31 replies to this topic

[VM1138]

Has anyone else become really annoyed by Mike Modano? Aside from the off-season drama last year, and his lackluster play this year, combined with his "I don't think I have the fire to play in the playoffs" statement BEFORE they started, this latest development just makes me chuckle at his complete lack of heart.

He is apparently considering playing another season, but the Wings won't resign him. But his attitude is "Well, if someone offers I guess I'll play, otherwise I'll quit." Gee, who wouldn't be lining up to sign a guy who really doesn't appear to care if he plays again or not? Why doesn't he just retire if he's so ambivalent about the whole thing?

http://www.freep.com...8/1053/sports05

EDIT: I'm not saying he's always lacked heart, just that last season and this new development really makes him look lazy.

Edited by VM1138, 09 June 2011 - 10:37 AM.

[Hatethedrake!]

Has anyone else become really annoyed by Mike Modano? Aside from the off-season drama last year, and his lackluster play this year, combined with his "I don't think I have the fire to play in the playoffs" statement BEFORE they started, this latest development just makes me chuckle at his complete lack of heart.

He is apparently considering playing another season, but the Wings won't resign him. But his attitude is "Well, if someone offers I guess I'll play, otherwise I'll quit." Gee, who wouldn't be lining up to sign a guy who really doesn't appear to care if he plays again or not? Why doesn't he just retire if he's so ambivalent about the whole thing?

http://www.freep.com...8/1053/sports05

I'll never call a future Hall of Famer as someone who lacks heart. That being said, Modano was never one of my favourite players and I was dead against Holland bringing him to the Wings last summer. I am happy his spot is going to Mursak next season. I can't see any team making him an offer but you never know.

[kipwinger]

I was a little irked by his "I just don't know if I have it in me" attitude all season. I think that's largely the reason Babcock went with Draper as the extra forward when Franzen was down in the playoffs. He's been a great player for a lot of years but if that's how he feels then he'd better just retire.

[stevkrause]

I'll never call a future Hall of Famer as someone who lacks heart. That being said, Modano was never one of my favourite players and I was dead against Holland bringing him to the Wings last summer. I am happy his spot is going to Mursak next season. I can't see any team making him an offer but you never know.

at minimum, I'll bet the Wild offer him a deal, if for no other reason, PR... I still think he'll end up retired when all is said and done however

[SouthernWingsFan]

He's nearing the end of his career, it's hard to be on the fringe in terms of finally deciding to move on and thinking you still have some gas left in the tank to be productive, which honestly I believe Modano could still be given the right role or minutes or whatever. Add to that the crappy luck with his injury and struggling to get back in the swing of things immediately while other players were being productive, it just confused things a little bit more.

Whether you were for or against signing him last season is not my point here. I was happy the Wings signed him but if you weren't, cool. There were definitely reasons against signing him but that's not what I want to get into.

I don't think it is lack of heart or drama. Just basically being open about what his thoughts were and not even close to playing the woe is me card or saying I should've or could've played more down the stretch or whatever. More just of a natural frustration than anything I think at the general situation about the freak injury, etc. I don't think he's blaming anybody or making excuses and what not.

Could he have thrived more in a few more games in the playoffs? Perhaps so. Would it have been nice to see it happen? Sure. We'll never know. Him not playing more or what he is saying is not lack of heart, it's just simply he's trying to figure things out if and if it is time to end this part of his career, nothing more or less.

Personally, I was a Modano supporter and would've liked to see him play more, but I'm not going to go on a rant that him not playing as much wasn't fair or if he would've played the Wings might've won stance, that's stupid. I wish he could've gotten a few more games but I get why he wasn't in as much, support the team first, etc. etc.

[CaliWingsNut]

PLEASE let someone else waste their cap money on him.

[kipwinger]

He's nearing the end of his career, it's hard to be on the fringe in terms of finally deciding to move on and thinking you still have some gas left in the tank to be productive, which honestly I believe Modano could still be given the right role or minutes or whatever. Add to that the crappy luck with his injury and struggling to get back in the swing of things immediately while other players were being productive, it just confused things a little bit more.

Whether you were for or against signing him last season is not my point here. I was happy the Wings signed him but if you weren't, cool. There were definitely reasons against signing him but that's not what I want to get into.

I don't think it is lack of heart or drama. Just basically being open about what his thoughts were and not even close to playing the woe is me card or saying I should've or could've played more down the stretch or whatever. More just of a natural frustration than anything I think at the general situation about the freak injury, etc. I don't think he's blaming anybody or making excuses and what not.

Could he have thrived more in a few more games in the playoffs? Perhaps so. Would it have been nice to see it happen? Sure. We'll never know. Him not playing more or what he is saying is not lack of heart, it's just simply he's trying to figure things out if and if it is time to end this part of his career, nothing more or less.

Personally, I was a Modano supporter and would've liked to see him play more, but I'm not going to go on a rant that him not playing as much wasn't fair or if he would've played the Wings might've won stance, that's stupid. I wish he could've gotten a few more games but I get why he wasn't in as much, support the team first, etc. etc.

I was happy with the Wings signing him too, I liked it in theory. I just think that there's a time and a place to say things like what he was saying, and to do it the way he did doesn't really make a coach feel real good about playing him in the playoffs when it matters. I don't want to say it's a lack of heart, but when you feel like maybe the will to play isn't there anymore, then it's probably time to quit.

[SouthernWingsFan]

I was happy with the Wings signing him too, I liked it in theory. I just think that there's a time and a place to say things like what he was saying, and to do it the way he did doesn't really make a coach feel real good about playing him in the playoffs when it matters. I don't want to say it's a lack of heart, but when you feel like maybe the will to play isn't there anymore, then it's probably time to quit.

