Congratulations to Mike Modano of the Dallas Stars for being the second American-born player to break the 500-goal mark in an NHL career. Mike now trails only Joe Mullen who has 502 career goals, but Mike still has 13 games remaining this season, and possibly many more after that. The 1988 first overall pick of the Minnesota North Stars is also second for most goals by an active player who has played for only one franchise, trailing the great Joe Sakic in that category. But the question asked when watching the highlights of Mike Modano pot his 500th career goal was, "Is Modano the best American-born player ever". Who would challenge Modano for this lofty title? Joe Mullen, Phil Housley, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick? What about Neal Broten or Mike Eruzione? Keith Tkachuk, Gary Suter, Tony Amonte, Brett Hull, Doug Weight, Pat Lafontaine, Brian Leetch, and John Leclair also have to be looked at. This a tough question with all these great players.
I had to narrow it down. The number of Stanley Cups won was a big factor. If the player hasn't won a Cup, they shouldn't be considered "the greatest". That would eliminate Jeremy Roenick, Phil Housley, Keith Tkachuk, Pat Lafonatine, Tony Amonte and Mike Eruzione. Doug Weight will also be included in here because he was only with the Hurricanes for half of a season before moving back to St. Louis.
I also looked at the player's abilities relative to their position. Neal Broten wasn't an offensive catalyst. John Leclair was a good offensive player, but scored most of his goals from inside 20-feet of the net. Phil Housley was an excellent offensive defenseman, but lacked the solid defensive capabilities of his peers. Gary Suter never really had much of an impact after he left the Flames, but was still a solid defenseman. Brett Hull was a pure goal scorer, but had little use for the defensive game until late in his career when he met Ken Hitchcock.
Having eliminated all these players, I am left with Chris Chelios, Joe Mullen, and Mike Modano. Chris Chelios has played at an increasingly-high level as he got older. Joe Mullen was a contributor throughout his career with the Flames and the Penguins. And, of course, Modano has been the leader of the North Stars/Star franchise since the 1989-90 season.
No one can deny what Joe Mullen has accomplished. He has the most goals for an American-born player ever. He won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, and two Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. He topped the 40-goal mark six times in his career, and broke the 50-goal mark in 1988-89 with 51 goals en route to the Stanley Cup with the Flames. He was the first American-born player to break 1000 points. He has won the Lady Byng Trophy twice as the NHL's Most Gentlemanly Player.
Chris Chelios has established himself as one of the premier blueliners of all-time. The three-time Norris Trophy winner is still one of the top defensemen in the game today at age 45. He has won two Stanley Cups as a member of the 1986 Montreal Canadiens and the 2002 Detroit Red Wings. He plays in all key situations at his age today, and rarely takes a shift off.
Mike Modano won a Stanley Cup in 1999 with the Dallas Stars. He hasn't won scoring titles or major NHL awards. His team has been one of the best in the Western Conference over the last ten years. However, he is only the second American-born player to score 500 goals in the NHL, a testament to his offensive abilities. He has also been an excellent two-way player, and seems to be following the same path as the great Steve Yzerman in turning from an offensive threat to a well-rounded, defensively-responsible player.
So who is the greatest? Honestly, I don't think there is an answer without debate. Who would you choose? Let me know in the comment section.
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Every time I think I get closer to finishing the team patches article I want to post, I find a plethora of more patches. It will be completed by the end of the weekend. I promise.
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Lastly, congratulations to two Colorado Avalanche players. Paul Stastny continued with his record-setting rookie scoring streak last night against the Calgary Flames. His 19-game streak is the longest ever by a rookie. He still has the longest points-streak to shoot for, though. Mats Sundin set that record for the Quebec/Colorado franchise at 30 games.
Joe Sakic also took a step up the goal-scoring ladder when he passed Jari Kurri for 16th-place on the NHL career list. Sakic scored his 602nd goal of his career last night against Calgary.
That's all for now. Keep your sticks on the ice!
I found your blog using the "random blog" button. Very nice. I'm always on the lookout for good blogs about hockey.
ReplyDeleteAs for your question of greatest American, that's a tough one. I think you may have dismissed LeClair a little to hastily. Lest we forget that Dino Ciccarelli scored most of his goals within 10 feet of the goal. He was always the one I thought would beat Joey Mullen's record for career goals, but the injuries started to pile up.
Most people discount Brett Hull because he holds dual citizenships in the US and Canada. If his case was more clear cut, my vote would probably be him.
I think Modano's probably the guy. Only 2 seasons under 20 goals. Only 1 season under 30 assists. Consistently good and classy.