5 famous players you forgot were on the Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars: John MacLean

Forward John MacLean emerged as one of the NHL’s brightest stars during the 1980s with a then-bottom-feeder squad in the Devils.

“Johnny Mac” ran with the Devils for parts of 14 seasons and transformed into the franchise’s all-time scoring leader after recording 701 points. No. 15 also helped Jersey hoist its first Stanley Cup championship in 1994-95 and it seemed like he was destined as one of the greatest and most cherished Devils players, ever.

However, the 1983 sixth-overall selection’s tenure in Jersey ended abruptly when he was traded to the San Jose Sharks during the 1997-98 season. MacLean then joined the Devils’ heated rival in the New York Rangers for parts of three seasons.

Fans likely recall MacLean’s notable trade to the West Coast and him signing with the Broadway Blueshirts, but the winger skated with Dallas for parts of his final two seasons after the Rangers traded him in 2000-01.

MacLean dressed in 28 games for the Stars that season but only managed to record four goals and earn two assists. The then 36-year-old didn’t have a terrible postseason, though. MacLean’s experience likely helped Dallas advance to the Western Conference Quarter Finals for the second-straight year, and he tallied two goals and one assist in 10 games.

MacLean finished out his final year in 2001-02 and again only recorded six points with the Stars in less than 30 games. The 1995 Stanley Cup champion had a nose for the net throughout his career but goes down as a famous player you forgot was on the Stars.