The Minnesota North Stars were one of the six expansion
teams that doubled the size of the NHL for the 1967-68 season. The North Stars
remained in the Twin Cities until the end of the 1992-93 season when they were
moved to Dallas where they became known as simply the Stars. NHL hockey
returned to Minnesota in 2000 as the Wild entered the league.
Test and expand your knowledge of Minnesota North Stars
trivia with the following questions.
Q. In their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals in 1981, which team
did the Minnesota North Stars lose to?
A. The North
Stars lost to the New York Islanders. For New York, it was their second of four
consecutive Stanley Cup victories. The North Stars finished the 1980-81 regular
season in third place in the Adams Division, behind the Buffalo Sabres and
Boston Bruins. Minnesota knocked off both those teams before upsetting the
Calgary Flames in the conference final.
The playoff hero for Minnesota was Steve Payne with 17 goals
and 29 points over 19 games. He was followed close behind by Bobby Smith and
Dino Ciccarelli. Now in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Ciccarelli played the last
half of the 1980-81 season with the North Stars, his first National Hockey
League action, after starting the year with the Oklahoma City Stars of the CHL.
Minnesota was coached that year by Glen Sonmor with Murray
Oliver and J.P. Parise at his side.
Q. In their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals, which team beat the
North Stars in 1991?
A. The Pittsburgh
Penguins took out the North Stars in six games. The North Stars finished the
regular season with an anaemic 27 wins but upset Chicago, St. Louis and
Edmonton before bowing out to the Penguins.
That version of the North Stars had a Montreal Canadiens
feel behind the bench with Bob Gainey acting as head coach and Doug Jarvis by
his side as assistant coach. Minnesota was led in the playoffs by Dave Gagner’s
12 goals and Brian Bellows and his 29 points. Mike Modano was in just his
second year in the NHL and contributed 20 points over 23 playoff games.
Q. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was named for the Minnesota North
Stars player who died as a result of an on-ice injury during Minnesota’s first
season. Who was the only Minnesota North Star to win the Masterton?
A. Al MacAdam won
the award in 1979-80. MacAdam started his NHL career with the Philadelphia
Flyers, playing just five games with the club in 1973-74. The following
year, he was a member of the California Seals
and followed that franchise through Cleveland and eventually to Minnesota.
In 1979-80, Al scored 42 goals and assisted on 51 for 93
points, leading the team in goals and points. Over his career, MacAdam played
864 regular season games in the NHL with the Flyers, Seals, Barons, North Stars
and Vancouver Canucks.
Q. In their second season in the NHL, which Minnesota North Stars
forward won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie?
A. Danny Grant
won the Calder in 1968-69. Grant played the season before with the Montreal
Canadiens but didn’t appear in enough regular season games to qualify as a
rookie. He helped Montreal in the playoffs as they won the 1969 Stanley Cup.
Grant is one of just four players to win the Stanley Cup before winning the
Calder.
In that 1968-69 season, Grant scored 34 and assisted on 31
for 65 points over 75 games, leading the North Stars in goals and points. Danny
played 736 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1965-66
and 1978-79 with the Canadiens, North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles
Kings. He was a 50 goal scorer with Detroit in 1974-75.
