Retiring Nine: The Schedule and Logistics for Mike Modano's Jersey Retirement

With the NHL trade deadline now behind the Dallas Stars and a new backup goalie safely acquired, it's time to turn our attention to the next big event of the season - the retirement of Mike Modano's No. 9 jersey.

We will have lots more on this tomorrow and throughout the weekend, but today we're just going to cover the logistics to help those of you (such as yours truly) who might be traveling to Dallas for the weekend and be away from your computer tomorrow.

First of all, for those of you who weren't able to score tickets or can't get yourself to Dallas for the event, the jersey retirement ceremony will be aired live locally on Fox Sports Southwest as well as nationally on the NHL Network. The ceremony will start precisely at 6 p.m. central time, so set your DVRs and grab your box of tissues.

If you are going to be at the American Airlines Center for the event, there are a number of things to keep in mind.

First, this is a three part event. The afternoon will start with the arrival event/"Green Carpet" ceremony as the Stars welcome the special guests invited for the ceremony from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the plaza in front of the AAC.

The ceremony itself will begin at promptly 6 p.m., and if the amount of rehearsal time the Star have spent is any indication, it's going to b a doozy. The Stars are recommending everyone attempt to be in their seats by 5:45 p.m. or so to make sure they don't miss anything.

Speaking of being there early, the Stars are also heavily recommending people attending the ceremony arrive at the AAC no later than 5 p.m. if they aren't planning on attending the arrival event or 4-4:15 p.m. if they are. The parking garages will open at 4 p.m., and traffic is expected to be a bit of a mess. For those of you who have fought to get out of that area of town on nights like New Year's Eve, you know exactly how bad it can get. Plus the earlier you get there, the earlier you can start hunting down all the giveaways.

And then there's that little thing called a game because, you know, playoff race. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. against Star-killer Matt Moulson and the Minnesota Wild.

If you're looking for a commemorative item, there is a new book detailing Modano's career called Nine. It's a touch expensive at $40, but it looks pretty comprehensive and interesting in terms of content. You can find information about the book here.

As far as Defending Big D goes, we obviously have our group going thanks to the organizational work this summer from Trevor and a big assist from ticket rep D'Ann. Because of the crowded schedule and likely extremely busy foot traffic around the AAC, we're not going to try and arrange any official meets around the events. At least five members of our staff will be there, however - Brad, Brandon, Taylor, Trevor and myself - so don't be afraid to look for us.

If you guys wanted to arrange anything informal or have any questions about the logistics, feel free to use the comments below to hash out all the details. And we will see y'all downtown on Saturday.