If Mike Modano's mother has her way, the face of the Dallas Stars' franchise will play again next year.
"I'm really hoping we squeeze another year out of him," Karen Modano said Thursday from her home in Westland, Mich. "I've told him that a thousand times. What are you going to do? You're going to be so bored? All you have is hockey? He said he'd play golf, but you can only play golf so much."
Modano's parents -- Karen and Mike -- were supposed to watch Modano play in Minnesota on Saturday night. But they discovered that a pre-planned family cruise to the Eastern Caribbean leaves that same day.
"It's so expensive and it's nonrefundable," Karen Modano said. "I said to my husband, 'Oh no! This is one of the only times Mike has ever asked us to come to a game and we can't go.' I can't believe it."
Karen said she talked to her son about retirement, but he has no idea what he may do next season. But she doesn't think Modano would play for another organization.
"The choice is with Dallas," Karen Modano said. "He's too young to retire if he was in another business. Mike doesn't retire; his career just ends. He wouldn't be hanging them up because he can't do it. I think he'd want to do one more year just for his own benefit because he had such a lousy year because of the injuries and the appendix. It seems like he couldn't get his mojo going."
Modano's parents attend a few of his games a year when the club is in Detroit to play the Red Wings. They also try to plan a trip to Dallas to see a few games, but because of schedules and Modano's injuries, they didn't see any games in Dallas this season.
Karen Modano just wants see her son at a game next year.
"I'm hoping for one more year," Karen Modano said. "I know once that's over with, we won't get center ice anymore and won't be watching as many games."
Richard Durrett covers the Stars for ESPN Dallas. You can follow him on Twitter or leave a question for his weekly mailbag.