# Mike Modano
**Mike Modano** (Michael Thomas Modano Jr., born 1970 in Livonia, Michigan) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played 21 NHL seasons, almost entirely with the [Minnesota North Stars](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-north-stars) and their successor franchise the [Dallas Stars](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-stars), and holds the NHL record for goals (561) by a United States-born player, and formerly held the points record (1,374), which [Patrick Kane](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-kane) surpassed with his 1,375th point.[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) • [15](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/patrick-kane-passes-mike-modano-for-the-most-nhl-points-by-a-us-born-player/) He was drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, won the 1999 Stanley Cup with Dallas, and finished his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2010-11.[2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, Livonia, Michigan; grew up in nearby Westland[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) • [2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/) |
| Draft | First overall, Minnesota North Stars, 1988 NHL Entry Draft; only the second American taken first (after Brian Lawton)[2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/) |
| Career totals | 1,499 games, 561 goals, 813 assists, 1,374 points in 21 NHL seasons[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) |
| US-born records | Goals (561), playoff points (145), and games played by a forward (1,499); formerly held the points record with 1,374 until Patrick Kane surpassed him by reaching 1,375[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) • [15](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/patrick-kane-passes-mike-modano-for-the-most-nhl-points-by-a-us-born-player/) |
| Franchise records | Stars/North Stars leader in games (1,459), goals (557), assists (802), points (1,359), short-handed goals (29), game-winning goals (92), and power-play goals (156)[4](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers) |
| Championships | 1999 Stanley Cup (Dallas); 1996 World Cup of Hockey gold; 2002 Olympic silver[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) |
| Honors | Hockey Hall of Fame (2014); IIHF Hall of Fame (2019); No. 9 retired by the Stars (March 8, 2014); statue outside American Airlines Center (March 16)[5](https://www.nhl.com/news/mike-modano-headlines-2019-iihf-hall-of-fame-class-304546424) • [4](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers) • [6](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/short-shifts/dallas-stars-to-honor-mike-modano-with-statue) |
## Junior hockey and the 1988 draft
Modano left suburban Detroit at age 16 to play for the Prince Albert Raiders of the [Western Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-hockey-league) (WHL), recruited by Rick Wilson, now an assistant coach with the [St. Louis Blues](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-louis-blues). The choice of the WHL, a league known for long bus rides and physical play, drew attention because a gifted Michigan center was expected to follow [Pat LaFontaine](https://www.edgepedia.org/pat-lafontaine) to the Quebec league instead.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) He scored 32 goals at 16, and at 17 produced 47 goals and 80 assists for 127 points in 65 games.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) The Minnesota North Stars selected him with the first overall pick of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, making him only the second American to be taken first, after Brian Lawton.[2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/)
## NHL career with the Stars franchise
Modano joined the North Stars in 1989-90, was named to the league's All-Rookie team, and became a key part of the attack.[7](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/100725) When the franchise moved to Dallas in 1993, he stayed with the team and recorded the only 50-goal season of his career in that first Texas season.[8](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2019/wm/static/52403/mike_modano) Across 20 seasons with the team (1989-2010), he set franchise records that still stand for games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802), points (1,359), short-handed goals (29), game-winning goals (92), and power-play goals (156).[4](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers)
**The 1999 Stanley Cup.** In Game 2 of the 1999 Final against Buffalo, Modano broke a bone and tore ligaments in his left wrist when checked into the boards by Jay McKee, yet returned for Game 3. Dallas won the Cup in six games on [Brett Hull](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-hull)'s triple-overtime goal; Modano assisted on all four Stars goals in the final two games, and his 18 assists led all playoff scorers that spring.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) • [9](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-1990-1999-287977078) Dallas returned to the Final in 2000, when Modano led the team with 81 points in the regular season.[5](https://www.nhl.com/news/mike-modano-headlines-2019-iihf-hall-of-fame-class-304546424)
**Scoring records.** On March 18, 2007, Modano scored his 503rd goal to break Joe Mullen's record for goals by a United States-born player. On November 7, 2007, two early goals against San Jose brought him to 1,233 points and past Phil Housley as the US-born points leader, in 242 fewer games than Housley had played.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) He finished with 561 goals and 1,374 points, and also holds the US-born records for playoff points (145) and games played by a forward (1,499).[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano)
## International career
Modano represented Team USA 11 times across three decades, from the 1988 and 1989 World Junior Championships through the 2006 Olympics.[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) • [7](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/100725) He was part of the American team that won the inaugural [World Cup of Hockey](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-cup-of-hockey) in 1996 and captained the United States at the 2005 World Cup.[1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano) • [4](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers) At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics he helped the United States win the silver medal, recording six assists in six games on a line with [John LeClair](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-leclair) and Brett Hull.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) He also played in the 1998 and 2006 Olympic tournaments.[7](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/100725)
