Dallas Stars vow to play national anthem before NHL games

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made headlines multiple times in under 24 hours, first when he confirmed that he stopped the "Star-Spangled Banner" from playing ahead of home NBA games, and later when he announced the Mavericks will resume playing the anthem "in keeping with longstanding league policy." 

On Wednesday afternoon, the NHL's Dallas Stars released a statement addressing the subject: 

"The playing of the national anthem is a time-honored tradition and the Dallas Stars will continue to perform the Star-Spangled Banner prior to our games at American Airlines Center. As the only National Hockey League team in Texas, we are proud to represent our state and our country." 

In a typical NHL season not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Star-Spangled Banner" and also "O Canada" would play before any game involving one American and one Canadian club. As Dan Bernstein explained for Sporting News last July, fans watching the league's restart from their homes embraced a "#Kneel4Hockey" campaign that involved falling to a knee during anthem broadcasts to honor the Black Lives Matter movement. 

MLB and NFL teams continued to play the national anthem ahead of regular-season and playoff games through the completion of their campaigns.