NHL's Stars bringing training camp, preseason game to CenturyLink Arena

(Boise, ID) ? The Idaho Steelheads, in conjunction with the Dallas Stars, announced Saturday night that Boise?s CenturyLink Arena will host pre-season training camp for the NHL club in September. The Stars will also host an NHL exhibition game against the Minnesota Wild on September 25, 2012, in Boise. Current Steelheads Season Ticket Holders have the first right of refusal to purchase tickets to the exhibition game before tickets go on sale to the general public. Specific dates of the training camp will be released at a later date. The Stars have been the Steelheads? NHL affiliate consecutively since 2005. The two teams were also affiliated during the 2003-04 season, Idaho?s first in the ECHL. A host of players have advanced from Idaho to Dallas, including goaltender Richard Bachman, forward Francis Wathier, and forward Tom Wandell, each of whom has been on the Stars? roster during the 2011-12 season. Other players assigned to Idaho who have gone on to play in the NHL include: F Aaron Gagnon, F BJ Crombeen, F Greg Rallo, G Dan Ellis, G Matt Climie, F Zenon Konopka, F Richard Clune, and F Warren Peters. Idaho (ECHL) and Texas (American Hockey League) are the primary development affiliates of the Dallas Stars. The three teams are in their third season of working together. This is the first time an NHL team has held its training camp in the state of Idaho. There was one previous NHL pre-season game, in 1997, when the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings played the first-ever hockey game in the downtown Boise arena now known as CenturyLink Arena. Group outings at a Steelheads game are a great way to gather friends, colleagues, or co-workers for a fun night out in downtown Boise. Ticket prices are discounted and you can get a Pepsi, Double-R Ranch Hot Dog, and bag of Tim?s Cascade Chips with each ticket. Contact the Steelheads front office at 208.383.0080 or log on to www.idahosteelheads.com for more information.