Frozen in Time: A Minnesota North Stars History

by Adam Raider

In 1967 the National Hockey League decided to double its size from six teams to twelve. This expansion was the first of its kind, and Minnesota, with its rich hockey history, was a natural choice for a new franchise. Thus the Minnesota North Stars were born.

Frozen in Time examines the organization’s signature seasons, from the late 1970s, when the club was at its worst, to its two surprising runs to the Stanley Cup Finals. Adam Raider recalls the exploits of characters such as Wren Blair, the firebrand ex-scout who would become the team’s first coach and general manager, and owner Norm Green, the man who moved the team to Texas in 1993, making him one of the most hated men in Minnesota. Here, too, is the tragic story of Bill Masterton, an original North Star whose death in 1968 as the result of an on-ice injury remains the only one in the history of the league. The team’s engaging history is brought to life with vivid recollections from former players and legends, including Cesare Maniago, Tom Reid, and Bobby Smith, and from journalists, broadcasters, front office executives, and faithful fans.s

Also including season-by-season summaries, player profiles, and statistics, Frozen in Time offers an authoritative and nostalgic look at Minnesota’s still-beloved North Stars and a bygone era of pro hockey.

Genres: Hockey, Sports

272 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Adam Raider is a seasoned writer and editor who spent a decade covering professional hockey and the business of sports for magazines like The Hockey News, Hockey Digest, and Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the National Hockey League doubled in size from six teams to 12 in 1967, one of the brand new franchises was the Minnesota North Stars. It was fitting that the state get a professional hockey team as the sport had flourished for many years at the youth, high school, college and minor league levels. Now there would an NHL franchise to call Minnesota home.

The history of the franchise from its beginnings in that 1967-68 season up to April 15, 1993 when it played its last game before moving to Dallas is thoroughly covered in this complete book by Adam Raider. Just about anything a reader would want to know about the team during the 26-year time frame in Bloomington, Minnesota is covered.

If the reader wants to learn about the best players in franchise history such as Neal Broten, Mike Modano (while his best years were in Dallas, his first three seasons were in Minnesota), Dino Ciccarelli, or Bill Goldsworthy, there are bios on these players that take up a couple pages each. If instead the reader is more interested in some of the players who made an impact on the franchise, but wasn’t a superstar – players like Curt Giles, Gilles Meloche, Danny Grant or Basil McRae – they are covered here as well. There is also a “best of the rest” section in which fifty other players are given a paragraph or two describing their time in Minnesota. Front office personnel, the team’s only radio announcer are also given significant space in the book. This publication brought back many fond memories of my childhood and young adult life as a North Stars fan.

The book isn’t just about the players, however. It begins with a chronological narrative of the team’s history in Minnesota, from the approval by the NHL’s Board of Directors to the shuttering of Met Center in 1993. Some of the more controversial topics such as why Norm Green moved the team and what terms were really approved between the Gund brothers and the new owners in 1990 are covered and researched well. It is important to note that these are written in a fair and unbiased method. The last chapter is an excellent reference site for team records, statistics and highlights from each of the twenty-six years of Minnesota North Stars hockey. If the reader was a fan of the team, it is a book he or she must add to the home library.

I wish to thank Mr. Raider and University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


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[Steve Currier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Raider does a fantastic job writing the history of the Minnesota North Stars, one of the NHL's most important, but often forgotten franchises. It has been nearly 25 years since the Stars moved to Dallas, but for 25 years before the move, the franchise enjoyed many great moments.

Raider details the franchise's early years as one of the NHL's first expansion teams, then he delves into the mid-to-late 70s period when the team nearly folded, only to be saved by an unusual merger with the struggling Cleveland Barons. From there, there were appearances in the 1981 and 1991 Stanley Cup finals, as well as several appearances in the semi-finals.

In another section of the book, Raider lists the franchise's greatest and most important moments, as well as the team's all-time best players. There are detailed team records, all-time scoring and goaltending stats, and several beautiful photos of the Stars' legendary figures. Overall, this book is a must-read for any Minnesota hockey fan, not to mention any fan of the NHL's expansion era.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It's roughly divided into thirds: the first third covers the history of the team, from expansion to relocation. The second third gives player profiles to about 100 players (this itself is divided into two: the first half looks at more prominent players and gives them more coverage, while the second half is brief summaries of other players), and the third half looks at executives (coaches and general managers), the arena, the rivalry with the Blackhawks, and a short introduction to the Minnesota Wild. There's also a substantial appendix with comprehensive stats: year-by-year (including rosters and playoff results), entry draft history, all-time trades, complete player statistics, and award winners. and some other things (attendance, minor league affiliates, etc). It's also filled with a lot of photos of every relevant North Star, albeit black-and-white. The only critique to be made is it would have been nicer to have a fuller history of the team, as some seasons are quite quickly glossed over, but overall it's an excellent history of the North Stars.

[Alex Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone that wants to learn about the Minnesota North Stars and in particular its players, they will really enjoy this book. Raider does an excellent job of outlining the history of the team from beginning to end and makes sure to highlight all the important people and stories along the way. Being around for 27 years, there was a lot of interesting characters that were involved with the team in some way or another. Having read a lot of hockey books, I found there were still plenty of stories that were new to me and I learned quite a bit.

I also liked that book features stats and profiles for a bunch of the players. It also lists every trade and draft pick the team ever had as well. While it does include a lot of pictures, they are all in black and white, which means we miss out on seeing those great uniforms in all their glory. Overall, I recommend this book to all hockey fans.