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Berger and Chalfen relocated the team to Minneapolis, with home games being played at both the Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory. The “team” that Berger and Chalfen had actually purchased consisted only of equipment; since the team had appeared to be on the verge of folding, all of its players had already been assigned to other NBL teams. The franchise was re-christened the “Lakers” in reference to Minnesota’s nickname, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Berger and Chalfen brought in Max Winter, later to become a founder and owner of the Minnesota Vikings franchise of the National Football League, to become the Lakers’ new general manager. Winter also took an ownership stake in the team, which he would maintain until he left the Lakers in 1955.

As the Gems had recorded by far the worst record in the NBL, the Lakers had the first pick in the 1947 Professional Basketball League of America dispersal draft, which they used to select George Mikan, later to become the one of the greatest centers of his time. With Mikan, new coach John Kundla and an infusion of former University of Minnesota players to replace those lost prior to the relocation, the Lakers won the NBL championship in their first season.

The next year, the Lakers switched to the 12-team Basketball Association of America (BAA) and proceeded to win its championship in that first season. As the BAA is considered the direct lineal ancestor of today’s NBA, this 1949 BAA championship is recognized today as an official NBA championship for the Lakers, whereas their 1948 NBL championship is not. This technically makes the Lakers the most successful expansion team in NBA history, since the NBA does not recognize NBL records and considers the Lakers to be a 1948 expansion team.

The next year saw the merging of the BAA and NBL to form the NBA and the Lakers won their third consecutive championship on the backs of Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, and future National Football League coach Bud Grant. The Lakers’ streak of championships came to an end in 1951 when they lost to the Rochester Royals in the NBA Western Division Finals. Nevertheless, they rebounded from that defeat to capture the title for the next three consecutive years, thus becoming the NBA’s first “dynasty”, having won five NBA/BAA championships in six years (and six championships in seven years, if their 1948 NBL title is included). In addition to Mikan and Mikkelsen, the Laker teams of these years also featured future Hall of Famers in Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, and Clyde Lovellette. As the Minneapolis Lakers, the team holds the record for the lowest-scoring NBA game ever played - with the Fort Wayne Pistons. On November 22, 1950, the final score was Pistons 19 - Lakers 18. Of course, this happened before the introduction of the shot clock.

Injuries forced Mikan to retire after the 1954 season, and the Lakers missed him dearly. Not only that, but the NBA introduced rule changes (the 24-second shot clock and a limit of six personal fouls per team per quarter), which forced them to play an entirely new style of basketball to which they were unaccustomed. Lovellette led the team in scoring, but the Lakers fared so poorly in the 1955 season that Mikan was persuaded to come out of retirement for the 1956 season. His play was not up to his former standards, however, and halfway into the season, he retired again, this time for good. The 1956 Lakers would go on to make the playoffs, only to lose to the St. Louis Hawks.

The Lakers found their way back the playoffs in 1957, where they lost to the Hawks once more. The following year was disastrous, however, as Mikan became head coach before finding he was not suited to the task. After compiling a 9–30 record, he stepped aside and was replaced by Kundla, but the Lakers found themselves last in the league that year with 19–53 record.

Last place, however, meant the first pick in the draft, and the Lakers chose wisely, picking Elgin Baylor who went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Baylor and Mikkelsen were able to lead the team past their recent nemesis, the Hawks, and into the Finals, where they fell to the then-emerging Boston Celtics, marking the beginning of their long rivalry.

1960 saw the Lakers start poorly, but they managed to make the playoffs with a meager 25–50 record, where the Hawks defeated them once more.

Buck helped in the complete 8 – 7 victory over the White Sox, making it a comeback victory. This was done when Buck lined a game – winning single all the bases loaded in the eleventh inning. But don’t get it wrong, folks. It isn’t a one man team.
Jacobs, Callaspo, Butler and Crisp all assisted in making this a team victory. There was a three – run homer, a solo shot, a run – scoring double, run – scoring single in the seventh inning, and two bases gets stolen…these performances given by these guys augmented the score the Royals achieved that night. Because of this, Callaspo extended his hitting streak to seven games, but that was sure beaten down by Crisp, who was able to match a career high with four of Kansas’ eleven walks.
Wright, did good on his own as well, by pitching three strong innings, and Cruz set up the winning rally, by working the eleventh. Jacobs hit his fifth homerun. All these have just burst open, despite the odds. Jacobs beautifully summed it up, “One thing we’ve shown all season is a never – tie attitude”.
Hillman, Royal’s manager, was quite proud when he was asked about the attitude of his players. “It speaks a lot of their will,” and added that his players just keep playing then they get down. Character-that’s what his guys have and more.
Another inspiring message that Hillman shared was that having that sense of command. He felt that for any pitcher, it is really difficult when you throw as nearly as many balls as strikes.
It wasn’t really a bad play on the White Sox part. They were able to up the score to 4 – 0, with Fields leading off the third inning with a homerun, and Dye, hitting a two – run shot three batters later. Unfortunately for them, the Royals came fighting back.

Michael Thomas Modano, Jr. (born June 7, 1970 in Livonia, Michigan)

At the age of 18, he was selected by the Minnesota North Stars as the first overall draft pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, an honor shared by only 5 other Americans: Brian Lawton (1983), Bryan Berard (1995), Rick DiPietro (2000), Erik Johnson (2006) and Patrick Kane (2007). Modano’s first career NHL goal was scored against Glenn Healy of the New York Islanders.

