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While the United States has always been a bit of a little brother to Canada when it comes to hockey talent, the Stars and Stripes have nevertheless produced a number of outstanding NHL players over the years. Though Patrick Kane has likely assumed the unofficial mantle of best American-born player ever, two of the long-time contenders for the distinction were Pat LaFontaine and Mike Modano, both of whom came of age during one of Team USA’s golden eras in the 1980s alongside the likes of Brett Hull (born in Canada with dual citizenship), Brian Leetch, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, etc. Between these two Hall of Famers, one holds the American record for highest per-game scoring average and the other is the all-time career leader in goals and points, thus raising the question:
Who was better – Pat LaFontaine or Mike Modano?
The Beginning
American-born, but trained in Canada’s highly competitive junior leagues, both LaFontaine and Modano starred across the border as teenagers before parlaying that success into top-five NHL draft selections.
A Midwest kid, LaFontaine was born in St. Louis and raised in Michigan; picking up hockey at a young age, he joined the Verdun Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) after graduating from high school and racked up a slew of awards in his lone season there: the Jean Beliveau Trophy as top scorer, the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy as MVP, the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP, the Michel Bergeron Trophy as Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Mike Bossy Trophy as top NHL prospect, the Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship, and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Year award. As a result, LaFontaine was selected third overall in the first round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders (the Islanders were in the midst of four straight Stanley Cup titles and had previously traded for the pick) and joined the team late in the 1983-1984 season, posting 19 points (13 goals and 6 assists) with a +9 +/- rating in 15 games played. The next year, in his first full NHL season, LaFontaine compiled 19 goals and 35 assists for 54 points and a +7 +/- rating in 67 games.
Modano also grew up in Michigan and started skating and playing hockey at a young age; wearing #9 to honor both Ted Williams (his father was a Red Sox fan) and Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, he went on to win a USA Hockey National Championship with his Midget Major team as a teenager. Similar to LaFontaine, Modano went north to Canada to play junior hockey, joining the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and quickly ascending to WHL All-Star status. Based on his stellar junior career, he was selected first overall by the then-Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, making Modano just the second American-born player selected #1 (after Brian Lawton in 1983). After spending one more year in the WHL, Modano joined the North Stars for the 1989-1990 NHL season and scored 29 goals with 46 assists for 75 points with a -7 +/- rating to place second in the Calder Trophy race for top rookie (behind 31-year-old Sergei Makarov of the Calgary Flames).
Career Comparison
In their respective primes, LaFontaine and Modano had very different career trajectories – the former was electrifying when healthy, but plagued by concussion issues, while the latter was a model of consistent excellence on his way to setting all-time American records.
During his tenure with the Islanders, LaFontaine showed gradual improvement, upping his scoring total to 70 points (38 goals and 32 assists) with a -9 +/- rating in 1986-1987. From there, he would embark on six consecutive seasons of 80+ points, starting with 47 goals and 45 assists for 92 points with a +12 +/- rating in 1987-1988. The best of those campaigns would come in 1989-1990 on the strength of then-career highs of 54 goals and 51 assists for 105 points and a -13 +/- rating, good for a fifth-place Hart Trophy showing for MVP and a third-place finish for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for “sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”. Despite another strong season in 1990-1991 (41 goals and 44 assists for 85 points with a -6 +/- rating), LaFontaine expressed dissatisfaction with the Islanders’ struggles and demanded a trade – after holding out for the start of the 1991-1992 season, he was eventually traded with Randy Wood to the Buffalo Sabres for a package of players that included 1987 top overall draft choice Pierre Turgeon.
In his first season in Buffalo, LaFontaine only played in 57 games, yet still put up 46 goals and 47 assists for 93 points with a +10 +/- rating. The following year, playing on a line with 76-goal scorer Alexander Mogilny, he set career-highs with 53 goals and 95 points for 148 points and a +11 +/- rating to finish third for both the Hart and Lady Byng Trophies. However, over the next two years, LaFontaine only suited up for 38 games total due to various concussions and head injuries; these ailments were so severe that upon returning to play, he won the Masterton Trophy in 1994-1995 for perseverance. Though he bounced back with another stellar season in 1995-1996 (40 goals and 51 assists for 91 points with a -8 +/- rating), another concussion the following season limited him to only 13 games played. Subsequently, LaFontaine was traded to the New York Rangers for draft picks, thus making him one of only a handful of players to play for all three New York hockey teams (Rangers, Sabres, and Islanders). In his lone season with the Rangers, LaFontaine paced the team with 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points and a -16 +/- rating and reached the 1,000 career point milestone, but suffered yet another concussion late in the season; after missing the entire following season, LaFontaine officially retired from the NHL in 1999, having played his last game at age 32.
