Dallas Stars make announcement on national anthem following Mavericks' decision to ditch it

For those that follow the NBA, you're likely already aware that the Dallas Mavericks stopped playing the American national anthem before home games. According to a spokesperson for the team, the move was made at the direction of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Cuban confirmed to ESPN that he had altered the pre-game ritual after several outlets had noticed the anthem was missing from all pre-season and regular season games so far.

After that was made public, many began to wonder if the Dallas Stars, who play in the same building as the Mavericks, would follow suit. The team has since made an announcement.

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

The playing of the national anthems, or anthems when it involves teams from both Canada and the U.S., dates back decades. According to hockey historian Eric Zweig, it became a regular occurrence in the NHL in 1930s, although it was done even earlier than that. He noted that "When the first NHL game was played in Madison Square Garden between the New York Americans and the Montreal Canadiens on December 15, 1925, bands played both The Star-Spangled Banner and God Save the King prior to the opening face-off."

It would certainly be noticeable if an NHL hockey game began without the singing of national anthems. As for the Mavericks, Cuban has now said the playing of the national anthem will resume at all Mavericks home games.

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