Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province puts Mike Modano's career -- best American-born NHLer ever? -- into good perspective in the hours leading up to Game 7 of the Canucks-Dallas Stars series tonight.
Gallagher really points out how Modano is defined by his relationship to his Western Conference centreman contemporaries, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman.
Sakic and Modano, one year apart in age, are similar scoring threats but as Gallagher points out, Modano has long been shackled in Dallas by what another writer, Jason Cohen, once called Ken Hitchcock's Church of Defensive Hockey (Dave Tippett is the new pastor). Sakic's Quebec/Colorado teams played an open style, while Modano has played on defensive teams where his linemates are usually checking wingers instead of top-end offensive guys.
Like Yzerman, Modano accepted a drag on his point totals as part of winning the Stanley Cup, but has won one Cup to Stevie Y's three (and Sakic's two). Sakic and Yzerman have been part of some Canadian hockey triumphs such as the 2002 Olympics, which also adds to their lustre. Modano, an American, did play for a victorious Team USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and without him contributing to a strong U.S. squad at the '02 Olympics, Canada's triumph would not have been nearly as heavenly.
He's also been remarkably consistent, which has probably led observers to take him for granted. Looking over Modano's stats, the closest analogue seems to be baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray who almost never had a bad season, but never put up the numbers that made stat geeks put down their Star Wars memorabilia. Modano's put up more than 1,200 points but never cracked 95 in a season. He's topped 500 goals, even though his only 50-goal year (1992-93, when expansion meant there were a lot more goals in the NHL) was also his only 40-goal year.
All that's added up to Modano being underrated -- not that Sakic or Yzerman were overrated. One can only imagine what numbers No. 9 would have had if he could have played in in the 1980s in Quebec City, Winnipeg or Washington with some top-end wingers. Thanks again to The Province's Gallagher for stirring the thought.
That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.
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I'm always mindful of the fact that guys in this generation -- Modano, Sakic, Yzerman -- missed a season and a half due to labour disputes, thus dragging their career numbers down at least somewhat.
There really isn't much doubt that Modano is going to the Hall of Fame. Unlike MLB, which takes great pride in making Cooperstown a tough ticket, the HHOF is a free for all. If Clark Gillies, Bernie Federko, and half the 1960s-era Toronto Maple Leafs can be inducted, then there's plenty of room for Modano in what amounts to the Hall of the Pretty Good in Toronto.
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