Make me appreciate Mike Modano
- Thread starter mrzeigler
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Pwnasaurus
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Stephen
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Mike Modano was an explosive offensive force in his prime, who had exciting moves, speed to burn, a great shot. His numbers suffer a little bit because he spent his prime years playing for Ken Hitchcock where he learned to be a great two way player like an Yzerman. Definitely one of the great Americans, not sure why that's so hard to see.
mrzeigler
.. but I'm not wrong
Yeah, but notice how you had to qualify it as one of the "greatest Americans," not one of the greatest hockey players ever/of the 90s/of his generation.
It seems like that's the tag that's always affixed to him — "great American hockey player." So, what, does that mean he's equal to a Canadian with middlin' talent? A past-his prime Soviet? A broken-down 70-year-old from Canning, Ontario?
You see what I'm getting at? I'd like an explanation that provides context outside of the American players he's always lumped in with.
The Hitchcock info helps, though.
TheDevilMadeMe
Registered User
He's Yzerman-light. Great offensive force when he was young, but lacked a solid two-way game. In the second half of his career, he sacrificed offense for defense to help his team win more.
He's not in my top 100 players of all time, but he'd probably be in my top 150.
He's not in my top 100 players of all time, but he'd probably be in my top 150.
TasteofFlames
Registered User
Mike Modano has, imo, the absolute BEST stride in the NHL. Watching him skate is truly a thing of beauty. He's also an incredibly nice guy. I met him years ago ( I believe it was the year of their cup win) at the GTE Byron Nelson golf tournament. Was gracious as could be about signing autographs for fans and didn't seem ill that we were invading his privacy. He has also worked incredibly hard to grow the game in the Dallas area. Mo will always be synonymous with Dallas hockey and is a major factor in the Stars success, both on-ice and in the community. Say what you will about only being considered one of the best-American born players, the man has scored over 500 goals, and did most of it during the dead-puck era.
Still to this day he is one of the best skaters in the game....His shot still to this day is top 10 in the league..although he never gets in the hardest shot to prove it. His 2-way game playing with one of the best in history in Lehtinen has made him even better.
Dark Shadows
Registered User
Pretty good breakdown. I don't have him in my top 150 anymore. I might have before I took a good long look at pre 1950's hockey during the start of the HOH top 100. Up until then, I really knew very little before the 50's when I started watching hockey. Now that I know what I know, Modano can't even come close to the list, whereas before he was on the outside looking in.
As far as American players go, he is top 10, but on the bottom end of the top 10. Several Americans were much better.
From 1998-2003, he was probably the best all-around forward in the game aside from Joe Sakic.
For those 5 years, he finished top-15 in scoring in each of them while finishing top-10 in Selke voting pretty much every year as well (as high as 3rd in 2001).
Was a huge contributor on teams that made long playoff runs in 1999 and 2000, leading the league in playoff assists both years, and leading a Cup champion in scoring in both regular season and playoffs in 1999.
And he was always just a treat to watch, one of the finest skaters ever to play the game who was a force carrying the puck through the neutral zone.
Sure-fire HHOFer, in my mind.
For those 5 years, he finished top-15 in scoring in each of them while finishing top-10 in Selke voting pretty much every year as well (as high as 3rd in 2001).
Was a huge contributor on teams that made long playoff runs in 1999 and 2000, leading the league in playoff assists both years, and leading a Cup champion in scoring in both regular season and playoffs in 1999.
And he was always just a treat to watch, one of the finest skaters ever to play the game who was a force carrying the puck through the neutral zone.
Sure-fire HHOFer, in my mind.
Big Phil
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You hit the nail on the head. He was a very nice player. He made you always want more though. When he hit 80 points (which he always did) you thought he should have hit 90-100. He had the size, the speed, the vision and the moves to be one of the best ever IMO. But he left you thirsting for more. Yeah I know he turned into a better two way player in Dallas but that also hurt his numbers and you wish he was sitll like a Gilmour where he was great defensively but still dynamite offensively. It just never happened to that extent with Modano. His top point total is 93. To tell you the truth that should have been his average not his peak
Not to go off topic, but does anyone else ever have any issues when Modano is listed as a top 5 american player, while Jeremy Roenick gets shafted alot? There was a time when I thought he was overrated...but now he rarely gets any dap for being a guy that really was a tremendous player.
Stephen
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Being one of the all time great Americans isn't really something to be ashamed of. He's certainly not in a class with Lemieux and Gretzky, and he's a notch or two below Sakic, Yzerman or Forsberg as dominant centers of that generation, but he's right there with guys like Sundin and Fedorov and a clear step or two ahead of guys who had "nice" careers like a Doug Weight.
Stephen
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I know what you mean. Roenick was a higher impact player in his early 20s before he started slowing down with the injuries and moving to Phoenix. Modano had more of a Sundin type career where he just kept an even keel production-wise. Modano was also more important as a two way player than Roenick. Modano got all the credit for becoming a sort of Yzerman type two way guy whereas you never got that with Roenick.
norrisnick
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Maybe Sundin, but Fedorov is a very solid step up. Sergei had a stretch (admittedly short) where he was considered the best player in the game. Sundin and Modano never had that kind of stretch.
