In March 2024, the Dallas Stars will unveil a statue in honor of franchise icon Mike Modano. Modano is the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history. He won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and played for the organization for 20 years. On Monday, the announcement of this honor drew a reaction from Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki himself has a statue thanks to his on-court contributions to the Mavs and the city of Dallas. The Mavs unveiled the statue last Christmas ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
For Modano, this latest honor goes along with his jersey retirement in 2014. The Stars signed Modano on Christmas Day 1989, and he remained with the organization until the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. With Dallas, he played 1459 games, scoring 557 goals and 1359 points.
Modano left Dallas in 2010-11 as the team declined to renew his contract. The Hockey Hall of Famer decided to go home for the final season of his career. He signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2010.
Modano's homecoming wasn't exactly spectacular. The then 40-year-old played just 40 games, scoring four goals and 15 points for the Winged Wheel. He retired in September 2011, signing a one-day contract to retire with the Stars. In 2014, he received his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Of course, Nowitzki has a rather similar legacy in Dallas himself. The Mavs legend is the team's all-time leader in games, points, and blocks. Furthermore, he was a 14-time NBA All-Star and the MVP of the league in 2006-07. In 2011, months before Modano retired, Nowitzki and the Mavs won the NBA Finals.
The Stars will unveil Modano's statue on March 16, 2024, ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Kings. It certainly looks like it'll be a special night for Dallas sports and the city as a whole.
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