Mike Modano (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #54)
Adjusted Stats
1989-1990 Min 82 GP 25 goals 39 assists 64 points 0.78 PPG
1990-1991 Min 81 GP 26 goals 33 assists 58 points 0.72 PPG
1991-1992 Min 78 GP 30 goals 40 assists 70 points 0.90 PPG
1992-1993 Min 80 GP 27 goals 50 assists 77 points 0.96 PPG
1993-1994 Dal 74 GP 46 goals 40 assists 86 points 1.16 PPG
1994-1995 Dal 51 GP 21 goals 30 assists 51 points 1.00 PPG
1995-1996 Dal 78 GP 35 goals 44 assists 79 points 1.02 PPG
1996-1997 Dal 80 GP 37 goals 51 assists 88 points 1.09 PPG
1997-1998 Dal 52 GP 24 goals 44 assists 69 points 1.32 PPG
1998-1999 Dal* 77 GP 40 goals 55 assists 95 points 1.23 PPG
1999-2000 Dal 77 GP 43 goals 48 assists 91 points 1.18 PPG
2000-2001 Dal 81 GP 37 goals 57 assists 94 points 1.16 PPG
2001-2002 Dal 78 GP 40 goals 50 assists 90 points 1.16 PPG
2002-2003 Dal 79 GP 32 goals 66 assists 98 points 1.25 PPG
2003-2004 Dal 76 GP 17 goals 36 assists 53 points 0.69 PPG
2005-2006 Dal 78 GP 27 goals 51 assists 78 points 1.00 PPG
2006-2007 Dal 59 GP 23 goals 22 assists 46 points 0.78 PPG
2007-2008 Dal 82 GP 24 goals 41 assists 64 points 0.79 PPG
2008-2009 Dal 80 GP 16 goals 33 assists 50 points 0.62 PPG
2009-2010 Dal 59 GP 15 goals 18 assists 33 points 0.56 PPG
2010-2011 Det 40 GP 5 goals 12 assists 17 points 0.42 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1988-1989 Min 2 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1989-1990 Min 7 GP 1 goal 1 assist 2 points 0.24 PPG
1990-1991 Min 23 GP 7 goals 10 assists 17 points 0.74 PPG
1991-1992 Min 7 GP 3 goals 2 assists 4 points 0.62 PPG
1993-1994 Dal 9 GP 7 goals 3 assists 10 points 1.09 PPG
1996-1997 Dal 7 GP 4 goals 1 assist 5 points 0.75 PPG
1997-1998 Dal 17 GP 4 goals 11 assists 16 points 0.92 PPG
1998-1999 Dal* 23 GP 5 goals 20 assists 25 points 1.10 PPG
1999-2000 Dal 23 GP 12 goals 16 assists 28 points 1.20 PPG
2000-2001 Dal 9 GP 4 goals 5 assists 8 points 0.91 PPG
2002-2003 Dal 12 GP 6 goals 12 assists 18 points 1.49 PPG
2003-2004 Dal 5 GP 1 goal 3 assists 4 points 0.77 PPG
2005-2006 Dal 5 GP 1 goal 3 assists 4 points 0.80 PPG
2006-2007 Dal 7 GP 1 goal 1 assist 2 points 0.32 PPG
2007-2008 Dal 18 GP 5 goals 7 assists 13 points 0.70 PPG
2010-2011 Det 2 GP 0 goals 1 assist 1 point 0.50 PPG
Career - 1522 GP, 590 goals, 860 assists, 1451 points, 0.95 PPG
Career-Highs - 46 goals (93-94); 66 assists (02-03); 98 points (02-03); 1.32 PPG (97-98)
Avg. (21 seasons) - 72 GP, 28 goals, 41 assists, 69 points, 0.95 PPG
Peak Avg. (95-03) - 75 GP, 36 goals, 52 assists, 88 points, 1.17 PPG, 1 Cup
Playoff Career - 176 GP, 61 goals, 96 assists, 157 points, 0.89 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 12 goals (99-00); 20 assists (98-99); 28 points (99-00); 1.49 PPG (02-03)
Accolades - None
All-Star Teams - 1-time 2nd-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion
What separates Mike Modano from Mats Sundin, who languishes about 15-20 spots beneath him on the Pyramid? Simple...a Stanley Cup ring. Fair? No, but life isn't fair.
I have a soft spot for players who play at an excellent level for their entire career with the same team, particularly those who have done it in the modern era. Lemieux, Lidstrom, Brodeur, Sakic, Yzerman, Iginla, the Sedins...that's about it (apologies to the Colin Whites of the world, but you don't count as "elite"). Mike Modano would have been on that list had he not signed with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2010 off-season, but since it was the Stars who had decided to part ways with Modano, you can't really hold it against him.
I never particularly liked Modano during his peak years from the mid-90s to the early-2000s, but my dislike was because I respected his game so much, not because I felt he was overhyped. If anything, Modano was underrated: he was consistently the best player on a very good Dallas team that perenially contended. I viewed the Stars as potential rivals to the Devils, so Modano's elite play was irksome. After the arrival of Ken Hitchcock, Modano transformed from a me-first scorer to the league's 2nd-best two-way center (after Peter Forsberg). As with Sundin, the consistency in production is still remarkable even if no particular season stands out: 80 points here, 90 there, occasionally 75 in a "down" year.
His durability was also a key factor in amassing such gaudy career totals (585 adjusted career goals and 1434 adjusted career points): for a ten-year stretch, he missed more than five games only once. The only potentially damaging injury Modano ever suffered came on a blatant headshot from Mark Messier (but apparently, headshots are a new phenomenon. If this hit had happened today, it would be the talk of the media for weeks). Modano's immediate concussion did lead to one of the most morbidly funny moments in hockey history, something that rivals the failed rescue attempt of Homer Simpson after he fell down Springfield Gorge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yxLlZkknv0&feature=fvwrel
Modano's Stars may have only won one Cup during their stretch of contention, making them the ugly sister of the NHL's family of four dominant teams in the late 90s and early 00s (the Red Wings, Devils and Avalanche being the others), but Modano always brought it come playoff time. From 1998-2000, the Stars won the Cup once, lost in the final another year, and lost in the Conference finals to the defending champion Red Wings. During that stretch, Modano had 69 adjusted points in 63 playoff games. Along with Jere Lehtinen, he was part of an elite line that could shut you down and, with the presence of Brett Hull, also explode for an offensive outburst.
So Modano gets my vote as the top American forward of all time, and one of the more underrated centers of his era. As time has gone on, I've grown to respect his game, even as he hits the inevitable decline that comes from turning 40 in the NHL. It's unfortunate that Modano is probably going to miss the rest of this season...it would have been nice to see him pull a '91 Bryan Trottier and help an uber-talented Red Wings team win a Cup. But however Modano's career finishes, he will be remembered as a lifelong Star in both senses.
No comments:
Post a Comment