You've read this article before. Maybe not this one but another just like it. Aging star, playing hockey well beyond his prime, should have hung them up years ago, athletes like to go out on top, yada yada yada.
Why do we do this? Why do we care if Mike Modano isn't as good as he was ten years ago but still loves playing hockey? His stat line for last year is 14G 16A -6 in 59GP. Make no doubt about it, he's still good enough to play in the show.
The greatest argument against aging stars is tarnishing their legacy. It's kind of ridiculous to think that his 557 regular season goals(24th all time) and 1359pts(23rd) are tarnished because at 40 yrs old he's "only" a good third line center. If Mike Modano plays again next year it's because he (and who ever signs him) think that he can still help a team win. He's the highest scoring American born player in NHL history and he's not ready to play rec hockey. That should enhance his legacy.
Note: There is one exception courtesy of my friend Mike, when athletes continue to play well past their prime because they wasted their money....that shit is sad.
The real problem with the older players is that they don't adapt to change. If Modano could play a defensive roll as a third line center should, then keep him around. The point production is good but the -6 is not. For arguement's sake we will say that none of Modano's points were scored on special teams. Since power play points don't count against a player's +/- then Modano was on the ice for 30 goals for Dallas and 36 goals against. This tells an observer that he or his linemates are not doing the job of the third line, to keep the puck out of the net. The third and fourth lines are on the ice to provide a rest for the talented players on the first two lines. Any offensive production is a bonus, but any goals scored against the line is a major breakdown. His style of play says he should remain on the second line wherever he may end up because he can't change his offense first mentality.
ReplyDeleteBecause I have only ever received one comment I will respond to it directly.
ReplyDeleteLooking at +/- in a vacuum is dangerous. For starters Dallas missed the playoffs and likely isn't a + team when it comes to goal differential. It's entirely possible that -6 is a fairly good goal differential on a shitty team. There are many other factors such as strength of oppostion, strength of linemates, offensive zone starts, etc. There are advanced stats like Corsi and shit that try to factor these things in but none of this really matters.
I don't care if nobody wants to sign Modano and he's forced to retire. I just don't like when media and fans tell a player to quit because he's not what he used to be. If he can't get a job that's a different story but I doubt that would be the case with Madano and I sampled his last year points to show that.
I don't care about Modano either, he is past his prime and can and should be replaced with someone younger. Did Dallas suck because of Modano, probably not. Did they suck because of Turco, probably not. Will they make the playoffs next season without both of them, probably not.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct about all of the other factors. I was just trying to make the point of third liners needing to have a defense first mentality and Modano will not do that. Small things would need to change in his game, he would need to stay high in the slot in the offensive zone and down low in the defensive zone and make sure the puck clears the zone. It was the same thing with Messier back in the day.