Inside the Dallas Stars’ Hidden Grip: The Untold Story of Their Texas Youth Hockey Empire
When Lisa Bry took her seat across the table from the local ice rink manager, she anticipated a routine intro, maybe a handshake or two, and a bit of small talk about youth hockey schedules. What she didn’t expect? A warning—a stark reminder from a high-ranking executive of a $2 billion National Hockey League powerhouse, the Dallas Stars, about where the real control lies. As the freshly minted president of the Frisco Ice Hockey Association, a nonprofit nurturing the dreams of middle and high school players in Texas, Bry was ready to make changes for the better, including letting go of two coaches who’d lost the trust of parents. But at an April 2023 meeting, the message from Stars exec Keith Andresen was as clear as ice: those coaches were staying, no matter what. “Let me remind you where you get your ice from,” he said—a phrase that would haunt her and signal the start of a deeply troubling saga about corporate dominance in youth hockey. What unfolded wasn’t just a power play over practice times and coaching staff—it was the unveiling of a sprawling monopoly where a professional team wields the rink keys like a sword, dictating terms, raising prices, and silencing dissent, all while families and young athletes pay the price. The Stars’ empire extends far beyond the ice; it’s a chilling example of how the dreams of kids and the hopes of communities are being corralled by corporate interests masquerading as nurturing the sport. This isn’t just a hockey story—it’s a stark look at what happens when money and monopoly collide on the frozen surface of America’s fastest game.
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