NHL team sued by the NBA team it shares an arena with!

The NBA's Dallas Mavericks and the NHL's Dallas Stars have a good, old fashioned arena prize fight on their hands.

The two teams share Dallas' American Airlines Center arena and are both suing each other for control of the building. The two teams have had shared control of the building since it opened in 2001. Essentially the two teams split revenue evenly from concerts, games, and events. But the Mavericks contend that the Stars have breached their agreement and are seeking 100% of arena revenue for non-Stars events.

In particular, the Mavericks contend that the Stars breached their agreement way back in 2003 when they elected to move their corporate headquarters out of the arena and in to offices in nearby Frisco, Texas. The Mavericks contend that they have/had the right to buy-out the Stars, but that the Stars aren't negotiating fairly. They also contend that the Stars are dragging their feet on much needed arena renovations, stating that the team backed out of $300 million in renovations.

The Mavericks say the Stars are "holding the arena hostage" and now the City of Dallas is siding with the Mavericks. The Stars, for what it's worth, are counter-suing the Mavericks to "restore normal operations" at the arena, calling the Mavericks' tactics a "hostile takeover".

Both teams are reportedly looking for a new home, with their leases set to expire in 2031. The Mavericks are looking at a basketball only arena in downtown Dallas, in an effort to break free from the Stars.

In a deal proposed by the Stars, according to the city and the Mavericks, the Stars agreed to remain in American Airlines Center through 2061 and would have paid no renovation costs, with the city and Mavericks footing the bill 50-50.

While I'm a hockey guy through and through, I can understand why the Mavericks and the city are playing hardball with the Stars. All outside indications here are that the Stars are trying to get something for nothing and they're stringing along their partner in an effort to avoid paying their fair share.