FORMER RAIDER MODANO ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Former Prince Albert Raiders star Mike Modano announced on Wednesday that he is retiring from the National Hockey League after 21 seasons.
The 41-year-old Livonia, MI, product finished his illustrious NHL career as the highest scoring American-born player in NHL history, having piled up 561 goals and 1,374 points over 1,499 career regular-season games.
Before moving to the NHL, Modano starred for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. In three seasons with the Raiders, Modano scored 118 goals and 294 points over the span of 176 regular-season games and made the WHL East First All-Star team in 1988. During his time with the Raiders, Modano played against fellow future NHL stars such as Joe Sakic and Theoren Fleury.
The eight-time NHL All-Star spent 20 of his 21 NHL seasons with the Dallas Stars, who drafted him with the first overall pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft when the franchise was located in Minnesota. Modano joined the Minnesota North Stars for the 1989-90 season and was nominated for the Calder trophy after posting 29 goals and 75 points in 80 games.
In 1999, Modano led the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup championship, capturing his only Stanley Cup ring, and also led the Stars to the Stanley Cup final in 1991 and 2000.
The smooth-skating, offensively gifted center also suited up for Team USA on many occasions, appearing in three World Championship tournaments (1990, ’93, ’05), three Winter Olympics (1998, ’02, ’06), and three World Cup of Hockey tournaments (1991, ’96, ’04). Modano captured a Gold medal at the 1996 World Cup and an Olympic Silver medal in 2002.
Modano most recently played for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2010-11 NHL season, but will sign a one-day contract with the Dallas Stars, ensuring that he retires as a member of the franchise he spent almost his entire career playing for.
