The 9 Club

Growing up in the mid-90s in Dallas, there were two main clubs for Modano and Stars fans. The Stars Club which was an inflated tent outside of Reunion Arena and the 9 Club, a Mike Modano Fan Club. I was too young to get into the Stars Club, but my parents got me into the 9 Club until it was no more. For the kids like me that grew up pre-internet, letters and fan clubs made for the best of times.

We lived in a townhome when I was kid. And while most of the Stars including Mike lived a few streets down, they were mostly surrounded by walls. The chance to read all about your favorite Star and get behind the scenes details was everything a fan could ask for. Once my mom picked me up from school and we got home, I would rush to the kitchen to grab the mailbox keys and make the trek to the community pool, where a few feet adjacent was the mailbox. The 9 Club newsletters would arrive in the standard envelope, and I'd just stand there, ripping it open and reading all of it before I even made it home.

The newsletter itself was really cool. Each one usually gave you an insight into what type of music or food Mike enjoyed. A lot of the music that I ended up growing up with was because of the club. I would have never heard of Queensryche, appreciated Rush or Ted Nugent until later in life if weren't for the Stars and the newsletter. Nothing compares to hearing Cat Scratch Fever or Smokin in the Boys room during warmups from the 300s at Reunion. Who I am and what I enjoy today is in large part because as a kid I wanted so bad to be like the Dallas Stars players that I watched on television or met at the rink. The newsletter made you feel like you knew more about your favorite team than others did.

There was also a page dedicated to the new Stars and what they enjoyed about Dallas. And I can't forget about all the cool pictures that were included. I remember one picture of Mike rollerblading with CCM Tacks in the neighborhood and how I asked my mom if I could get those instead of the Bauer H1s. The back page of the newsletter was a list of the monthly winners and so I made sure not to skip this part in hopes that my name was one of the three.

My name never made it on the list, but looking back on that time as a 9 Club member, I can't think of a bigger win. If you ever met Mike, you would argue that you'd be the biggest fan even if there never was a club. I'd join you in that sentiment. Mike was what Dallas needed at the time. Kids like me needed the Dallas Stars and Mike was the best advocate. Even as a kid, I knew his parents were first-class and nothing was cooler than seeing his mom and dad featured in some of the newsletters. I got to meet Mike Sr. years later and he was every bit the stand-up guy you'd imagine and everything more. It made you appreciate the time with your parents as well, because your hero did too.

I forget when the last newsletter was mailed, but I still have a majority of mine. I also held onto my 9 jersey, 9 baseball cap, 9 signed puck, member card, some shirts, and the 21 Jump Street poster with Modano and Russ Courtnall. If anyone has any of the other items, let me know! Would be cool to relive that time with more pictures. And Mike, if you're reading this and you want to restart the 9 Club, let me know where to sign up to volunteer!

Until next time, see you on the ice, 9 Club Members.