AUSTIN, Texas — The Grand Forks Herald sent hockey writer Virg Foss to the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals in Dallas.
He had good reason to attend. Six former UND players played or coached on the participating teams — the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres.
Forward Tony Hrkac, defenseman Craig Ludwig, goaltender Ed Belfour and assistant coach Rick Wilson were with Dallas. Forward Dixon Ward and defenseman James Patrick were with Buffalo.
But upon arrival, a member of the Dallas Stars public relations staff told Foss that “nobody gets one-on-one interviews” during the Stanley Cup Finals.
Foss’ heart sank. The Herald sent him to Texas and now he couldn’t even get interviews with the UND players.
The Herald previewed UND’s connections to the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.
Foss asked the public relations staffer, “Can you at least tell Rick Wilson that I’m here?”
He did.
“Virg is here?” Wilson asked the staffer. “Send him back here.”
Instead of coming out to speak with Foss, Wilson welcomed his old beat writer into the locker room. Then, Foss went around the locker room doing one-on-one interviews with the former UND players. He was the only media member allowed in the room.
“I don’t know how you pulled that off,” the staffer told Foss.
When he got to the press box, other media members were bewildered that Foss got to do one-on-one interviews in the locker room.
But the UND tie prevailed.
Dallas won the Stanley Cup. Belfour brought it back to Grand Forks.
Ed Belfour hoists the Stanley Cup above his head as he enters Hyslop Sports Center in 1999.
John Stennes / Grand Forks Herald
UND will play in Texas for the first time in program history at 7:07 p.m. Saturday, when it takes on Michigan State in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in suburban Austin.
But UND has a history with hockey in the state.
Belfour, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, is expected to attend Saturday’s game and drop the ceremonial first puck.
UND’s Texas ties go beyond those who have played for the Stars.
UND also had representation on the Houston Aeros’ lone American Hockey League Calder Cup-winning team.
Curtis Murphy and Travis Roche were Houston’s top two defensemen in 2002-03. The Aeros left Houston in 2013.
Eight former UND players have played for the Texas Stars, who began playing in suburban Austin in 2009 when H-E-B Center opened.
Rhett Gardner played 205 games for the Texas Stars between 2018-23. Jordan Kawaguchi (52 games played), Adam Scheel (45), Michael Forney (11), Landon Wilson (11), Ellis Rickwood (10), Brendan O’Donnell (6) and Mike Commodore (5) also played for Texas.
Former UND center Ellis Rickwood skates for the Texas Stars on Oct. 2, 2026, at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas.
Andy Nietupski / Texas Stars
Rickwood is currently on the team, but the Stars play in Chicago and Rockford, Ill., this weekend, so he won’t be able to attend the UND-Michigan State game.
Texas will become the 30th state in which UND has played a men’s hockey game.
The Fighting Hawks recently added another new state, South Dakota, in March. UND played in an NCAA regional in Sioux Falls.
Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.