Detroit Red Wings' veteran Mike Modano eyes retirement in near future –NHL offseason Update
At 41-year-olds, Mike Modano, the Detroit Red Wings veteran centre player, had not announced his retirement when the regular season ended, or even a sign that he felt about calling it quits. On Thursday, during an interview with a Dallas radio station, the
former first pick expressed his confusion in whether to continue or not.
"I don't know", Modano said Thursday when asked about his playing future by Dallas radio station 1310 AM, adding that he had also not been training. "I think that was the swan song".
Modano, a first overall pick during round-one of the 1988 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by the then Minnesota North Stars, faced a near season and career ending injury last season near the end of November in Columbus against Blue Jackets. The
veteran sustained an arm injury which resulted in three severed tendons and a nerve in his right arm.
He managed to participate in only 40 games in which he scored a career low, 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists), as he made a surprise comeback after three months in March.
Not being in the line-up for a number of months ultimately resulted in his near non-existent performance in the heated 2011 NHL Playoffs.
"When I came back in March, there's the heated race for the playoffs, the lineup is almost solidified", Modano said. "And (Wings coach Mike) Babcock is pretty hard-headed when he likes something and it works. It's very hard to change his mind. So I knew
I was going to be the odd-man out for the playoffs".
According to the legendary Livonia, Missouri, United States native, his 22nd NHL season will be with Detroit Red Wings, or else it will be the end of him.
Boasting one of the greatest NHL records of all time, Mike Modano has played 1,499 major league games with teams like Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars and Detroit, in which he scored a whopping 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists).
His record places him 23rd and 22nd on the all-time NHL list for goals and points, respectively.
Finishing off his interview with the local Dallas city radio station, Modano hinted at announcing his retirement in a couple of weeks, which has certainly caught his fans off guard.
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