OPINION

By Tracey Myers

updated 1:29 a.m. ET May 6, 2008

Mike Modano peeks through the curtains that separate him and a few Stars teammates from the media dining area. The players are involved in their pregame ritual, an odd makeshift game that blends volleyball and soccer. Modano is spending his "timeouts" fraternizing with the Stars' P.R. staff and traveling media.

"What's for dinner?" he asks. "Any good?"

He throws in a few more comments and questions, all of which have members of his audience either laughing or shaking their heads. Then he's back to the crazy team game being played in the adjacent hallway.

In less than an hour, however, calm, fun-loving Mike Modano will be replaced by game-time Mike Modano. And the Stars and selected insiders once again will be reminded of how he can flip that switch so easily — game after game, season after season.

Such is life for Modano. As determined and focused as he is on the ice, he's that laid-back and affable off it. He's usually near the ping-pong table after practice, challenging someone to a game. And he'll either make you chuckle or roll your eyes on game day when he grabs the team iPod and turns on Hall and Oates with a sheepish grin.

"It makes me happy," he says at a morning skate as "Baby Come Back" plays in the background.

Modano's demeanor is in a good place again. And why not? He has more career goals (528) and points (1,283) than any American-born player. He's the face of a franchise, the guy who helped a Texas city embrace hockey — and his skills still demand attention and respect from opponents. He's a future Hall of Famer. And his Stars are competing in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2000.

The postseason is when Modano, 37, typically plays his best hockey. He had two goals and four assists in the Stars' first-round triumph over the defending Cup champion Ducks, bringing his career postseason totals to 57 goals, 86 assists and 143 points. And it seemed almost too appropriate that, as the final seconds ticked away in a Game 6 victory at home, there was Modano striding forcefully toward the Ducks' empty net to put a cap on the series.

"He's a smart player, and he's been around a lot," Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer says. "He's in a different role, but he's still playing well. All I can say is, he's a great player."

This hasn't been the easiest of Modano's 18 seasons. It was a roller-coaster run filled with emotional ups and downs — and some serious frustration — before the smooth-skating former 50-goal scorer grudgingly accepted a new role as the team's top checking center.

It was one the Stars desperately needed him to fill, especially after the trading deadline deal that brought center Brad Richards in from Tampa Bay and sent former checking center Jeff Halpern to the Lightning. Modano, no longer the team's No. 1 center, responded as everyone suspected he would.

"He's taken his role seriously," left wing and captain Brenden Morrow says. "He's checked hard and gotten big goals. He relishes that aspect of the game now more than he would've maybe 10 or 15 years ago."

Modano didn't look like he was relishing much of anything during the early months of the season. Needing only six points to catch Phil Housley as the career points leader among American-born players, Modano opened the season in a prolonged scoring drought and his frustration grew. He didn't look comfortable and didn't look like he was enjoying himself.

Western finals: Red Wings win 4-2      Results, statistics Game 6: Detroit finally closes out Dallas Video: Get the latest from around the league Clement: Lidstrom true gem  |  Super Swedes Opinion: Franzen's for real  |  Past surprises Clement: Red Wings banking on Osgood now Red Wings page  |  Stars page  |   Discuss Previous Western Conference champions

Then came the shock: In a late October game at Phoenix, Modano lost his top center status when coach Dave Tippett relegated him to the No. 3 checking line. It was not a happy time.

"I think they didn't know what the role was for me," Modano says. "I guess I was looking to secure more of a second-line role, to check and score at the same time."

In early November, Modano had worked his way back to the second line, and in a game at San Jose he scored a shorthanded goal to pass Housley for the American points record. Modano's joyous expression as he hugged teammates said it all: The wait was over. And the weight was lifted.

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