As for Modano, he dipped to 64 points in his sophomore season and then improved back to 77 points (33 goals and 44 assists with a -9 +/- rating) in 1991-1992. In four years with the North Stars, his finest statistical season came in 1992-1993: 33 goals and 60 assists for 93 points and a -9 +/- rating, setting career-highs in both assists and points. Ahead of the 1993-1994 season, the North Stars relocated to Dallas and became the Dallas Stars; for Modano personally, after struggling with lofty expectations in Minnesota, this gave him the opportunity for a fresh start and he began to establish himself as a franchise player – in the team’s inaugural season in Dallas, he matched his career-best of 93 points with a career-high 50 goals with 43 assists and a -8 +/- rating. Though he was limited to only 30 games played (with 29 points) during the next lockout-shortened season, Modano would be a consistent point-per-game producer throughout the decade, including back-to-back 80+ point seasons in the mid-1990s:
- 1995-1996: 36 goals and 45 assists for 81 points and a -12 +/- rating
- 1996-1997: 35 goals and 48 assists for 83 points and a career-best +43 +/- rating; with improved two-way play, Modano finished a career-best seventh for the Hart Trophy and fourth for the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward
Modano’s prime would coincide with loaded Dallas teams that included fellow future Hall of Famers like forwards Brett Hull and Joe Nieuwendyk, defenseman Sergei Zubov, and goalie Ed Belfour, and resulted in some of his most productive years. Following consecutive 81-point seasons in 1998-1999 (34 goals and 47 assists with a +29 +/- rating) and 1999-2000 (38 goals and 43 assists with an even +/- rating), he finished a career-high third for the Selke in 2000-2001 while also posting 33 goals and 51 assists for 84 points (+26 +/- rating). A few years later, Modano had arguably his best all-around season in 2002-2003: with 28 goals and 57 assists for 85 points and a +30 +/- rating, it was not only his highest-scoring campaign since the Stars’ first year in Dallas, but also led to a seventh-place Hart finish, a sixth-place Selke showing, and third place for the Lady Byng; additional, Modano claimed the “C” on his sweater as team captain and also reached the 1,000-point career mark. After his last great season in 2005-2006 (27 goals and 50 assists for 77 points and +23 +/- rating), he gradually became more of a 40-60 point annual scorer, though achieved a number of career milestones in 2007: 500 career goals, surpassing Joe Mullen’s record for most career goals by an American, and topping Phil Housley as the highest-scoring American-born player ever. Having spent his entire career with the North Stars/Stars franchise, Modano became a free agent after the 2009-2010 and signed with his hometown Red Wings, though only put up 15 points in 40 games played during his lone season in Detroit before retiring at age 40.
In addition to Modano playing 21 NHL seasons to LaFontaine’s 15 years, the latter’s frequent head injuries resulted in more than 600 fewer games played; as such, Modano has the clear advantage in all major statistical categories (goals, assists, points, and +/- rating). However, in looking at “great” seasons, the comparison is much closer: both players had nine 30-goal seasons (though LaFontaine had seven 40-goal and two 50-goal campaigns to Modano’s lone 50-goal season) and while Modano posted more 80-point seasons (8x vs. 7x), he only has two 90-point seasons to LaFontaine’s five 90-point and two 100-point years. Moreover, on a point-per-game basis, LaFontaine has a significant advantage at 1.17 vs. 0.92. Neither player won a major award other than LaFontaine’s Masterton Trophy, but as you would expect, Modano earned more All-Star Game selections (8 to 5). Not surprisingly, as 1,000+ career point scorers and two of the greatest American-born players ever, both LaFontaine (2003) and Modano (2014) are current members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Regular Season Statistics
| Pat LaFontaine | Player | Mike Modano |
| 15 (1983-1998) | Seasons | 21 (1989-2011) |
| 865 | Games Played | 1,499 |
| 468 | Goals | 561 |
| 545 | Assists | 813 |
| 1,013 | Points | 1,374 |
| -6 | +/- | +114 |
| 5x | All-Star Games | 8x |
| – | Hart Trophies | – |
| – | Ross Trophies | – |
| – | Stanley Cups | 1x |
| – | Conn Smythes | – |
| 1x Masterton | Other Awards | – |
| 2003 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2014 |
Source: Hockey-Reference.com
In terms of postseason success, on one hand, LaFontaine just missed the tail end of the Islanders dynasty, whereas on the other hand, Modano played a pivotal role in bringing the North Stars/Stars franchise their first Stanley Cup title.
