead the NHL in home attendance at 4,237 per game. The AAC seats about 18,000 for hockey games.
To go to full capacity the Stars would need approval from the NHL. The Stars will need to install additional air filtration systems in the AAC, which they plan to complete.
Entering Saturday, the Stars are 19-15-12 in the NHL’s shortened 56-game regular season schedule. If the regular season ended today, they’d miss the cut.
On April 6, the club was one game under .500 and the playoffs looked dead. The team has since won six of their last nine games, and four of their last five.
The fifth-place Stars are one point ahead of the sixth-place Chicago Blackhawks and trail the Nashville Predators for fourth place by four points for what would be the last playoff spot in the Central Division.
The NHL’s playoff format will be different from previous years. There will be no wild card teams as only the top four teams in each of the league’s four divisions qualify for the postseason.
The first two rounds of the playoffs will be played within the division, which means the Stars’ could be headed for another postseason skate with the Tampa Bay Lightning and a rematch of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals.
In this format, the 1-4 matchup in this division would be the Carolina Hurricanes versus the Stars, assuming they can leapfrog over the Predators in the next two weeks.
Of all of the positive developments for the Stars last spring in their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, the only disappointment was that they were unable to host games at American Airlines Center.
The NHL postseason was held in bubble cities in Edmonton and Toronto to empty arenas.
Playoff runs are where fan bases expand, and season ticket sales and merchandise sales spike. The Stars enjoyed their journey to the Finals, but they were unable to capitalize on the success in the traditional ways.
The Stars hosted watching parties at the AAC, and ... they’re not the same.
Entering Saturday night’s game against the Red Wings in Detroit, the Stars have 10 games remaining before the regular season ends on May 8.
Just in case they make it back to the playoffs, they are doing everything possible to make sure they can have a full barn.
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 9:11 PM.
