Texas Stars President Rick McLaughlin steps down as general manager of the H-E-B Center

In 1993 the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars relocated to Texas to become the Dallas Stars. McLaughlin said Norman Green, the owner of the franchise, offered McLaughlin a spot on its executive team. McLaughlin said he packed his bags and moved his family to Dallas.

“And we’ve been in Texas ever since,” he said.

“My time with the Dallas Stars was really great,” he said.

In 2001, after helping to oversee the opening of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, he was appointed executive vice president of Hicks Sports Group LLC.

From 2001-08, McLaughlin served as executive vice president of business operations for MLB’s Texas Rangers, also under Hicks’ ownership. During that time, McLaughlin helped design and construct a sports-entertainment complex in Frisco and the Rangers’ spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona.

In 2008, McLaughlin said Hicks asked him to start the Texas Stars Hockey Club and oversee construction of the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.

Growing the Texas Stars The first year the Cedar Park Center was open, it hosted 99 events; now called the H-E-B Center, it hosts about 160 events per year, McLaughlin said. The community’s interest in hockey has also grown since he first came to Cedar Park eight years ago, he said.

“I think it’s really caught on,” he said.

The Texas Stars made it to the league championship series in 2010, and in 2014 the team won the championship. McLaughlin said the camaraderie and competitiveness of the sport is one of his favorite parts of the job.

The Cedar Park market is a fraction of the market in Dallas, but McLaughlin said he enjoyed making the switch.

“It’s a smaller town, a smaller city, and you get to know people quite well,” he said.

He also said he has enjoyed getting to know his staff, who work tirelessly to put together multiple games every week.

“We think we’ve got a tremendous staff,” he said. “It’s a huge time commitment.”

McLaughlin also credited the members of the team, who draw crowds each game.

“The players are the show,” he said. “Our players play 76 games [per season].”

As a member of the Cedar Park community, McLaughlin has served as board member for the Cedar Park Tourism Advisory Board and the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce.

McLaughlin is also president of the nonprofit Texas Stars Foundation, and his wife is a board member. The foundation, which serves as the official charity of the Texas Stars Hockey Club, has distributed more than $800,000 from 2010-16 in both cash donations and gifts in-kind to more than 500 local nonprofits, according to its website.

Though McLaughlin said he hopes to continue to grow the Texas Stars fan base and build interest in hockey in Central Texas, he plans to play a less active role in the future.

McLaughlin remains president of the franchise, but he said he stepped down from his role as general manager of the H-E-B Center on Oct. 17. The franchise hired SMG Worldwide Entertainment and Convention Venue Management to take his place.

“I want to see how that transpires and where it takes us,” McLaughlin said. “It’s time to spend more time with my wife and kids.”

H-E-B Center 2100 Ave. of the Stars, Cedar Park 512-600-5000 www.hebcenter.com