NHL Commish Criticizes Mavs in Arena Feud: Looks Like ‘Bullying’

Count National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman among those who don’t understand the ongoing legal fight between the Stars and the Mavericks.

While appearing in Arlington, Texas, to announce an upcoming NHL Stadium Series game at AT&T Stadium, Bettman attacked the Mavericks for what he described as “bullying” tactics against the Stars, the co-occupant at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.

“I am frankly somewhere between amazed and appalled by what I’m seeing,” Bettman said. “I don’t know if it’s arrogance or bullying tactics or what have you, that [the Mavericks] want to change the state of play. I don’t get it. … I don’t get any of this. And hopefully it gets resolved quickly.”

Last week, the Mavericks sued the Stars in Texas Business Court, alleging that the Stars breached their contract at the AAC and that the NHL team is thwarting improvements at the arena. The NBA team’s legal action includes a push to affirm a prior seizure of the Stars’ half of a joint operating company overseeing management of the AAC. The Stars, meanwhile, have countersued, seeking to “restore normal operations” at the arena.

“Ultimately, this will get resolved by negotiation or the courts will resolve it. And being a bit of a lapsed lawyer, I like what I see from the Stars’ side,” Bettman said.

Bettman, meanwhile, essentially reconfirmed a Front Office Sports report last month that the Stars are actively reviewing options for a new arena and mixed-use development, including one in suburban Plano, Texas.

“It seems to me that the Mavs don’t want to be at American Airlines Center. They want to be somewhere else, doing something else. The Stars are committed to their fans, to Dallas, the greater Dallas area,” Bettman said. “I think the Stars are being prudent and looking at what their options are because obviously, based on where we find ourselves today, the Mavericks have made the situation untenable.”

Big Game in Big D

The Stadium Series game at AT&T Stadium, meanwhile, is set for Feb. 20, 2027, with the Stars playing an opponent yet to be determined at the home stadium of the NFL’s Cowboys. That event, in part, will seek to build upon the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at the nearby Cotton Bowl.

With standing room, the attendance for the upcoming event at AT&T Stadium could surpass 100,000, and challenge the league record of 105,491 set in 2014 at Michigan Stadium. 

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be having a game here hosted by the Dallas Stars in this amazing, amazing stadium,” Bettman said. 

It’s worth noting, however, that an attempt to push attendance boundaries as much as possible for Super Bowl XLV at AT&T Stadium in 2011 and an improperly developed seating manifest ultimately led to a series of lawsuits requiring years to resolve.