TheDevilMadeMe
Registered User
Fedorov is in another class, too.
Modano is like Sundin - a star, but not a superstar like the 4 centers of Detroit and Colorado.
Strangely enough, i always consider Modano like Sundin in terms of production.
Stephen
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Fedorov had a very brief peak which I'm not sure makes him better than Sundin or Modano, who maintained a higher level of production than Fedorov for much longer. His peak was as brief as Markus Naslund's, and for the rest of the time he was great, but not in the class of Sakic and Yzerman and Forsberg. Fedorov had more success on the Wings, but Modano and Sundin meant more to their franchises. I don't think there's any point in time after 1994 that a Sundin for Fedorov or a Modano for Fedorov wouldn't have been a pretty even trade, and as time passes, it becomes more lopsided against Fedorov simply because his offense wasn't there.
Dark Shadows
Registered User
I disagree. Fedorov's peak was longer than Naslund's, and Fedorov, while his regular season numbers dropped(Whether due to Dead puck Era, or, IMO, lack of Effort in the regular season), his playoff numbers were always stellar and his defensive play was always top notch. 5 times he was a top 4 for the Selke, twice winning it, and once runner up by a slim margin.
Between 1991 and 1996, his regular season play was stellar. His playoff play however was exceptional even beyond those years.
Fedorov has 4 consecutive 20+ point playoffs, and another 19 point playoff during another cup run.
Here is the kicker. Despite the many talented clutch players he played with, in the 13 years he played with Detroit, he led the team in playoff scoring 8 times, was 2nd in scoring 4 times, and had one 4th place finish in playoff scoring. Top 2 in playoff scoring for 12 of the 13 years he played with the wings and he was a key playoff performer in 3 of their cup wins.
His play in recent years has fallen a notch, but he still is a level above anything Modano or Sundin have ever done. Sundin himself is a slight bit ahead of Modano, but not by much. Fedorov however has a healthy gap lead ahead of them.
Fedorov is kind of an annoying case because he had the skills to be a top 50 all time player, but for his dismal regular season effort and contract disputes.
In fact, I hate defending Fedorov because I despise him as a player, but I would take his best 5 years over Sundin's or Modano's in a heartbeat. His best 10 playoff years over either of them as well.
Some of Roenicks slowing down also coincidided with lower scoring league wide, he still had a bunch of years near a PPG in scoring doing so while playing a hardnosed, gritty game. He gets a bit of the chelios treatment where people remember the end of his career more than the great things he did.
Dark Shadows
Registered User
Indeed. Roenick was also an underrated two way player. His peak exceeds that of Modano, despite his consistency/Longevity being slightly below. He also played for a fairly weak Phoenix team for several years after his injuries piled a bit.
Playoffs between the two are a wash. Roenick is a clutch player, and so is Modano, albeit both are slightly below Sundin in this regard.
Kyle McMahon
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- May 10, 2006
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I've thought of Modano as generally underrated by the knowledgable hockey community. Modano had superb hockey sense, defensive awareness, and game-breaking offensive ability, there's really nothing not to like. Unlike Fedorov, he didn't simply show up when he felt like it (which in Fedorov's case, wasn't very often post-1997).
As an Edmonton fan who's team went up against Modano's numerous times in the playoffs, I can tell you that I was terrified any time he was on the ice. Moreso than any other player that my team has gone up against. He was a threat on every single shift. Maybe I'm a biased sample to use, since Modano victimized my team so many times, but there's very few players I ever remember sitting there for their entire shift just thinking "please get off the ice!", and breathing a sigh of releif when they did.
As an Edmonton fan who's team went up against Modano's numerous times in the playoffs, I can tell you that I was terrified any time he was on the ice. Moreso than any other player that my team has gone up against. He was a threat on every single shift. Maybe I'm a biased sample to use, since Modano victimized my team so many times, but there's very few players I ever remember sitting there for their entire shift just thinking "please get off the ice!", and breathing a sigh of releif when they did.
MyDogSparty
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Like Fedorov, his skating ability was something to really appreciate. He's so smooth with his long stride that it makes skating look effortless. His crossover technique is so fundamentally sound and quick that it should be shown to young skaters on tape. It gave him his explosive speed.
He's the most dynamic and gifted player to ever come out of the US hockey system and at his age is still putting up respectable numbers.
I find the treatment of Roenick vs. Rod Brind'Amour fascinating.
Drafted the same year, rookies the same year, and for 14 of their first 15 respective seasons prior to the 2004-05 lockout Roenick was the better player. But Brind'Amour has a three-season revival while Roenick goes downhill, and right now I think most people would give Brind'Amour an advantage in terms of HHOF chances. Just bizarre to me.
Because it was at the height of the dead-puck era and the numbers don't look nearly as impressive as his 100-point seasons, Roenick doesn't get nearly enough credit for his years in Phoenix from 1998-2001. Especially the 1999-2000 season - I don't think many people realize he was 11th in scoring that year despite missing time due to injury ... if he doesn't get hurt, he's probably top-5 in scoring.
