Class of 2024: Morrow, Lites "represent what this organization stands for"

Putting Brenden Morrow and Jim Lites into the Stars Hall of Fame in the same season makes perfect sense.

They both were at their best in difficult situations.

Lites, the original team president when the Stars moved to Dallas, has navigated his share of crises in three different stints with the team. Morrow, meanwhile, overcame injuries and challenges to finish sixth all-time in franchise history in games played at 825. Both are a huge part of the winning history of the Stars and will be honored as the newest nominees in the categories of Builder and Player.

“You couldn’t really pick two better guys,” said Stars analyst Daryl Reaugh. “I think they both represent what this organization stands for.”

While Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts added, “Brenden and Jim are both extremely deserving of this honor. Their fingerprints are all over this organization and will be for a long time.”

Lites was hired by Norman Green out of Detroit in 1993 to help the franchise transition from Minnesota to Texas. He has had a hand in building the game of hockey with suburban rinks, advertising the sport, negotiating television contracts, and finding a new owner in Tom Hicks. And that was just in his first stint. Lites was a huge player in building American Airlines Center and establishing Victory Park as a business hub. And now he is a big player in helping the Stars create VICTORY+, its new streaming broadcast service.

“Jim always did whatever was necessary,” said Marty Turco, the former All-Star goalie who has served as longtime chairman of the Dallas Stars Foundation. “If they needed suburban rinks, he did it. If they need a new arena, he did it. If they needed a new owner, he did it. You look at what he had to do, it’s really incredible.”

Lites follows Bob Gainey and Ken Hitchcock into the Stars Hall of Fame in the Builder category, and he brings a nice change of pace there. While Gainey and Hitchcock helped produce results on the ice, the impact of Lites’ efforts is seen in a strong business that has been built over three decades.

“Man, if there’s anybody who has built things here and fits that category, it’s him,” Reaugh said.

Lites is sort of an expert in handling hockey bankruptcy. He started with the Detroit Red Wings and helped the Ilitch family turn that franchise into one of the most successful in the NHL. He then was hired by Green in 1993 because of his history with “distressed properties.” Green moved from Minnesota because his financial fortunes with the North Stars went sour. The NHL then held a lockout in 1994, and that stressed his pocketbook even more. Lites played a significant role in getting Tom Hicks to buy the team, and the money from Hicks Sports Group helped pave the way to the 1999 Stanley Cup.

Lites then left and returned on a couple of instances – as he worked with the Arizona Coyotes and New York Giants – but then returned after Tom Gaglardi bought the Stars out of bankruptcy in 2011. Lites helped Gaglardi create a solid financial base and then handed the presidency over to Brad Alberts and moved into different financial areas with Gaglardi.

Still, Lites said helping to navigate three different financial hardships and come out on the good side is among his favorite feats.

“To really rebuild the business of a team, you have to be successful on the ice, and that’s been the fun part of it all,” Lites said.

Since the Stars moved to Dallas, they have the third most wins in the NHL at 1,229. If you take it from the start of the 1995-96 NHL season, when Hicks was in control, they lead the league at 1,170.

Winning percentage is also a big part of Morrow’s resume. Dallas ranks sixth in the time the power forward was with the team – and that was with a few extraordinary circumstances. Morrow was named team captain in 2004 after the Stars stripped Mike Modano of the “C”. Morrow was able to deftly balance the responsibility with the feelings of his friend to make a difficult situation seamless.

“There was nobody who could have handled it better,” said Turco, one of Morrow’s closest friends. “Brenden Morrow has integrity, he cares, it’s not fake. So, he was able to handle it in such a way that only he could have with real sincerity. That whole situation kind of embodies who he is. He was our moral compass.”

Morrow’s ability to battle through pain and injury is legendary. He tried to fight the Vancouver Canucks’ bench while standing on one leg. He pushed through numerous neck injuries and found a way to succeed. While he sits ninth all-time on the franchise’s goals list at 243, he is fourth in game-winning goals at 43. It’s small things that define him.

“Brenden Morrow’s career cannot be looked at on the back of a hockey card,” said Turco. “You’ve got to look within.”

Reaugh said one of his greatest memories of Morrow came in the 2008 playoff series with the San Jose Sharks. Dallas squandered a two-goal lead in the third period of Game 5 and lost in overtime when it had a chance to advance. The Stars came back home and had to fight through four overtimes to clinch the series in Game 6. Morrow scored the game-winning goal for a 2-1 victory.

“The perfect synopsis of him as a player was Game 6 against San Jose, and really Game 5 too,” Reaugh said. “He didn’t get what he wanted in Game 5, and he was determined to get just that in Game 6. He just refused to let this thing go. It was like, `I’ll do it myself if I have to.’”

Morrow helped the Stars get to the Western Conference Final that season, losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit. Morrow was a part of the 2000 Stars team that lost to New Jersey in the Stanley Cup Final. He also was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning team that lost to Chicago in the Final in 2015. It was his last season.

“I actually think it makes it worse,” Morrow said of getting so close but never winning the Cup. “Being young and naïve after getting there in 2000, I assumed it was going to happen sooner or later. So, to get to the end and not have it happen, that is tough. The last year in Tampa was hard because I figured that was my last shot and it does sting.”

That said, the good memories are still there. He played on a line with his childhood hero Brett Hull. He has made countless friends and memories. He met his wife Anne-Marie, who is the daughter of teammate Guy Carbonneau. And soon, he will be a member of the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame.

“Coming back and retiring as a Star was a big deal to me and my family, and this is kind of the cherry on top,” Morrow said. “It’s a great feeling to be recognized.”

As for Lites, he’s still contributing at age 71 and hopes to keep doing so for years to come.

“I feel really good about the TV deal, because it’s something I’ve been in on for a while,” he said. “I’ve had a great career and I’m having so much fun right now. It doesn’t get better than that.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.