Modano says he’s embracing Kane’s pursuit of his U.S. scoring record in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Sitting Down with …” we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this edition, we feature Mike Modano, the Hockey Hall of Fame center.

Mike Modano knows it’s inevitable.

Patrick Kane is 20 points from breaking his NHL record for points by a player born in the United States, with 1,355 points (495 goals, 860 assists) in 1,316 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

The 37-year-old forward is on pace to do it in early January. He has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 14 games for Detroit this season, averaging 0.86 points per game.

“The end is coming here soon,” Modano said with a laugh. “I knew years ago that he might be one -- that if he stayed healthy, that he would be the guy that kind of goes after it. Obviously, he’s had phenomenal career and is one of the best ever.

“It’s getting down to the nitty gritty, so it’s only a matter of time before I get a call from [Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman] wanting to know if I want to be at a game.”

Does Modano expect to be there when Kane does it?

“If they ask me to be there, yeah,” Modano said. “I’d love to be there and definitely would make the effort to be there for that one. That would be a great milestone, and to see it done would be pretty cool.”

Modano has held the record since Nov. 7, 2007, when he scored two goals for the Dallas Stars in a 3-1 win at the San Jose Sharks.

That gave him 1,233 points (511 goals, 722 assists) in 1,253 games. He passed Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley, who had 1,232 points (338 goals, 894 assists) in 1,495 games from 1982-2003 for the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Modano finished with 1,374 points (561 goals, 813 assists) in 1,499 games from 1989-2011 for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars and Red Wings.

Now 55 and living in Minneapolis, Modano spoke with NHL.com about chasing the record, the special phone call he received after breaking it, NHL players returning to the Olympics for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and more.

What was it like when you were chasing Housley? What can Kane expect?

“I think the chase was fun, and then you get down to the last few. Then everyone’s mind is on it. Everyone’s asking about it, talking about it. It becomes a little bit more emphasized on a day-to-day basis when you get down to those single digits.

“I was dying to try to get it done in Dallas with the fans at home. But as it goes on, you’re like, ‘Oh, let’s just get this thing done. Wherever, however it gets done, let’s just move on.’ And it just happened to be a bang-bang night with two goals in San Jose, so it was a bit of a relief.”

What happened the next morning?

“I was in my room, and our PR guy called and said, ‘Hey, you’re going to get a call, but make sure you pick up this phone call. You should be getting it soon.’ The operator came though, saying, ‘This is Air Force One.’ I thought, ‘Who’s pulling this joke on me?’ And then President (George W.) Bush gets on the phone.

“It’s like, ‘Wow, this is pretty neat.’ I’ll remember that phone call for the rest of my life, and then he sent over a nice little letter that I’ve got framed at home congratulating me as well.”

Housley held the record for 7½ years. Hockey Hall of Fame forward Joe Mullen held it for nine years before him. What has it meant to you to hold it for 18 years?

“Yeah, it’s a long time. I wish I would have played longer to make it harder for him. I think about the time we missed, a whole year and a half with labor disputes (in 1994-95 and 2004-05). You wonder. Sometimes my mind goes to what it would have been if we didn’t miss all those games. It was about 120 games.

“But it’s certainly been a nice little run. It’s been amazing. I think I got more out of that career than I ever imagined would happen, so it’s been neat to hold it for that long.”

You played in three Olympics: Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake in 2002 and Torino in 2006. NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time since Sochi in 2014. What are you eager to see, especially after the 4 Nations Face-Off last season?

“It’ll be great. I think it’ll be good for the game. I think the timing of it all is amazing, just because the 4 Nations was amazing. I think people just got so hyped up about those games.

“Milan’s an amazing city. I’m sure they’ll put on a great show. For the big hockey fan who looks forward to the best players playing amongst each other, it gets no better than the Olympics, so it’ll be fun.”

You were part of the last U.S. team to win a best-on-best tournament, in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996, and won an Olympic silver medal in Salt Lake.

What remains special about that World Cup? As bitter as it was at the time to lose to Canada 5-2 in the gold-medal game on home soil in Salt Lake, does the silver seem at least a little sweet in retrospect?

“When we all see each other, we still talk about the World Cup, the whole experience of it all and how we were off the ice and how well we got along. Everybody just kind of checked their egos and personal issues at the door. We just had such an amazing time and run. That’s one we’ll always talk about, and we’ll never forget that summer.

“I think we were just lucky to be part of those Olympic teams. We were coming off the high of the World Cup, and we thought, ‘Man, gold’s a no-doubter, no-brainer for Nagano.’ And we didn’t even come close. And then we kind of regrouped for Salt Lake, and it was a great run there.”

Explore NHL.com's Coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026

What does this U.S. team need to do to win?

“Oh, man. I think just stay healthy. I think there might be some tweaks in the lineup due to injuries. But they’ve got phenomenal goaltending. They’ve got toughness and grit. They’ve got all the little characteristics you hope to have in a good group of players. If they stay healthy and get over there and have a great start, I think they should be OK.”

How about the Stars?

After making the Western Conference Final three years in a row, they're second in the Central Division. They have seven comeback wins, tied for fourth in the NHL. That includes four two-goal comeback wins, tied for first, and three third-period comeback wins, tied for fifth.

“Every time I watch these guys, it’s like they come from behind all the time in the third period. But that’s today’s NHL. You never feel like you’re out of it. Even when you’re four goals down, you feel like you can still come back and make a push for it -- or tie it and go into overtime at least.

“But man, they’ve got so many weapons, great goaltending, good defense, the whole thing. I feel like they’re in a good position, but they’ve just got a tough division. And that's the tough part.”

We should point out you still have a firm hold on the NHL record for goals by a player born in the United States. After you at 561, Keith Tkachuk is second at 538, Jeremy Roenick third at 513 and Mullen fourth at 513. Kane is first among active players at 495. Maple Leafs center Auston Matthers is next at 410.

Can anyone catch you?

“[Laughs.] Well, I thought Matthews was at a pace to kind of go get it. I think he still is. But that might be one that’s a little farther down the road than the points one, so I might hold onto that one a little longer.”