“The opportunity to win is always something you're chasing when you're older,'' Modano said. “Quite frankly, if I didn't have a chance to win I probably wouldn't have come. I was finished and retired. At this stage you want to have fun, you want to win. The last few years were draining and we weren't as successful as we had hoped in Dallas. Obviously the opportunity to play with world-class players and this team changed that. If Detroit didn't come calling, I'd be done. The experiences other players had here and talking to them, it just all added up.''
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I thought I was emotionally and mentally finished with the game after last year,'' Modano said. “I think the last little while in Dallas has taken a toll on me in those aspects.“Coming here to visit with these guys and talk to them certainly does get you excited about the opportunity you have here. The talent and the players they have here, and of course, the organization, the way they're operated. I'm just elated. I think it's exciting to come home. Obviously I'm probably going to be as nervous as I've been in years. The opportunity I have to play in front of my parents, and if this is obviously my last year playing, they have an opportunity to see a lot of games with a lot of friends and family locally. I'll have some high expectations, that's where the nervousness will come. Hopefully we can live up to the hype.''