Frisco, TX – The Dallas Stars signed veteran forward Mike day contract Thursday, in anticipation of his retirement as a member of the franchise.
The price of the brief deal is $999,999.
On Wednesday, Modano made the announcement that he decided to hang up the skates after 21 NHL seasons via Facebook. He is still scheduled to make his retirement official at a Friday press conference.
"This is a special day for all of us," said Stars general manager and former Modano teammate Joe Nieuwendyk. "Mike Modano will always be the face of this franchise. He means so much to our organization and all of our fans. We wanted to give him the opportunity to retire as a Dallas Star. Mike has given his heart and soul to this game for over 30 years. On behalf of the entire organization and the National Hockey League, we would like to thank him for his dedication."
Modano spent his first 20 seasons with the Dallas/Minnesota franchise after the club made him the top overall pick of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. The Michigan native then went to play for the Detroit Red Wings last year.
In just 40 games during the 2010-11 campaign, Modano scored four goals and added 11 assists.
The 41-year-old veteran is the all-time leading scorer among American-born players with 561 goals and 1,374 points. He helped the Stars win their only Stanley Cup title in the spring of 1999.
Modano holds numerous Stars records, including 1,459 games played, 557 goals and 1,359 points. He also has the most 30-goal seasons in club history with nine, reaching 50 goals for the only time during the 1993-94 campaign.
In addition, he is also the club's all-time leader in postseason goals (58), assists (87) and points (145) in 174 playoff games.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.