The Texas Stars have started the current season like a house on fire. Coming into the third week of January, they are leading the division and they now look good to reach the top once again. The Stars have certainly made huge strides forward in their quest to become AHL’s top team. They are now one of the teams to look forward to every year and that is exactly where a team of their stature should be. They have all the right tools to go for glory this season and if their current form is any indication, then it will come as no surprise if they actually manage to pull that off.
The Texas Stars are one of the most formidable teams in the American Hockey League. Their rise to the top has been impressive to say the least and the fact that they are in only their fourth season makes them all the more remarkable. They have started the current campaign on a strong footing as well. Their form has been formidable and it will take something really special to topple them over. With the team going great, their fans are buying Texas Stars tickets to make sure they are in the stands when their team comes out on the field.
The Beginning
The current Texas Stars might have been incepted almost five years ago but their roots go all the way back to the year 1999 when the Louisville Panthers joined the hockey fraternity. The franchise played for just two years before stopping play at the end of the 2000-2001 season. The franchise was given another lease to life when Howard Baldwin and Bob Schlegal got together to resurrect the team as the Iowa Stars and then as the Iowa Chops. That lasted for four seasons in total during which, they went on to make the playoffs twice.
The Texas Stars Arrive on the Scene
The Texas Stars were given membership by the AHL in 2009 but they had to make sure that they bought the team within one year. The Stars went on a rampage in their debut campaign. They posted forty six wins during that season and won both the division as well as the conference titles at the end of it. They came up against the Hershey Bears to get their hands on the prestigious Calder Cup but lost the series by two games to four.
A month after the season ended, the Texas Stars fulfilled their legal obligation by buying the Iowa Chops to become permanent members of the American Hockey League.
Post Permanent AHL Membership
The Texas Stars put forty one wins on the board in their first season as permanent members of the league and their second season overall. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Admirals. Their third season wasn’t too successful and the Stars managed to record only thirty one wins. They didn’t make the playoffs that season but like all special teams, they didn’t let that become a habit and bounced back in style next season.
In 2012-2013 season, the Texas Stars racked up forty three wins. They not only made it to the second round of the playoffs that year but also captured first spot in the South to get back on track with a bang. To bounce back immediately from previous season’s disappointment shows that the team has character in abundance. A lot of teams would have buckled under the pressure but the Texas Stars took up the challenge and didn’t waste any time in hitting back their stride. They are once again one of the favorites to be crowned champions at the end of this season and with the kind of form they have shown till now, that expectation is very much merited.