Mike Modano will fly up to Detroit today to formally meet with Red Wings management face to face to discuss his future, according to Mike Heika.
Modano said he still is pondering retirement, but that he would like to see if there is a chance to extend his career. "It's a big decision, and I know it would be for them too, so we'll talk about it and see if this works for both sides,'' he said. "I'm excited. I'm looking forward to hearing what they think.'' As you know, the Red Wings have been courting the Livonia, Michigan native ever since free agency opened up last week. So it appears that it's either playing with a winged wheel on his chest next season or sitting in an office in Frisco with a suit and tie in the Stars front office, right? Well, not quite.
George Malik perused the Innerwebs today and stumbled across this nugget from David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. I asked Modano if a team such as the Hawks that had undergone such dramatic change in chemistry could benefit from the veteran leadership his presence may provide. His response illustrated the player serving as his own agent this go-around may need some tips selling his strengths. You may recall that after the locks were broken by the NHL on the lockout and free agency opened, the Blackhawks went after Mo really hard. In fact, Modano actually rejected a contract offer by then Stars GM Doug Armstrong and it appeared he was headed out of town before Tom Hicks stepped in, soothed some nerves, and convinced Modano to return to Dallas. But how close were the Blackhawks to prying the all time US born leading goal scorer and point scorer in hockey history? "It was really close," Modano recalled in a phone interview about the time in 2005 he nearly became a Blackhawk. "If (Stars owner) Tom Hicks didn't step in with a better offer I was ready to get on a plane to Chicago and meet with (former Blackhawks general manager) Dale (Tallon) face to face. In hindsight, you kind of look at that decision a little differently now."
"Because of the strides they made, the younger players on the Hawks now know what it takes to win. My situation there, I don't know if there needs to be any more examples set how to do that," Modano said.
That's as humble as you will hear a future Hall of Famer in any sport.