"A heck of a two-way player, one of the best two-way players that played the game," said Stars coach Lindy Ruff, who coached against Lehtinen with the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final. "He's the type of player that if you could model some of your players after, you'd model after because he could score, he could check, he could do all the right things. He proved that throughout his career that he's one of the best that played."
Lehtinen will be the third player to have his number retired since the franchise moved from Minnesota to Dallas before the 1993-94 season.
Neal Broten played two seasons in Dallas and had his No. 7 retired in 1998. Mike Modano's No. 9 was raised to the rafters at American Airlines Center in 2014. Bill Masterton, No. 19, and Bill Goldsworth, No. 8, each had his number retired before the franchise moved to Texas.
For Lehtinen, having his No. 26 hang next to Modano's will be a special feeling.
"It's kind of dream-come-true feel," Lehtinen said. "You could say everything is closing up how we started."
Lehtinen was a big part of the Stars' success in the late 1990s and said he can fondly look back at how it helped grow the sport in Texas.
"I am proud of that looking back, our whole team helped, getting to play and win a Stanley Cup and a lot of stuff in the community," he said. "When I retired in Dallas and I was still there, my son played and you could see high-level youth hockey."
