Franchise Players

As a Stars fan, we've got a fair share of what I consider franchise players. Obviously, there's Mike Modano, who has spent all of his 18 year career with the Stars (first in Minnesota, then in Dallas). He may not be the player he once was - Modano's no spring chicken at 38 years old - but he's still an incredibly valuable part of the team. I always love watching him skate - his speed is so impressive, my friends and I have coined the term "Modano Jersey", which is when a player is skating so fast that his jersey flaps around behind him like Superman's cape. This past season, he broke records for an American-born player, and don't think for a moment that I didn't cry.

Behind the jump, read more about the Stars franchise players, and whether the concept of a franchise player is a dying one.

Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow has always been an impressive player. He got the "C", and stepped up even more. He's gritty, not afraid to get a little dirty, and one of the most impressive leaders I can think of. He leads by example. I don't know what he says in the locker room, but he's a captain that will give 195% night after night, and expect his teammates to do the same. He's not a franchise player just because he's the captain - he's a franchise player because without his presence, the team would suffer.

Defenseman Sergei Zubov is another guy who leads by example. He wears an "A" along with Modano, and is the "quiet leader". As far as I can tell, he hates personal attention and recognition (despite how often my friends and I shriek that he needs a Norris). He doesn't care about his personal accomplishments - he plays for the team. It's a team sport, he's just one piece of the wheel. Zubov is the veteran leader of the d-corps, and does a fine job. This past season, the Stars had, for the majority of the season, three rookies on the blueline, and I'm sure Zubov's influence helped the kids out a lot. He was with the team when they won the Cup in 1999, and I suspect that he wouldn't leave the Stars.

And Marty Turco. What can be said about Marty Turco, aside from the fact that he's awesome? He's definitely the #1 goalie in this town, and I don't see that changing for a good while. Marty's just now hitting his prime as a goaltender. He's still pretty young - he'll be 33 next month - and these past couple of years have been breakout seasons for him. There have been games that have been decided because of Marty, games where the rest of the team wasn't playing wonderfully, but Marty stood up and took the team on his back, and led them to a victory. He's had his bad moments too, of course, but he's only human.

There are more guys that could be considered current and future franchise players - Jere Lehtinen and Mike Ribeiro are the two I can think of off the top of my head. But what determines whether or not you're a "franchise player"?

To me, a franchise player is the guy who stands out. He's the one who gives his all out there on the ice, night after night. He has some form of leadership role. Just because you've been with the team awhile, that doesn't make you a franchise player, necessarily - that just means you've been there awhile. What if you haven't really done too much? What if you've just skated by (no pun intended), doing just enough to stay on the team? That doesn't mean you're a franchise player, it just means you're there. The franchise players are the ones we can look up to. They stand out in the crowd. And most importantly, they'll always be loved by the fans.