Dallas Stars, Mavericks Draw Inspiration From Texas Rangers

The Dallas Stars begin their Western Conference Championship series against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

On Wednesday, several Stars spoke to the media in advance of the opener and their captain, Jamie Benn, said watching the Texas Rangers win the World Series six months ago has been on their minds.

The Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic opened their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

“(I) Think both franchises got some motivation from the Rangers,” Benn said. “… they started this thing last October… great time to be a Dallas sports fan. Hopefully, good things keep coming here.”

The Rangers won their first World Series title in November, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games. Texas won every postseason road game en route to the championship.

Now, the Stars are seeking to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2020, whey they lost in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Stars’ only Stanley Cup title came in 1999, when they defeated the Buffalo Sabres in six.

The Stars finished the season with a 52-21-9 record and 113 points, earning the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Mavericks were the No. 5 seed and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

The Rangers are seeking to become the first of the four major Dallas-Fort Worth sports franchises to win back-to-back titles since the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowls 27 and 28 in 1993-94. The last MLB team to win back-to-back titles was the 2000 New York Yankees.

The Rangers posted a good luck message to both the Stars and Mavs on social media, featuring players and third-base coach Tony Beasley.

“Go get it,” Beasley said. “You guys have gotten this far, you put in all of the work and effort, don’t let up now. Go finish.”