Modano's modesty rewarded

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2007 | by Kevin Allen

The irony of Mike Modano's rise to the cusp of the record for U.S.-born NHL scorers is that the Dallas Stars center's journey began on the Canadian plains.

In 1986, when Modano was 16, he left his Westland, Mich., home to play in Saskatchewan for the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League. The Canadian major junior league is known for producing as many NHL tough guys as scoring sensations.

"It's freezing cold in Prince Albert. When you go there you are going there for hockey," says Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, then an NHL scout. "He was going to a small town in Saskatchewan and to a league known for long bus rides and lots of physical play. That's the commitment he had to play hockey."

Modano says he also endured...