In the "we all saw this one coming" news category, Red Wings forward Mike Modano officially retired from the NHL after spending 22 seasons in the league, including this last one with Detroit.
↵Modano leaves the game as the all-time scoring leader among American-born players, having played 21 of his seasons with the Dallas Stars franchise. Modano was the first overall pick in 1988 by the Minnesota North Stars, who moved to Texas in 1993. Modano made the announcement from Dallas, where he won his lone Stanley Cup in 1999:
↵↵↵"I took a long time this summer to make sure, and I'm sure," he said from Dallas, where he starred for 21 of those 22 seasons. "I can't believe how fast it all went. Just a blur. But you want to exhaust everything mentally and physically, and I think I have. It's the right time."
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Modano, a Michigan native, signed with his hometown Red Wings last year after Dallas decided not to offer their all-time leading scorer a contract. His career in Motown never got going really, suffering a severed tendon last November that forced him to miss much of the season.
↵Modano finishes his NHL career with 561 goals and 813 assists. He retires nearly 500 points better than the next nearest player in Stars scoring history.
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