“Candidates for election as Honoured Members in the player category shall be chosen on the basis of their playing ability, sportsmanship, character and their contribution to their team or teams and to the game of hockey in general”
This week's article talks about one if the greatest players of the 1990s. His play did a number to develop both USA Hockey and non-traditional hockey markets. Mike Modano was one of the main reasons that the Dallas Stars were considered the "standard" for building a hockey team in a non-traditional hockey market.
Mike Thomas Modano was drafted first overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, being the second American player ever to be drafted in that position (first was Brian Lawton in 1983). He would go to the Minnesota North Stars where he would be an integral part of that franchise for years to come. In his first year he was a finalist for The Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year with 29 goals and 75 points in 1990. He would controversially lose out, however, to 31 year-old Sergei Makarov who had already been playing professionally for 12 years in the USSR. This led to the NHL instituting an age limit of 26 for the Calder Trophy.
Modano's sophomore season involved a lot of excitement, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins ended up winning their first of back-to-back championships and their first in their history in six games. Modano, however, had a disappointing year in the eyes of the fans and media. He finished the regular season with 28 goals and 64 points, ten less than the year before. In the eyes of the fans and media, the second overall pick in Modano's draft, Trevor Linden, had out performed him that season. It also led to a feud with head coach and Hall of Famer Bob Gainey as he was trying to make Modano focus on his defensive game which took away from his offense. Despite that, Modano re-signed in Minnesota receiving $2 million per year over four years. During the first year under this contract (1993) he would have his best year up to that point scoring 33 goals and 93 points and gaining his first all-star game appearance.
Modano became the second American born player to be drafted 1st overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988
In the 1993-94 season, the North Stars moved from Minnesota to Dallas to become the Dallas Stars. For the team, it meant a fresh start with a new media and fan market. In Minnesota, it meant six years until the Wild came to town.
While in Dallas, Modano finally decided to heed Gainey’s advice and to work on being a more complete player. While doing this, he managed to get 50 goals and 93 points in the Stars’ inaugural year in Dallas. The next two seasons would be tough for Modano as injuries started to take their toll. In the 1994-95 season, Modano only played 30 goals due to concussion, knee, and ankle problems. While in 1996, the Stars would fail to make the playoffs with a record of 26-42-14, last in the Central Division. Due to that Bob Gainey removed himself as the head coach, focusing full time as the General Manager. Ken Hitchcock took over the head coaching reigns installing a focus on defense, while asking Modano to focus more offensively.
Not too long after, the Dallas Stars would be considered to be one of the “Big Four” of the Western Conference, which also included the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, and Colorado Avalanche. Every year through to 2002, those four teams would be beating up on each other in order to represent the Western Conference for the Stanley Cup. In the 1996-97 season, the Stars would go from worst to first, winning the Central Division and were the second seed in the conference. However they would end up losing in the first round in six games to an upstart Edmonton Oilers team led by Curtis Joseph.
The next season, Modano was limited to only 52 games due to injury. However with the additions made over the years such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Ed Belfour it helped propel the Stars to the next level, making it all the way to the Western Conference Final against the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, the Red Wings were on a mission that season to win back-to-back Stanley Cups for their fallen teammate Vladimir Konstantinov. The Stars were not able to handle the Wings, and they were ousted in six games.
Mike Mondano during his three years as captain of the Dallas Stars between 2003-2006
The 1999 season is when the Dallas Stars would get over the hump and be considered the class of the league. The Stars had the best record throughout the regular season with a record of 51-19-12 for 114 points, winning the President’s Trophy. During this regular season, Modano scored 34 goals and 81 points. In the playoffs, the Stars handedly knocked the Oilers out with a sweep in the first round, while they also ousted the St. Louis Blues in six games in the second round. The Western Conference final was between the Stars and the Colorado Avalanche. As usual, these two teams fought to the bitter end, however it was the Stars coming out on top in seven games, making their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in Dallas.
