Catching up with Raiders legend Mike Modano

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In the one year between the Memorial Cup win and Modano’s arrival, the Raiders lost out of the playoffs int he second round. Still, even though it was a year removed from the Memorial Cup and some big names had moved on, Modano said he remembered there was still that pride and expectation lingering around from the championship year. 

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“I guess there was a little bit. They lost a lot of players from that particular year, so everybody kind of moved on, Manny Viveiros, Dave Manson, and a few other guys, Ken Baumgartner, guys that were really tough, but very cemented guys in that team, and very quality role guys. So they lost a little bit there and so I didn’t sense too much pressure to kind of repeat, but I think in the back of everybody’s mind, they thought that should be able to make a decent run at it.” 

Modano’s career as a Raider had some crossover with what the 2026 Raiders are going through now. In his first year in 1986-87, Modano was part of the second ever playoff series between the Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades. The Raiders had swept the Blades the year prior to Modano joining, and the Blades swept the Raiders right back in 1987.  

Facing off with the likes of Todd McLellan, Kelly Chase, and Kevin Kaminski on the Blades side of the ice, Modano said that the first rumblings of the Raiders and Blades rivalry were felt on the ice that year. 

“The old Saskatoon building was quite the building. I mean, it was just an old, rickety wooden barn and the fans were like right behind Rick (Wilson) and our bench, so they were right on top of us. There was really no separation from the fans whatsoever behind us. So it was just real tough, intimate, physical. They had Tony Twist, Kelly Chase, Kevin Kaminski. It was just a brutal game against those guys all the time, and rightfully so. Geographically, just an hour and a half down the road, it’s been a constant boil for all those years, and it was always a tough matchup, and it made for good watching and fans loved it. It was just almost a bit of a battle royal when we played those guys.” 

However, Modano’s most intense playoff series as a member of the Raiders came next season in 1987-88, where they met up with Canucks legend Trevor Linden and the Medicine Hat Tigers. That series was won by the Tigers in six games, but Modano remembers it being a dog fight from start to finish. 

“It was always a little bit of a collision course going against those guys. They just had a just a phenomenal lineup, I think they had maybe seven or eight first rounders the following year after Trevor’s year with Wayne McBean and Scott McCrady, Mark Pederson, Neil Brady, I think Robbie DiMaio was there, Mark Fitzpatrick was in net, obviously and Trevor, just a solid lineup top to bottom. They were just very tough, and they played well in their building. Another proud, ruckus crowd in Medicine Hat with the fan base there, so it made it tough to win in that building. But nonetheless, it made for some good, great playoff hockey that, you know, we all remember very well.” 

Modano also has another connection to the current Raiders through one of his opponents. In the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals, Modano and his Dallas Stars were looking to become back-to-back champions, and Modano finished second in playoff scoring behind his teammate Brett Hull. 

Unfortunately for Modano, he ran into another former Prince Albert Raider in Steve Kelly and the New Jersey Devils, and the Devils would go on to win the Cup in six games. Steve Kelly is the father of current Raider Benett Kelly. 

“I do remember Steve, and Jersey just was a really good team. They all played very similar, they were a hard-fought, hard-nosed team. They didn’t really give up too much space and time on the ice, they were just hard to play against, and Steve was a big contributor to that. It was one of those finals you like to have back because we didn’t have a good start to it, and we were trying to play catch-up after game one and game two, and we just never got back. Yeah, that’s one that I wish we could have had a do-over on.” 

Of course you can’t talk about the time Modano spent here in Prince Albert without talking about the family that housed him and the Ring family. During his 2013 jersey retirement, Modano got teary-eyed talking about the impact Carole and Ralph had on him as a young man.  

“She didn’t play any favourites. She held all the kids accountable. We had to do our chores and we had to fend for ourselves in the kitchen, but she was an amazing chef, amazing cook, and made some great food, snacks, treats, and desserts. It was just a great spot. I ended up spending my summers there and they had a great pool in the backyard, we’d be out there barbecuing and hanging out. I just loved it.” 

Modano also gave credit to his head coach Rick Wilson once again for recognizing that the Ring household was where he needed to be. 

Modano still keeps in contact with the Ring family to this day. After Modano left though, another country’s future hockey star would take up his old room when Leon Draisaitl came to the Raiders in 2011-12. 

Mike Modano (left) poses with a young Leon Draisaitl in the Ring household. Although mostly associated with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota North Stars/Wild, Modano spent his final year of his career as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. (Image Credit: Photo Submitted: Marty Ring)

The two would’ve met each other in the 2013 season when Modano’s jersey was retired, and Modano said that since then he does his best to keep in contact with Draisaitl over their shared experience at the Ring household. 

“We’ve chatted a couple times just recently when they come into town in Minnesota. I try to make a point to go down and say hi to him, and I did this last time they were here and got to just catch up a little bit with him. He’s just a great guy, great kid, just salt of the earth too. But I know that was a highly sought after room after the couple of us stayed in it.” 

Modano now holds a senior advisor position with the Minnesota Wild, the same city where he started his NHL career. At the end of the interview, as Modano picked up his kids from school, he sounded excited for the Wild’s playoff run. 

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com