## Final season and post-playing recognition
In August 2010, 1,459 regular-season games into his career, Modano signed a one-year contract with the [Detroit Red Wings](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-red-wings), the team he had followed as a child in Michigan, and retired after the 2010-11 season.[10](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/modano-heading-home-to-motown/) • [5](https://www.nhl.com/news/mike-modano-headlines-2019-iihf-hall-of-fame-class-304546424) He was inducted into the [Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hockey-hall-of-fame) in 2014, his first year of eligibility, and the Stars retired his number 9 on March 8, 2014, before a game against the [Minnesota Wild](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-wild).[2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/) • [11](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8965/mike-modano) The IIHF inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Stars unveiled a statue of him outside American Airlines Center on March 16.[5](https://www.nhl.com/news/mike-modano-headlines-2019-iihf-hall-of-fame-class-304546424) • [6](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/short-shifts/dallas-stars-to-honor-mike-modano-with-statue) He was also named to the NHL's list of 100 Greatest Players in 2017 and inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020) • [2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/)
Sources differ on his All-Star Game count: the Dallas Stars and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame list seven selections, while the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame says he played in eight.[4](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers) • [2](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/) • [1](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano)
## Legacy in American hockey
Modano's scoring records defined the ceiling for American-born players for nearly two decades. In January 2026, Patrick Kane of the Red Wings was four points away from passing Modano's 1,374 points as the highest-scoring US-born player in NHL history, a record Modano had taken from Phil Housley, who had earlier taken it from Joe Mullen.[12](https://www.nhl.com/news/patrick-kane-on-verge-of-breaking-record-and-cementing-legacy) Beyond statistics, Modano is credited with a central role in the growth of hockey in Texas: the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame writes that what [Roger Staubach](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-staubach) meant to the [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-cowboys) and [Nolan Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/nolan-ryan) to the Texas Rangers, Modano has meant to ice hockey in the state.[13](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/news_article/show/249586) He established the Mike Modano Foundation in the summer of 2000 to assist underprivileged children in the Dallas area.[14](https://usahockey.cachefly.net/Media/2009MensCampProspectus.pdf)
## References
1. [Mike Modano, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/page/show/840305-mike-modano)
2. [Mike Modano Jr., Michigan Sports Hall of Fame](https://michigansportshof.org/inductee/mike-modano/)
3. [Mike Modano: 100 Greatest NHL Players, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-100-greatest-players/mike-modano-100-greatest-nhl-hockey-players-285495020)
4. [Retired Numbers, Dallas Stars](https://www.nhl.com/stars/team/history/retired-numbers)
5. [Modano headlines 2019 IIHF Hall of Fame class, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/mike-modano-headlines-2019-iihf-hall-of-fame-class-304546424)
6. [Modano to have statue unveiled by Stars on March 16, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/short-shifts/dallas-stars-to-honor-mike-modano-with-statue)
7. [Mike Modano, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/100725)
8. [Mike MODANO, IIHF](https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2019/wm/static/52403/mike_modano)
9. [Stanley Cup Champions 1990-1999, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-1990-1999-287977078)
10. [Modano Heading Home to Motown, NHLPA.com](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/modano-heading-home-to-motown/)
11. [Mike Modano, Elite Prospects](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8965/mike-modano)
12. [Kane cementing legacy as American great on verge of breaking Modano record, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/patrick-kane-on-verge-of-breaking-record-and-cementing-legacy)
13. [Big D For Development, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame](https://www.ushockeyhalloffame.com/news_article/show/249586)
14. [2009 USA Hockey Men's National Camp Prospectus](https://usahockey.cachefly.net/Media/2009MensCampProspectus.pdf)
15. [Patrick Kane Passes Mike Modano for the Most Nhl Points by a Us Born Player, nhlpa.com](https://www.nhlpa.com/news/patrick-kane-passes-mike-modano-for-the-most-nhl-points-by-a-us-born-player/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Centers › Retired centers of the past*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license