Mike Modano

Michael Thomas Modano Jr. (born June 7, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player, who played primarily for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise.

He spent the final season of his NHL career with his hometown Detroit Red Wings.

As the all-time goal-scoring and points leader amongst American-born players in NHL history, Modano is widely regarded as one of the greatest American-born ice hockey players of all time.

As a youth, he was part of a Detroit Red Wings team in the 1982 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

To spend his minor hockey career with the Detroit Little Caesar's Triple AAA Hockey Club, the Modano family moved to Westland, where he also attended Franklin High School (Livonia, Michigan).

He made the Midget Major team at the age of fourteen when his teammates were two to three years older.

Modano was the second American to be selected first overall in the draft, after Brian Lawton in 1983.

Contract problems led Modano to play one more season with the Raiders.

In the 1984–85 season, Modano scored 50 goals and 50 assists on the way to win the USA Hockey National Championship in 1985.

As a child Modano decided to pick the number 9 for his jersey in an homage to both Ted Williams, an idol of his Boston Red Sox fan father, and the Red Wings' own Gordie Howe.

In 1986, 16-year-old Modano was invited by coach Rick Wilson of the Prince Albert Raiders to come to Saskatchewan and join the Western Hockey League team.

At his very first game, he scored a hat trick, and by his second year, Modano was part of the WHL All-Star Team.

Modano was drafted first overall by the North Stars in 1988, and after the team moved to Texas he helped the Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999.

Modano is considered one of the most influential figures in popularizing hockey in Texas and the southern United States.

Four days after Modano's eighteenth birthday, the Minnesota North Stars selected him as the first overall draft pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

The North Stars signed Modano on Christmas of 1988, and he joined the team for the 1989–90 season.

He scored his first career NHL goal against Glenn Healy of the New York Islanders, and had a good rookie season which landed him on the NHL All-Rookie team and made him a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.

He controversially lost to 31-year-old Sergei Makarov, who had already played professionally in the Soviet Championship League for over 12 years; this led to an age barrier of 26 for Calder candidates from the following year to the present.

Despite the good start, Modano was often criticized in Minnesota as an underachiever..

This was evidenced by a sophomore season where the North Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals, but Modano's point production dropped, while confronting coach Bob Gainey for his overtly defensive style.

In 1992, Modano signed a four-year extension that made him the highest-paid member of the team, receiving $2 million per year.

He soon had his best season up to that point, scoring 93 points at the 1992–93 NHL season and earning his first NHL All-Star Game invitation.

Prior to the 1993–94 NHL season, the North Stars moved to Dallas to become the Dallas Stars.

Considering the relocation to Texas as an opportunity for a fresh start, with different expectations from fans and the media, Modano decided to accept Gainey's suggestions to become a more complete player and perform more attacks.

Modano recorded a personal-best 50 goals and again scored 93 points.

Soon he became an idol in Dallas, becoming the player who sold the most jerseys and received the most letters.

During the next two seasons, Modano lowered his goalscoring and had many injuries - a concussion, a knee injury and ruptured ankle tendons - but improved his defensive play.

Despite that, the Stars failed to qualify for the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Gainey stepped down as head coach, while remaining GM.

Ken Hitchcock was hired on January 8, 1996, as Dallas' coach, installing a defensive-minded system while requesting Modano to concentrate on his offense and using him more routinely - instead of the 15–18 minutes he played under Gainey, Modano routinely played 25 minutes with Hitchcock.

Helped by new acquisitions Joe Nieuwendyk and Sergei Zubov, Modano led the Stars to the Central Division title in the 1996-97 NHL season.

In the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs, with new goaltender Ed Belfour, the Stars reached the Western Finals.

In 1999, Modano won the Stanley Cup with the Stars, playing all six games of the finals against the Buffalo Sabres despite breaking his wrist in the second game.

Modano assisted on the Stars' final five goals of the series, including both in Game 5 and Game 6, and final goal.

Modano was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17, 2014.

In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.

In 2019, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Modano was born in Livonia, Michigan, the third child and only son of Michael, Sr. and Karen Modano.

He grew up in Highland Township, and due to causing problems at school with his mischievous behavior, a friend of his father suggested to put Modano in a team sport to get him controlled.

Michael, Sr. was a fan of hockey, and decided to teach ice skating to seven-year-old Modano.

He learned it well, and six months later was put in local hockey teams.