Being a Dallas Stars fan means I’m used to losing. 

I’ve spent countless nights at the American Airlines Center or on my couch screaming at a referee like they can hear me and walking away a little more defeated after every loss. When the 2022–2023 season rolled around, I didn’t expect much. But then the Stars won, and they kept doing it. 

Now, the Dallas Stars have clinched a spot in the playoffs and I have hope that they may get past the second round of the playoffs for the second time in 15 years. To celebrate that, I have ranked the top five best Dallas Stars players of all time. 

5. Jason Robertson

A newer player on such an old team, Jason Robertson has stolen the hearts of fans across Texas — myself included. From the beginning of this season, Robertson has skated like his life depended on it, scoring 23 times in the first 25 games. Recently, he beat his previous record for longest point streak (at least one goal or assist per game) with an 18-game streak. He’s currently the leading scorer in this Dallas Stars’ season and the youngest player to be in the top 10 point ranking within the National Hockey League, with a current record of 41 goals and 50 assists (91 points total). Though he may not have as impressive of a resume as some of the others on this list, Robertson has proven himself worthy of the spotlight and I cannot wait to see him reach his full potential. 

4. Jere Lehtinen

Sadly, I have never been able to see Jere Lehtinen play live, but the plenty of YouTube and TikTok videos that pop up on my phone have told me everything I need to know. Just looking at the awards the Stars earned while Lehtinen played, it’s obvious that Lehtinen deserves the retired jersey hanging in the American Airlines Center with his name on it. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, when the Dallas Stars were still the team to beat, Lehtinen helped the Stars get their only Stanley Cup victory in 1999, along with being finalists three other years. The defensive forward played a total of 875 games in his 20 year career, which came to a close in 2010. Among those games, he scored 243 goals and assisted in 271, surpassing 20 goals in a season seven times. While I wasn’t around to see him play, his impact on the Stars cannot be understated.

3. Marty Turco

Often referred to as the “smartest goalie in the NHL,” Marty Turco was an excellent puck-handler and an even better person. A goalie for the Stars from 2000–2010, Turco played a total of 543 games and had a save rate of 0.910, recording the highest save percentage in the NHL twice. When his contract with the Stars ended, Turco played two more seasons — one with the Chicago Blackhawks and the other with the Boston Bruins. During and after his NHL career, Turco worked with the C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, and later went on to become president of the Dallas Stars foundation. A lot of NHL players have spent their fortunes on trivial things or keep their wealth to themselves, but Turco consistently used his time and money to better the world. Combining that with his skill as a goalie, Turco definitely deserves his spot on this list.

2. Jamie Benn

The current captain, and my first hockey love, Jamie Benn has spent his 14-year NHL career with the Stars, leading as the team’s captain for the past nine. This season, Benn has scored 31 goals with 40 assists. Overall, Benn has played 1,022 games, spending the most seasons as captain in franchise history. He’s among the Stars’ list of best players in almost every category: second in most goals, third in assists and second in even-strength goals. Benn’s impressive resume doesn’t stop in the NHL, as he’s won a gold medal in both the Olympics and the IIHF U20 World Championships. While he’s an incredibly skilled player, it is his leadership that earns him this spot on the list. Benn led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020 for the first time since 2000, where the team lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. One of my all-time favorite players and the name on the back of my own jersey, Benn has had an impressive career, and it doesn’t look like he’ll burn out any time soon.

1. Mike Modano

Though I might have seen him skate live when I was a toddler, I wish for nothing more than to have seen Mike Modano skate in his prime. A member of the NHL Hall of Fame, Modano had a 21-season NHL career and skated 20 of those years with the Stars, four of those when the franchise was still located in Minnesota. At the height of his career, Modano averaged 25 minutes a game. He holds the record for most goals and points by a United States-born player and is widely regarded to have had the best career from a United States-born player in the history of the NHL. He was on the team when they had their only Stanley Cup victory in 1999, along with when they made finals the next year, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils. Modano became assistant captain the first year the team spent in Dallas and went on to wear a letter on his jersey the rest of his time with the Stars. When his contract with the Stars ended in 2010, Modano went on to play one last year in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings in his home state. He then signed a one-day contract with the Stars so he could retire as a member of the team he helped build, and his number retired with him two years later. For his impressive resume, his leadership and his commitment to the Stars, Modano has more than earned his spot as the best Dallas Stars player on my list.