A Dallas duo: How Mike Modano, Dirk Nowitzki helped shape the Dallas sports landscape

In New York, they referred to the original Yankee Stadium as “The House That Ruth Built.”

In Dallas, it’s a little different. Sure, American Airlines Center is an iconic venue, but the 23-year-old building is more than that. As we stop and honor Mike Modano with a statue adjacent to Dirk Nowitzki on Saturday, we can probably refer to Victory Park as “The Neighborhood that Dirk and Mo Built.”

Getting a new bookend for Nowitzki’s statue, which was unveiled in 2022, makes PNC Plaza seem a lot more balanced. The two Hall-of-Famers have mirrored each other’s careers and put two organizations on the map in their respective sports. And, to be honest, have made a huge imprint on the entire city.

“I think if you look back and see what was here in 1999 or 2000, it’s amazing how far this area has come,” said Jim Lites, former Stars president and one of the men involved in building the AAC and the surrounding area. “I think this is a great example of how sports teams and cities can come together and really change a city. And I think the fact these two players were a big part of that is an incredible story.”

Modano came to Dallas when the Minnesota North Stars moved here in 1993. He won his only championship when the team was playing at Reunion Arena in 1999. Nowitzki joined the Mavericks in 1998 and won his only title in 2011, when he was playing at AAC. The two became friends along the way, in large part because of shared experiences and a love for Dallas.

“He is just such a great, solid friend,” Modano said of Nowitzki. “Getting introduced to him by Steve Nash, we just kind of hit it off. We both had a winning attitude and we both liked to have fun, so that’s how we looked at it. And then to get the recognition or respect around the league for both of our teams and for the city too, that was special.”

Nash, the former Mavericks point guard, is from British Columbia and a huge hockey fan, so he and Modano got to know each other pretty quickly. It didn’t take long for Nowitzki to join in the multi-sport fun.

“We came in about the same time they had won the Stanley Cup and so everybody wanted to watch them,” Nowitzki said. “Steve was from Canada, so any time his friends came down, they always wanted to watch the Stars.”

Nowitzki said he quickly grew an appreciation for Modano’s graceful play and for the path he took to a championship. Modano said he understood much of what Nowitzki was going through.

“I think our paths were pretty similar for our sports,” Modano said. “We each fought our way and did the best we could, and it was fun to help rebuild organizations and earn whatever we got. It was similar paths and I think that we both understood each other. We were both drafted by our team, we both went through growing pains with different coaches, different towns, and different teammates.”

The Stars found a solid owner in Tom Hicks, who invested heavily in making his team a winner. Nowitzki saw Mark Cuban buy the Mavericks in 2000, and his world changed at that time.

“Having to wait and really work to win it all was hard, but it made it even better in the end,” Modano said. “We both got close before we finally did it.”

The two have brought Dallas some enduring sports memories, but it goes beyond that. The area where AAC was built was desolate. Just to clean the dirt and make construction possible, crews had to engage in one of the largest remediations in history.

“When you drove through there, it was nothing. It was toxic over there,” Modano said. “You honestly were asking yourself: `Who would put anything over there?”

And now?

“I’m blown away when I’m there,” said Modano, who works for the Wild and lives in Minnesota now. “It is a great story about how sports can change things.”

Nowitzki also marveled at the development.

“I would go away in the summer, and it seemed like every time I came back, there was a new building there,” he said. “It’s really a reflection of the entire city, because it’s grown so much.”

Modano said as he looks back on his career, he sees all the sliding doors that have put him where he is now. He was drafted first overall by Minnesota in 1988, but could have gone to Vancouver or Quebec. Then, the North Stars moved in 1993. They could have gone to Anaheim or Seattle or Hamilton, Ontario.

“There were a handful of places, and it just ended up being Dallas,” Modano said. “You just never know how things are going to turn out. You actually look even further back. I mean, if we win it in ’91, we probably never move. I just don’t see how they would take a Stanley Cup champion and move them, so the fact that the Penguins beat us, that changed all of our lives.”

And had the Stars not come to Dallas, the city would have definitely been different. Maybe a hockey team would have come later, but it wouldn’t have been the North Stars, and it wouldn’t have been Modano.

“Sometimes, things work out the way they’re supposed to,” Lites said as he pondered the two statues that will find a cozy home in a now-bustling part of a pretty successful city. “I think if you look at both organizations, there’s a real pride in both those guys. They’re obviously talented, but they’re affable, they’re great representatives, they connect with the fans. You couldn’t have two better guys to be honored like this.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.