The Buffalo Sabres were waiting for them as they had knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. Despite Dominik Hasek’s efforts, the Dallas Stars managed to gain a three games to two series lead over the Stars, heading back to Buffalo for game six. Game six would go all the way to triple overtime with the score tied at 1-1. At the time, in order to score a goal, the attacking player could not be inside the goaltender’s crease at any time. Earlier in this season, the NHL had decided to change that rule for the next year but this rule was still in effect for this playoffs. In that triple overtime Brett Hull would score to win the game, however did so with his foot clearly inside the crease. The NHL and the officials on the ice did not take a look at the play, thus the goal stood and the Dallas Stars had won the Stanley Cup. During that playoff, Modano would play in all 23 games that the Stars played and had 5 goals and 18 assists, a point per game.
Dallas attempted to repeat as champions the next season and would make it all the way back to the Stanley Cup Final beating the Edmonton Oilers in five games, the San José Sharks in five games, and the Colorado Avalanche (again) in seven games to go up against the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final. While the Devils would end up beating the Stars in six games, Modano would score a key triple overtime goal in game five in order for the Stars to even push it that far. In this playoff, Modano would again play in all 23 playoff games collecting 10 goals and 13 assists for a point-per game again.
Modano would play for the Stars for nine more seasons during which the team would only make it past the second round again once. During his time with the Stars, Modano holds the record for most games played in the regular season and playoffs with 1,459 and 174 respectively. He also holds the record with the most goals, assists and points in team history for both the regular season and playoffs with 557 regular season goals and 58 playoff goals, 802 regular season assists and 87 playoff assists, and 1,359 regular season points and 145 playoff points. He was the face of the franchise that made hockey popular where it wasn’t supposed to be. Modano would end up playing his final year with the Detroit Red Wings, putting up only 4 goals and 11 assists while only playing 40 games with the team. Prior to retiring, he would sign a 1-day contract with the Stars to end his career where he’s best known.
Modano’s last year with his hometown Detroit Red Wings
In comparison with other Hall of Famers, Modano fits in perfectly. Modano has more points (1,374) than the likes of Brendan Shanahan (1,354) and Mats Sundin (1,349), while he just falls behind Brett Hull (1,391) and Luc Robitaille (1,394). In the goals category, Modano has more goals (561) than Ron Francis (549) and Dale Hawerchuk (518), while just beating out Joe Nieuwendyk (564) and Mats Sundin (564). When you thought of the star players in the 1990s, Modano was in the mix with the likes of Sakic, Yzerman, Sundin, Robitaille, etc. Thus his numbers are amongst the NHL’s greatest players.
The other thing that must be looked at is his influence on American hockey. He is the all-time leader in points by an American born player with 1,354, ahead of Phil Housley. He also leads American born players in goals with 561, playoff points with 145, and games played with 1,499. He helped lead the US National Team to victory in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and helped win a Silver Medal in the 2002 Olympics.
Mike Modano is one of the players that leads the newly eligible players for the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee to choose from. He fits all the categories stated in their bylaws. His playing ability was superb, his character and sportsmanship is up there among all the stars of that generation, and his contribution to hockey should be seen by how the city of Dallas has adopted the Stars, and hockey as part of their culture. This will be a very easy choice for the committee.
Feel free to let me know who you think should be in the Hall in the comment section, through email at
[email protected] or you can follow me on Twitter @Kirshenblatt. Also, I currently have 10 pairs of passes to the Hockey Hall of Fame that
expire June 30th. If anyone is in or going to be in the Toronto area in June and would like to go, send me an email and I can send a pair off to you.
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HHOF Making the Case:
Steve Larmer
Reggie Leach
Alexander Mogilny
Pat Quinn
Kerry Fraser
Paul Henderson
Chris Osgood
Marguerite Norris
Eric Lindros
Pat Burns
Curtis Joseph
Theo Fleury
Carl Brewer
Don Cherry
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