Right right. Could he have not talked about it in public? Sure. Who knows if that itself cost him time down the stretch. But I highly doubt it was a situation that "had to be dealt with" or messed up locker room morale or overall team psyche or whatever. You could certainly interpret it as a lack of heart, but I think that's a bit much, especially given that the two playoff games he was in, he was pretty good (not superstar awesome by any stretch of the imagination, but not lazy either). Again just more general/natural frustration to me as opposed to lack of heart or blaming things or people.

Edited by SouthernWingsFan, 09 June 2011 - 11:31 AM.

[kipwinger]

Right right. Could he have not talked about it in public? Sure. Who knows if that itself cost him time down the stretch. But I highly doubt it was a situation that "had to be dealt with" or messed up locker room morale or overall team psyche or whatever. You could certainly interpret it as a lack of heart, but I think that's a bit much, especially given that the two playoff games he was in, he was pretty good (not superstar awesome by any stretch of the imagination, but not lazy either). Again just more general frustration to me as opposed to lack of heart or blaming things or people.

I completely agree. I thought we was pretty good in those playoff games as well, which is why I couldn't understand why he didn't play in more once Franzen was pretty obviously rendered ineffective. The only thing that I can think of (considering nothing ever came out) was that Babcock thought he just couldn't do it, or just couldn't keep doing it. And certainly the comments couldn't have helped reassure him. Again, I don't know if that's what really happened, but for some reason they didn't feel confident playing him in those games, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why.

[xtrememachine1]

I think he's really depressed about how things turned out. He was excited to join his hometown team and then scores a goal on his first shift with the Wings. He had to be absolutely thrilled, but he struggled to get chemistry with his linemates (Hudler's really slow start didn't help), he gets injured, misses most of the year, fights to get a spot in the lineup, basically doesn't play during the playoffs despite all the injuries. He was expecting to make one good solid run at a championship with the Wings, a proven winner and wanted to go down swinging. If he wins, great, if not, he gave it his all. That didn't happen. He barely played, didn't get an opportunity to give it his all and went out while sitting in the press box. He's proud guy and I think he's just really depressed about how the past year went for him and how he'll never get another shot like that one again.

[Konnan511]

I feel for the guy. Freak injury plus being benched in the playoffs when he should have been playing, I understand his emotional pitfall.

[CaliWingsNut]

I feel for the guy. Freak injury plus being benched in the playoffs when he should have been playing, I understand his emotional pitfall.

You seriously think someone who came out in the local paper and said his heart wasn't in it, also coming back from being injured half the season should have been playing still? The only people I recall calling for him to play were quoting stats he had with Dallas against SJ, like it would be the same.

[Konnan511]

You seriously think someone who came out in the local paper and said his heart wasn't in it, also coming back from being injured half the season should have been playing still? The only people I recall calling for him to play were quoting stats he had with Dallas against SJ, like it would be the same.

Mike Modano: 2GP, 1 point, +1
Hudler: 10 GP, 3 points, -1
Abdelkader: 11GP, -4

He should have been in over Hudler the entire playoffs. He looked fast and smooth out there and a lot better than Hudler.And he didn't take a single penalty in his two games unlike Abdelkader, who seemed to be playing "let's see us kill a powerplay with under five minutes left and us up by one" game.

Edited by Konnan511, 09 June 2011 - 12:07 PM.

[eva unit zero]

but he struggled to get chemistry with his linemates (Hudler's really slow start didn't help)

I know I'll get torn up for this, but everyone on that line was playing poorly, and the Hudler/Modano combination (as I've said before) was about the worst combination you could put together for chemistry because their play styles clashed so much. Hudler started off poorly because he had not been playing in NHL rinks. Modano started off poorly because he wasn't used to the Wings' system (and ultimately, he refused to ever actually play within it) while Cleary seemed to be having serious trouble handling the puck for the first ten or fifteen games (he couldn't receive a pass and when he tried to pass, it was either completely off-target or tumbling end-over-end). Babcock needed to break that line up sooner than he did. The team winning because one line is playing well doesn't mean you can't try and shuffle the other lines to get them all playing well.

[St. Michael (the Red Wing)]

I wouln't be surprised if Minnesota makes him an offer and he takes it.

[Red Wings Addict]

Complete lack of heart? But he's got a great smile and is just a good 'ol fashioned American born kid? Any perceived lack of heart is really just him caring too damn much.

[dobbles]

its funny, stars fans had been saying the same thing for several years. unfortunately most wings fans were too caught up in the local boy comes home to win a cup angle and totally dismissed it. as a wings fan not from detroit, to me the signing made much less sense. the results speak for themselves. and his continued give a crap attitude continues to be apparent.

[Mors]

I'm not saying the Wings should try to re-sign him, but I'm gonna laugh next season if Modano signs somewhere else, puts up 30 points, and the Wings end up pissing away another million on Draper.

[VM1138]

I'm not saying the Wings should try to re-sign him, but I'm gonna laugh next season if Modano signs somewhere else, puts up 30 points, and the Wings end up pissing away another million on Draper.

He won't. Even when he wasn't playing terribly, he's not an impact player anymore. The Wings were his best shot at re-establishing himself, and he blew it. Yeah, the injury was bad timing, but he had plenty of time to get into a groove and while he didn't play horribly, he didn't play well, either. He hardly ever made an impact. And I hate when people bring up his one point in two games. That's way too small of a sample to compare to Hudler or anyone else. There was nothing to indicate he had a higher level, unlike Hudler who, while disappointing, still had a lot of us seeing his potential.

[cusimano_brothers]

Al Sobotka made better use of his ice time last season than Modano did.