For someone from NJ that graduated high school in 1983 and grew up watching Modano enter the NHL, I loved this interview. Following mostly East Coast teams such as the Devils, Flyers, and Rangers, I always had respect for guys like Modano, Yzerman, and Sakic out West...and you too, Luds!! I wish some of my best friends that are no longer with me could be here to enjoy these interviews, but in another sense,, we lived through em!!! Thanks, Luds for letting me relive my youth!! Love these interviews !!!

My interpretation of the crease rule: You could go into the crease if the puck was loose OR if you were in possession of the puck. Hull was in possession of the puck when he first entered the crease. Hasek poked it loose, and as Mo explained, he turned with his skates coming out, then went back in after the loose puck. Absolutely a good goal.

When i was in my teens, one of my aspirations was to either become a famous musician or play baseball or hockey but was too sick to do so. I always felt held back from reaching my potential. So I got to, in a way, kind of live it through others I looked up to by cheering others on who could. Any dreams I personally had were cut off, so like I said, I always looked up to those who were able to reach their goals and became successful like you and Mike. I was always a hockey fan from when I was knee high as far as I can remember. Particular honed in on Modano. I used to go to the Regina Pats games and one year at one of the games between the Regina Pats and P.A.Raiders, I couldn't help but notice this tall center standing out, that being Mike Modano, who I said to my friend sitting beside me at the games after seeing Mike constantly split through the defense, I said, "That guy is going to make it for damn sure!" Months later I see Mike Modano in the newspaper drafted by the Minnesota North Stars. It was from that moment on, I followed his career right to the end even while he was in Dallas and went to many of the games even when I was sick getting treatment in Dallas having access to the bus to get to American Airlines arena.. Sometimes i got tickets even just a few rows behind the Dallas bench, seeing Brendan Morrow and Mike Modano and guys like Daley and Robiero up close, and I even got one of my nurses to drop me off to the Dr. Pepper arena to watch a Dallas Stars practice. I even wrote a letter to Mike Modano to personally commend him just tell him how much I looked up to him and the whole team and that I was a huge fan of his since his days in Prince Albert. Then just the other night, I was watching his retirement ceremony from 2014 that I hadn't ever seen before of Mike in tears as he thanked so many influential people throughout his career, and thought how nice it would have been to actually have met him personally to actually thank him! So as he was calling out the names of those that helped him through his career, he mentioned Dave. It was at that point I started crying because I heard on the news about his brother Brad Tippett. I remember Brad at all the Pats games when he coached there. I also didn't realize he was born in Moosmin close to me. I would have loved to have met Mike. I'm now 56 and obviously my years left are numbered. Was one of my hopes and dreams to tell him in person how much I marvelled his tremendous athleticism. My father when he was alive had an emergency bypass surgery in June of 1999. That was just when Dallas was headed to the Stanley Cup against the Buffalo Sabres. Prior to my father admitted to emergency forvan emergency bypass surgery, my father had been watching the playoff finals between Colorado and Dallas and was a huge Claude Lemieux fan. He admired his feistiness. But Dad and I we were on opposite sides. I was on Dallas, and my dad was on Colorado. Of course my dad went to school in Colorado so maybe that was the connection there. One thing that crushes my heart is my father never got to see the Stanley Cup final win when Dallas won it all. I wanted to tell him in the hospital but he never got to know. He died about 25 days while in hospital having bled out and I hoped to see his face again, but he never made it. I also wanted to tell him that the Dallas Stars won the cup and show him the winning goal.

Loved it

Modano picking Minnesota over Dallas is telling.

LUDS! Please get Gainey on the podcast! Your Stars interviews are the very best. Keep up the great work!