January 27th, 1993



To: North Stars Season Ticket Holders
From: Pat Forciea

As I write this letter, a number of proposals concerning the
North Stars are under consideration. The options are being
evaluated and the numbers are being crunched, but even the
best financial analysis won't tell us what is on the minds of
our most valuable asset: the season ticket holders of this
franchise. If we are to find the wherewithal to support and
nourish championship NHL hockey in Minnesota, it's critical
that we have a sense of which solution our most important
customers will support.

To be sure, there have been 5300 of you this year who have
supported North Stars hockey at the Met. More than a few have
suggested that a seat at the Met Center is the seat of choice
for viewing our games. We agree it's a wonderful facility,
but it will be difficult for hockey to survive with the
limits the Met places on us--a building where the franchise
has suffered three years of crippling financial losses. We
have made it clear to the City of Bloomington that we need an
additional 2000 seats and a physical link with the Mall. The
City of Bloomington has responded--or more accurately-- not
responded, by demonstrating they have no interest in helping
us find a way to stay at Met Center.

The City of St. Paul currently has two proposals on the
table--one of which would involve playing all of our games at
the Civic Center and the the other would involve playing a
portion of our schedule there. While the St. Paul proposals
don't address all of the concerns we have about our future,
the city's sincere, community-wide effort will certainly have
an impact on any decision we eventually make. We are
complimented and grateful for that major undertaking. If this
were an emotional decision, it would be an easy call, but we
don't have that luxury. We need to investigate St. Paul's
demonstrated emotional strength to see if it can be
translated into sufficient financial support to make the
economics of a move to the Civic Center work.

Clearly, we need to find a situation that solidifies our
long-term future in the state. The economics of the game have
changed throughout the league and at the Minnesota North
Stars. We have the sixth highest salary outlay of any
franchise in the NHL. Among other changes we need to make for
next year, our ticket prices need to be adjusted to prices
that are competitive with other NHL markets our size.

There have been indications that the current situation at
Target Center may create a one-time opportunity to give Bob
Gainey the kind of resources he needs to build one of the
best teams in the NHL. Norman Green has made it very clear
throughout his tenure here that his defining interest lies in
fielding the best possible team. We need to find a way to
make the numbers support that goal and the answer may lie in
finding a way to play in downtown Minneapolis.

The dialogue between Target Center, the city and the
Minnesota North Stars has been thoughtful and sincere. The
increased opportunity of corporate partnerships, more luxury
boxes and an additonal 2000 seats means the downtown proposal
must be looked at seriously. But the question still remains
whether you would be willing to occupy one of those seats.

It's important to mention that regardless of where we end up
next year, our current season ticket holders will have first
choice of seats for the North Stars season. We have been in
the hockey business long enough to know that if we don't take
the interest of our best customers to heart, the building we
play in won't make much difference. The North Stars are
looking for your feedback as dirctly as we can. Please help
us create a future you'd like to be part of by filling out
the enclosed reply card.

Sincerest Regards,

Pat Forciea
Minnesota North Stars