FRISCO -- One block away from the Avenue of the Stars, on the fringes of Stonebriar Centre, and one right and one left turn away from Stars headquarters in Frisco, the groundwork for this hockey season was laid. It was late April, the Stars schedule was absent postseason games again and the franchise searched for their third head coach in as many years. So three men sat at Perry's Steakhouse and Grille on Parkwood Boulevard on a Saturday evening, and a fourth soon joined them inside the upscale restaurant.
Jim Lites was the last to arrive. He's the Stars CEO with roots in the organization dating back to 1993, and the owner of 11 prior years of NHL executive experience with Detroit.