The Dallas Stars are celebrating 25 years in Texas by hosting the NHL draft for the first time.
The headliner for the home team had a little anniversary of his own: retired franchise icon Mike Modano marking 30 years since he was the No. 1 overall pick
by helping introduce the Stars’ first-round pick
Jake Marisnick Houston Astros Jersey , Canadian forward Ty Dellandrea, on Friday night.
Sharing the stage with high-scoring Dallas winger Jamie Benn, Modano only had to look up to see his No. 9 hanging from the rafters at the other end of
American Airlines Center.
The highest-scoring U.S.-born player in NHL history was the first pick by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988, five years before the franchise moved to North
Texas.
”I’ve been thinking about it,” Modano said. ”Didn’t really ring a bell till about a month ago when they started saying some stuff, called me to do some
intros. I was like, `Dang, yeah, ’88, 2018.’ I was like, `That was quick.”’
Modano watched hockey grow from almost nothing in North Texas, but couldn’t say he was surprised his old franchise got the draft since a new arena that
opened in 2001 brought the All-Star game six years later. The 48-year-old
figured it was just a matter of time.
”I think a lot of things happened along the way that we didn’t think
Authentic Ryan McLeod Jersey ,” Modano said. ”Just kind of gives people a little bit of knowledge of the town. There’s hockey down in Texas and it’s alive
and kicking. Brings a lot of attention to this town for hockey for a good
week.”
Modano gigged the current capta.tpClipInfo > * { display: none !important; }.tpPlayer { display: none !important; }.tpReleaseList > * { display: none !important; }.tpReleaseModel > * { display: none !important; }.tpNavigation > * { display: none !important; }.tpSearch > * { display: none !important; }.tpCategoryModel > * { display: none !important; }.tpHeader > * { display: none !important; }.tpCategoryList > * { display: none !important; }in of the Stars during their presentation, saying he wasn’t on stage when Benn
got drafted and Benn responding that they didn’t bring fifth-round picks to the
stage.
Benn, the 2015 Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s points leader, is up to fifth on the club’s career scoring list after getting taken 129th overall in
2007. Benn’s rookie season was Modano’s last in Dallas.
”We worked on that for a little bit,” Modano said with a smile.
Dellandrea, the 13th overall pick, was 10 when Modano retired in 2011 after one season with Detroit. Modano debuted as an 18-year-old with the North Stars
and spent 20 seasons combined in Minnesota and Dallas. His American records are
557 goals and 1,359 points.
”I might have been a little young,” said the 17-year-old Dellandrea, who spent the past two seasons with Flint of the Ontario Hockey League. ”But both of
them have been tremendous role models to look up to as a young hockey
player.”
Now one of them is a teammate.
—
The last time Wayne Ellington played any meaningful minutes in a postseason game was nine years ago.
At the Final Four.
Ellington was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA Tournament after leading North Carolina to the national title. But since turning pro, postseasons
have marked the start of vacations for Ellington, who has been in only two NBA
playoff games
Mark Walton Color Rush Jersey , logging 13 1/2 minutes – all in the fourth quarters of blowouts.
That’s about to change.
Coming off a record-setting regular season, Ellington will play a vital role for No. 6 seed Miami in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series that starts
Saturday in his hometown of Philadelphia against the third-seeded 76ers.
”It’s so sweet the way it’s coming,” Ellington said. ”I don’t want to get religious, but I really feel like it’s God’s plan the way that everything’s
worked out, where I ended up at and where I’m headed to. I’m appreciative. After
all this time, now to be here, I don’t think a player could be more grateful.
You couldn’t script this.”
Ellington set Miami’s single-season 3-point record with 227, and also set an NBA record for 3-pointers by a reserve with 218 (he made nine in his two
appearances as a Heat starter this season). He’s going into the postseason
coming off the best game of his pro career, a 32-point night that tied the
franchise mark for scoring by a reserve in a game.
As Ellington goes, Miami goes: In his two Heat seasons, they are 34-7 when he makes at least half of his 3-point tries, 43-54 when he does not.
”None of them come easy
http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-donte-jackson-jersey ,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. ”He has to work for his shots, he really does. It
is great to have a guy that has that ability. When he gets hot, there’s not much
you can do about it.”
Before Wednesday’s regular-season finale victory over Toronto, which sealed the No. 6 seed for Miami, Ellington was slumping – shooting 14 for 48 from
3-point range in those games, or 29 percent. The Heat gave players Tuesday off
as a needed rest day, and coach Erik Spoelstra was lured out of his office at
one point by the sounds of dribbling and sneaker-squeaking on the practice
floor.
It was Ellington, putting himself through a 45-minute workout with Heat assistant coach Octavio De La Grana. Their routines, whether it’s on an off day
or a half-hour before game time, are always the same: cut, catch,
shot
Evan Bouchard Oilers Jersey , swish, over and over and over. And as he watched, Spoelstra found himself simultaneously worried and impressed.
”I almost thought it was too much on a day before a game,” Spoelstra said. ”But that’s the vision of a champion before you’re a champion, drenched in
sweat, totally exhausted, empty gym with a coach, working your (butt) off.”
The result: Ellington was 8 for 12 from deep on Wednesday, leading the Heat rally to a win over the top seed in the East.
What happened Tuesday was not uncommon. The Heat didn’t make the playoffs last season, and Ellington was back in the gym about a week after the regular
season ended – even though at the time, there was no guarantee he’d be back with
Miami this season. He would put himself through intense workouts, sometimes to
the point where De La Grana would quietly suggest he take the next day off and
enjoy life.
The Heat locker room is filled with hard workers
Authentic Riley Sutter Jersey , but teammates say Ellington stands out.
”Wayne’s like my right-hand man,” rookie center Bam Adebayo said. ”He does everything that he needs to do behind closed doors. He takes care of his body,
eats right, and I’m learning from him.”
And now, the playoff chance is finally here for Ellington.
He sat at his locker for a few postgame minutes after the regular season ended, his thoughts drifting back to that Final Four run and championship
moment.
”Up until now, that’s been my best experience as a player,” Ellington said. ”I’m looking forward to trumping that.”
—
.
