Raiders’ surge this year caught the attention of team legend Modano

“Then you saw the rankings come out in the Canadian Hockey League, they were one or two all seven months of the season. They created a buzz and excitement, especially for the alumni guys. They commented throughout the season on how [the Raiders] were doing, it wasn’t just me.”

Another attention grabber for Modano was how one of the team records he was involved with was broken.

Back on Feb. 25, 1987 during a game in Brandon, Wade Bucsis, Modano and Pat Elyniuk all scored within 22 seconds of each other and figured that record would be safe. And it was safe for 31 years, seven months and five days, until Justin Nachbaur, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Parker Kelly all scored within 16 seconds of each other on Sept. 30 this season against the Saskatoon Blades.

“For a long time, we thought that number would never be touched,” Modano said. “I had a message from Patty Elyniuk when they did break it, he thought too that was one the two of us would have for a long time. We kidded about it.”

Modano’s time with the Raiders was one of the best in team history. He ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 294 points despite being ranked 102 in games played (176) from his time with the Raiders from 1986-89. In that time, Modano was drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 draft and went on to become the highest-scoring American-born player in NHL history and a first-ballot hall of famer.

But one of the most interesting Raiders’ tidbits was how Modano ended up in Prince Albert in the first place.

Modano grew up in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. But yet, he ended up reporting to a major junior hockey team 2,629 kilometres away.

Back when Modano was 15, he had a verbal agreement to join to the Hull Olympiques (now Gatineau Olympiques), who were going to draft him in the QMJHL draft. But they decided to go in a different direction at the last second. With the OHL having their draft on the same day, that left Modano without a junior team to join. And seeing as he just finished his first year of midget, it was too early for NCAA teams to think about recruitment.

That’s when then-Raiders coach Rick Wilson picked up the phone and made one of the most important calls in Raiders’ history. He called the Modanos and invited the young, brace-faced Michael to camp. Emanuel Viveiro and Dave Manson, the second Raider to get his jersey retired by the team, also called Modano to try and ‘recruit’ him to the team.

Despite their assurances, Modano and his family were still a little hesitant.

“We took a look at the globe. Drawing a line from Detroit to P.A. is quite the long line, and it goes north very quickly,” Modano said. “I felt there was going to be an adjustment going to a small town, but I think the one thing I had in my favour was being 15 or 16. I wasn’t well-travelled obviously at that point, so I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t getting a culture shock when I got there, I think it helped being so young and naïve to the world.”

Eventually, Modano made the decision to report to the Raiders, and even stuck around in the off-season.

“I just wanted to go somewhere to play and felt like the timing was good. I packed my bag like I was going to stay, and Rick’s like ‘if you don’t like it, we’ll get you a ticket to head home.’ The rest is history,” Modano said. “I came up there and loved it the moment I got off the plane and got there. I ended up spending my summers up there with a lot of friends and spending times up north in cabins at the lake. I just fell in love with it, the moment I got there.”

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

by Jeff D'Andrea and Trevor Redden

Raiders’ surge this year caught the attention of team legend Modano

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