As I mentioned earlier this afternoon, it's Dallas Stars lore week at Blackout Dallas. We will be diving into some of the most iconic moments in franchise history. We could even talk about the Mooterus Jersey this week, you never know. I wanted to start our week by talking about one of the most iconic players in franchise history and even in Team USA history. There's a reason there's a significant interest in playing hockey in Texas, and it's all because of Mike Modano.
I'm not even going to get into the one year that he played in Detroit. He grew up in Michigan, and I don't blame him for it. It was probably a lifelong dream of his to at least suit up a season for the Red Wings. However, I digress and get back to the main topic of this article. Modano was an instrumental part of this organization and one of the reasons the Stars lifted the Stanley Cup in 1999. I don't know if I would even be writing about hockey as a journalist if it wasn't for what Modano did for the city.
Modano is no stranger to shattering the ceiling when it comes to records. He holds records, such as the most games played by an American-born forward. He also holds four records with the Dallas Stars organization. I could go on and on about the records he set during his hockey career. To view all the records he holds, click the link above in this paragraph. There's a reason why he was a sure lock to make the USA Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL Hall of Fame. He certainly set the standard when it came to playing for the United States.
That's not even all that he did for the city of Dallas. He's the reason you see all the Dallas Stars Ice Centers popping up around the DFW Metroplex. There was so much interest from the residents in playing hockey when Modano was playing that the Stars built hockey rinks all over the city of Dallas. You even see it in the NHL today, where there are hockey players from Texas who are playing at the NHL level. Seth Jones just brought the Stanley Cup back to Dallas to celebrate with a kids' hockey camp.
There would be no hockey in Texas if it weren't for Norm Green and Mike Modano. Both people played instrumental parts in what the Dallas Stars have done for the community. Even though Modano no longer lives in the city of Dallas, he's still a sports icon in the city that will be remembered forever like Dirk Nowitzki. You know you were an instrumental part of the organization when there's a statue outside the arena where the team plays every season.