This was happening to the point that there were a handful of AAA centres in Dallas, and 10-12 AA centres.Īs Eric Silverman, the Dallas Stars Elite’s Director of Hockey Operations and U16 Head Coach, explains, it was very hard to develop anything that way. The parents with money, the ones upset with their kid’s ice time or their kid’s coach or whatever it is, would do what any logical hockey parent would do: t hey’d start their own AAA club. See, there were a few different AAA hockey centres in the city and what would happen, as we hear all too much in the youth hockey world we live in now, is it would become political and then parents and kids would get upset.

The Dallas hockey market lived up to it’s perception for a long period of time. So, how do you develop hockey in a non-traditional market? He’s from Corpus Christi, a city in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.

My Google skills revealed 14 NHLers hail from the state all-time, highlighted by one of the greatest defensemen of in league history, Brian Leetch. Yes, Dallas and the state of Texas have many stereotypes, but where does hockey fit into the booming market? Who hasn’t seen Friday Night Lights or heard about the madness that surrounds Small Town, USA, when two rival high schools face off for gridiron glory? It’s known for big ranches, big belt buckles, big hats and big money.Ĭan you think of Dallas without images of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and the Dallas Cowboys blue star popping into your head? Who hasn’t heard the saying “Everything is Bigger in Texas?”Īfter all, Texas is the second largest state in the United States, roughly twice the size of Germany. There has always been a perception of Dallas, and Texas as a whole, that they’re larger than life.