June 25, 2007
By DallasStars.com
DallasStars.com was able to catch up with Stars center Mike Modano on Monday to get his thoughts on the summer, his participation in the Reebok 2007 Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game and preparing for the upcoming season among other things in this exclusive Q&A.
DallasStars.com: How did the baseball game go this past weekend?
Modano: "The game benefits the Mike Modano Foundation and the Little Heroes Foundation and all in all it went well. The party on Friday night went great. The Counting Crows were there in concert and they were outstanding. It was great of them to jump out of their tour and come here to perform. It was nice to have them there and was a huge plus for the whole evening. Mark Cuban has been great to have around and has really helped out an awful lot. We had a good crowd in Frisco, the weather was great and we had some very good ball players. All around it was a great time for everybody."
DallasStars.com: What were your thoughts on the two American kids going first and second overall in the draft on Friday?
Modano: "I think it's great. We are starting to see hockey teams and players coming up from all sorts of cities around the U.S. and it really does make you feel proud of the way the country has grown the game of hockey. You also are seeing Canadian kids attending U.S. colleges and playing hockey there so it's pretty exciting to see. I think there are more arenas and there is more access for these kids to play the game and they're going to develop their skills better. The development camps have been great and are a huge positive for the U.S. and are making the play go to a higher level."
DallasStars.com: During the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 30% of the total players selected were from the United States. Is that something that you are proud of, being such a big contributor to USA Hockey as well as growing the game in a market like Dallas?
Modano: "It makes everything worthwhile, from promoting the game to getting more kids involved in the game. Going from my experience from my time down here, kids didn't play the game because there was nowhere to skate and play against competition. Now, they have all these Dr Pepper StarCenters around and hockey arenas that they can go workout in and play against some good competition. They now have the access to develop their games and become genuine prospects for an NHL team. It's a very good start for the country and it's only going to get better and better. It's pretty special that it's the first time in the history of the draft to see 30% of the players come from the United States."
DallasStars.com: What do you want to get out of this off-season?
Modano: "I think it's just continuing what I've been doing the past three or four years with my workouts in the summer. I've changed a lot of things. I think as you get older you become a little smarter with your workouts. People have the misconception that as you get older, you have to do more, but it's more about pacing yourself and you become smarter in your workouts. It's not about beating yourself up over the summer, it's more about staying in shape and taking advantage of your time off."
DallasStars.com: There are still three years left on your contract. Have you put any thought into how long you still might play?
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Q & A with Mike Modano
Q & A with Mike Modano
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