NHL rewards Dallas with '07 All-Star game

DALLAS -- There were only two sheets of ice for hockey in the Dallas area when the NHL first came to town nearly 13 years ago. Few people knew anything about the game.

The Dallas Stars changed all that with a winning team and a Stanley Cup title. The city now has 25 rinks.

Recognizing the change and fulfilling a promise made to Stars officials long ago, the NHL said Monday that Dallas will host the 2007 All-Star game, the league's first since 2004. The game will be next Jan. 24 -- a year from Tuesday.

The 55th NHL All-Star game will be played at the American Airlines Center, the new facility the team moved into in 2001 from Reunion Arena down the street.

The 2007 All-Star game will be played on a Wednesday night, marking the first time since 1989 in Edmonton that the events won't be held on a weekend.

Last year's All-Star game was wiped out by the NHL lockout, and players will compete in the Olympics next month.