The Dallas Stars and American Airlines Center have signed a deal with a new sponsor, in exchange for the right to re-name Victory Plaza.

The new name will be PNC Plaza, for PNC Bank, which has become an official partner of the team and the venue. That partnership includes naming rights and branding opportunities.

A release quotes Dallas Stars president/CEO Brad Alberts saying that they've been working on the partnership for well over a year.

The newly named PNC Plaza still has all the assets that the now-former Victory Plaza once had: adjoining businesses such as Cumulus Media and WFAA, with space for 3,000 people for watching parties, press conferences, concerts, private events, and NHL events such as the NHL Draft.

Not to mention the half-hearted attempts to stage New Year's Eve there and become Dallas' own mini Times Square.

One supposes it's not as cataclysmic as the renaming of Starplex, but Victory Plaza is all we've ever known. Sniff sniff.

Perhaps ameliorating our sense of loss is the fact that the naming rights extend only to the plaza itself. The neighborhood will still be called Victory Park.

PNC expanded its regional business model into North Texas in 2016. They've recently opened a collection of consumer banking locations and plan to open a flagship in the Victory Park area in 2021.

They also recently announced an agreement to acquire BBVA USA, which they hope will make them a top-5 U.S. bank.

"As we continue PNC's strategic expansion across Texas, we are proud to be partnering with the beloved Dallas Stars franchise and American Airlines Center," says PNC regional president Brendan McGuire in a statement.

PNC will now be the presenting partner of Dallas Stars' pregame events, as well as Dallas Stars radio broadcsts on the Ticket.