IIHF Hall of Fame Induction 2019
Mike MODANO
Player
Born Livonia, Michigan, United States, 7 June 1970
Former USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean representing 2019 IIHF Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Modano speaks at the 2019 IIHF Hall of Fame Ceremony at Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Bratislava on May 26, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Andre Ringuette
Arguably the greatest player to come out of the United States, Mike Modano was both a fierce competitor and a gentlemanly player. His explosive speed and bullet-like snap shot were his trademarks over a career that lasted two decades on both the NHL and international stage.
The foundation of Modano’s career was the NHL. Growing up in Michigan and playing junior hockey in the Canadian system, he dreamed of the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. He was drafted first overall in 1988, by Minnesota, only the second American to be so honoured, and it was before and after this selection that he saw his first international play, with the U.S. at the World Junior Championship.
Modano made the transition to the NHL for the 1989/90 season, and he did so without missing a step. He had 29 goals and 75 points as a rookie, and at season’s end, after an early playoff exit, he played in his first World Championship.
Over and above his own skills, Modano was part of a new generation of American talent that included Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull, and Brian Leetch. It was this nucleus of stars that first made themselves known at the 1991 Canada Cup, advancing to the championship finals against Canada. Despite losing the best-of-three in two straight games, this group would make their mark five years later at the inaugural World Cup.
In between those events, though, Modano had some of his most productive years in the NHL. He stayed with the team when it moved from Minnesota to Dallas in 1993 and had the only 50-goal season of his career in that first year in Texas.
But in 1996, Modano and his generation of American players created a defining moment in hockey history. Taking on Canada again in the finals of the first World Cup, it was the underdogs who stunned the hosts, in Montreal, 5-2, in the deciding game three. The victory was the most important hockey win in the United States since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. Indeed, the core of this team grew up inspired by the 1980 Olympic gold medal, and now they, in turn, were inspiring a new generation of American kids.
Two years later, Modano was named to play at the Nagano Games, the first with NHL participation, but a fifth place finish wasn’t particularly memorable for the team. Four years later, though, on home ice, Modano helped the Americans go to the gold-medal game, where they finished second to Canada.
Modano also played at the 2004 World Cup--one of a small group of players to appear in 1991, 1996, and 2004 – and a year later he captained the U.S. at the World Championship at the end of the lockout season. He finished his international career in Turin, where the Americans finished a disappointing eighth at the 2006 Olympics.
In the NHL, there is no doubt Modano’s career highlight was the 1998-99 season, one in which the Stars beat Buffalo in a six-game finals to win their first and only Stanley Cup. He played most of the playoffs with a broken wrist but managed to become a vital playmaker when it mattered most, assisting on the team’s final five goals over games five and six to win the Cup.
Modano retired from the NHL in 2011 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2014. His pro statistics are a clear indication of his world-class play – 1,499 regular-season games, 561 goals, 1,374 points. The proud American from Michigan, who made Texas proud, had a world-class career from start to finish.
The foundation of Modano’s career was the NHL. Growing up in Michigan and playing junior hockey in the Canadian system, he dreamed of the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. He was drafted first overall in 1988, by Minnesota, only the second American to be so honoured, and it was before and after this selection that he saw his first international play, with the U.S. at the World Junior Championship.
Induction Speech
Modano made the transition to the NHL for the 1989/90 season, and he did so without missing a step. He had 29 goals and 75 points as a rookie, and at season’s end, after an early playoff exit, he played in his first World Championship.
Over and above his own skills, Modano was part of a new generation of American talent that included Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull, and Brian Leetch. It was this nucleus of stars that first made themselves known at the 1991 Canada Cup, advancing to the championship finals against Canada. Despite losing the best-of-three in two straight games, this group would make their mark five years later at the inaugural World Cup.
In between those events, though, Modano had some of his most productive years in the NHL. He stayed with the team when it moved from Minnesota to Dallas in 1993 and had the only 50-goal season of his career in that first year in Texas.
But in 1996, Modano and his generation of American players created a defining moment in hockey history. Taking on Canada again in the finals of the first World Cup, it was the underdogs who stunned the hosts, in Montreal, 5-2, in the deciding game three. The victory was the most important hockey win in the United States since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. Indeed, the core of this team grew up inspired by the 1980 Olympic gold medal, and now they, in turn, were inspiring a new generation of American kids.
Two years later, Modano was named to play at the Nagano Games, the first with NHL participation, but a fifth place finish wasn’t particularly memorable for the team. Four years later, though, on home ice, Modano helped the Americans go to the gold-medal game, where they finished second to Canada.
Modano also played at the 2004 World Cup--one of a small group of players to appear in 1991, 1996, and 2004 – and a year later he captained the U.S. at the World Championship at the end of the lockout season. He finished his international career in Turin, where the Americans finished a disappointing eighth at the 2006 Olympics.
In the NHL, there is no doubt Modano’s career highlight was the 1998-99 season, one in which the Stars beat Buffalo in a six-game finals to win their first and only Stanley Cup. He played most of the playoffs with a broken wrist but managed to become a vital playmaker when it mattered most, assisting on the team’s final five goals over games five and six to win the Cup.
Modano retired from the NHL in 2011 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2014. His pro statistics are a clear indication of his world-class play – 1,499 regular-season games, 561 goals, 1,374 points. The proud American from Michigan, who made Texas proud, had a world-class career from start to finish.