Modano won the Stanley Cup in 1999 with the Stars, putting together consecutive seasons of over twenty playoff points in 1999 and 2000. He has also played in the 1991 and 2000 Stanley Cup finals. Modano has also been a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy (1990), the Frank J. Selke Trophy (2001), and the Lady Byng Trophy (2003). He controversially lost the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the year’s best rookie, to 31-year-old Sergei Makarov, who had already played professionally for the Russian Super League for over 12 years; because of this, the NHL imposed an age barrier for Calder candidates the following year. Modano’s best statistical seasons were in 1992–93 and 1993–94, when he had 93 points each. During the 1993–94 season, the franchise’s first in Dallas, Modano recorded a personal-best 50 goals. His career high for points in a game is 6 (2–4–6) against the Anaheim Ducks. Modano has 7 career hat tricks. Modano’s only career fight was against Rod Brind’Amour. The long-time face of the Dallas franchise, he has recorded over 1,000 NHL points and became the captain of the Stars in 2003. During the 2005 offseason, Modano contemplated signing with the Boston Bruins, but decided to stay with the Dallas Stars after owner Tom Hicks got involved.

On August 5, 2005, Modano signed a 5-year contract extension with Dallas. On September 29, 2006, he was replaced as the Stars’ captain by Brenden Morrow, and is now an alternate captain, a role in which he had previously served from 1995 to 2004.

Modano is also the only remaining North Stars player currently with the Dallas Stars. Jere Lehtinen, who was drafted in 1992 when the franchise was still in the Twin Cities, never played an NHL game until the 1995–96 season, more than two years after the move.

On January 21, 2007, the NHL announced Modano as the Special Ambassador to the 2007 NHL All-Star Celebration, thanks to his numerous contributions towards bringing the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game to Dallas and also for his contributions to Dallas hockey as a whole. Modano, the Stars’ all-time leader in several statistical categories and a member of the franchise for the entirety of his 17-year career, appeared at selected All-Star events and dropped the puck in a ceremonial face-off prior the game on January 24, 2007.

Modano scored his 500th career regular-season goal on March 13, 2007 with 10:24 left in the 3rd period in a regulation win against Antero Niittymäki of the Philadelphia Flyers with assists by Antti Miettinen and Jon Klemm. He is only the 14th goal scorer to score 500 goals with a single team and the 39th player to reach 500 goals overall.

On March 17, 2007, in an away game versus the Nashville Predators, Modano scored his 502nd and 503rd career regular-season goals in a 3–2 loss, thus passing Joe Mullen’s NHL record (502) for most goals scored by an American-born player. The Predators organization drew criticism from around the league after failing to mention the breaking of this record.

Modano also holds the NHL all-time record for most points scored by a U.S. born player. He broke the record, which previously belonged to Phil Housley, on November 7, 2007 by scoring two goals in the first five minutes, with the record-breaker being a short-handed goal on a breakaway, against the San Jose Sharks. That night, amongst his congratulatory phone calls was one from Air Force One, U.S. President George W. Bush spoke to him for a few minutes about the record.

November 21, 2007 was “Mike Modano Tribute Night” at American Airlines Center, where Modano was honored by the franchise for his achievements in U.S. hockey. Those who spoke in the pre-game ceremony included Brett Hull, Joe Mullen, Phil Housley, and Stars owner Tom Hicks. Capping off an emotional night, Modano later went on to score the game-tying goal in a 2–1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks.

Modano has indicated in interviews that he intends to play out the duration of his current contract, which expires after the 2009–2010 season. After doing so, he will take his career on a year-to-year basis, move into a front office position with the Stars similar to Co-General Manager Brett Hull, or move on without hockey altogether.

On November 30, 2006, Willa Ford announced that long-time boyfriend Modano had proposed to her during the weekend of Thanksgiving, 2006.[1] Modano and Ford were married in a small ceremony in Athens, Texas on August 25, 2007, where Brett Hull and Darryl Sydor attended as Modano’s co-best men. [2][3]. Ford was asked by the NHL to blog the Stars’ 2007 playoff series; her posts were well-received, and her support of her husband quite vocal.[4]

Mr. Mike Modano is the founder and current Vice President of the Mike Modano Foundation, Inc., which raises awareness and funding for organizations offering education and assistance to children and families affected by child abuse. Moreover, since the start of his NHL career, Modano has affiliated many times with both charitable organizations and the Texas community in general. He has also had his own clothing line during the 1990s.

Modano made a brief cameo appearance alongside then-teammate Basil McRae in the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks. He only had two lines in the movie, in which he said to Emilio Estevez, “I thought you were a farmer” and “take it easy.” Nonetheless, Modano still received a membership voucher to the Screen Actors Guild for the role.

Modano once babysat current Stars teammate Toby Petersen after meeting him at a youth hockey camp.

Stars captain Brenden Morrow has stated in an interview that Modano likes to walk around hotel rooms naked.

Modano is an avid golfer. On Mike Modano Tribute Night, both the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks organizations presented him with golf packages, one of which was for the course at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland. His golf partner is often Stars co-general manager Brett Hull.

In 2008, Hull and Modano founded Hully & Mo Restaurant and Tap Room in Dallas.

* East First All-Star Team (WHL) - 1989
* NHL All-Rookie Team - 1990
* NHL Second All-Star Team - 2000
* NHL All-Star Games - 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003 (as the Western Conference team captain), 2004, 2007 (as the Special Ambassador), 2009
* Stanley Cup champion - 1999 (Dallas)

Records

* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career games played (1400)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career goals (543)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career assists (786)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career points (1329)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career playoff games (174)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career playoff goals (58)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career playoff assists (87)
* Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise record for career playoff points (145)
* National Hockey League record for most goals scored by an American-born player (528)
* National Hockey League record for most assists by an American-born player (786)
* National Hockey League record for most points by an American-born player (1283)
* National Hockey League record for most points by an American-born player in the playoffs (145)