While he did make nine career playoff appearances (6x with the Islanders and 3x with the Sabres), LaFontaine just missed out on the Islanders’ dynasty of four straight Stanley Cups. In his first season, he was part of the 1983-1984 team that met the Edmonton Oilers in a Finals rematch, totaling 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points and a -1 +/- rating during the postseason; however, the Islanders fell to the Oilers in five games, breaking a record-streak of 19 straight playoff series won and effectively marking the end of one dynasty on Long Island and the beginning of a new one in Edmonton spearheaded by Hall of Famers like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr. A few years later, in the first round of the playoffs vs. the Washington Capitals in 1986-1987, LaFontaine had his most memorable playoff moment – in what is now known as the “Easter Epic”, he scored the game-winning goal in the fourth overtime of Game 7, though the Islanders would fall in seven games in the next round to the Philadelphia Flyers; individually, he had his most productive playoffs with 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points with a -6 +/- rating.
Over his 21-year NHL career, Modano was a postseason participant an impressive 16x (11x with the Stars, 4x with the North Stars, and once with the Red Wings), leading to three Stanley Cup Finals trips and one championship:
- 1990-1991: North Stars lost in six games to Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins; Modano had 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points with a -3 +/- rating
- 1998-1999: beat Dominik Hasek and the Sabres on Hull’s controversial triple overtime game-winning and Stanley Cup-clinching goal in Game 6; led the playoffs with 18 assists and added 5 goals for 23 points with a +6 +/- rating
- 1999-2000: lost in seven games to Martin Brodeur’s New Jersey Devils; again led the postseason with 13 assists plus 10 goals for 23 points with a +3 +/- rating
On the international stage, LaFontaine played for Team USA at both the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan. Likewise, Modano was also part of the 1998 team and additionally played at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, earning a silver medal in 2002. Both players also represented their country at numerous World Cup and World Championships, but did not win any additional medals.
Playoff Statistics
| Pat LaFontaine | Player | Mike Modano |
| 69 | Games Played | 176 |
| 26 | Goals | 58 |
| 37 | Assists | 88 |
| 63 | Points | 146 |
| -13 | +/- | – |
Source: Hockey-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; whereas LaFontaine was plagued by concussions and head injuries throughout his career that ultimately led to his premature retirement, Modano was incredibly consistent for nearly two decades, though did spend his final NHL season in a different and unfamiliar uniform. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Pat LaFontaine | Player | Mike Modano |
| 1984-1993, 1995-1996 | Decade of Dominance | 1992-1994, 1995-1997, 1998-2003, 2005-2006 |
| 732 | Games Played | 786 |
| 413 | Goals | 348 |
| 466 | Assists | 487 |
| 879 | Points | 835 |
| +11 | +/- | +142 |
Source: Hockey-Reference.com
In looking just at each player’s 10 best seasons, LaFontaine actually scored more goals and compiled more total points with a higher per-game scoring average (1.20 vs. 1.06); conversely, Modano racked up more assists and still has a significantly better +/- rating over that span.
My Thoughts
The comparison between Pat LaFontaine and Mike Modano is an interesting contrast between peak brilliance and consistent greatness. On one hand, LaFontaine is the highest-scoring American-born player on a per-game basis and his 1.17 points-per-game ranks top 20 all-time in NHL history; on the other hand, Modano has the most career points ever for an American-born player, with his 1,374 career points ranking top 25 overall. Ultimately, despite being a Hall of Famer, I think LaFontaine’s career is a bit of a “what could have been?” – had he been able to stay healthy for a few more seasons and maintained his scoring rate, he very well could have been the most prolific American scorer ever. That being said, since the best ability is often availability, I give the edge to Modano – even though he was never quite the in the very upper echelon of players and never won a major trophy, his consistent production year in and year out, as well as his leadership abilities in helping guide the Stars to their first Stanley Cup title, puts him slightly above LaFontaine in my rankings of greatest American-born hockey players.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Mike Modano
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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