Instead of going through the whole story all over again, I am going to put the link for the original story a few months ago and the build up since then. First there was ‘A Night of Magic‘ in which I tried the next morning to convey the night and whole experience of meeting a up and coming prospect after his first game, and watching and crying from the ice as my favorite player tearfully waved goodbye to the fans that have loved him for almost two decades.

Then after getting asked a bunch about it and what the outcome was, I posted ‘The Jersey Update‘ a few weeks later to update everyone on what was happening and the developments corresponding to the signed jersey. I waited through most of the summer and did not know what would happen.

Well recently I finally got back in touch with one Mr. Ryan Delong about the jersey, and he informed me that they had actually tracked down a Modano signed jersey from the last week of the season. Not from that final night, but still good enough for me. I was actually running around ecstatic that I would own an authentic Modano jersey, game worn and signed. And sure enough, one week later I got a box from the Dallas Stars offices, and opened it up to reveal the jersey. I wanted to be like a kid with a new toy and go crazy, but I knew I had to keep this thing in perfect condition. So it immediately hung it up, and now look forward to getting it framed as soon as I get done moving during the next two weeks. I will always remember that night and all the excitement, but just as much now I have something that is almost priceless to me and will be a prized possession.

My Mike Modano game worn and autographed jersey!

Well the NHL comes out yesterday after the Devils have a press conference to announce the deal and give a slap to the cheek by saying no to the contract. And in my hockey opinion, I agree with the NHL. While there has been contracts like this before and many are arguing that the NHL can’t step in now after letting those happen, this contract tried to take it to a whole new level. There are 7 years tacked onto the end of the deal which are only there to lower the cap hit for the overall contract, and signing a guy to the age of 44-years old is a joke. Those 7 years at the end are longer then most contracts current in the league. Plus those years are sitting around the league minimum, which will probably go up once or twice before we even get to those years. Should the NHL have said something about a couple of contracts that have been signed before, I think so. But this contract tried to push it and twist the rules like no contract before it, and just looking at it I believe it does try to circumvent the CBA and cap. Leave your thoughts below, and I guess we will watch together and see how this works out.