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All-Star Fredrik Modin lets his play do the talking and inspire his teammates.
By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 2001
TAMPA -- When the Lightning acquired Grant Ledyard, Adrian Aucoin and Matthew Barnaby this season, it did so with the notion they not only would add experience and production, but also much-needed leadership to a young team.
But a leader already was emerging ... and he'd been there all season.
All-Star left wing Fredrik Modin continues to impress teammates and coaches with his steady play and a voice that's growing stronger as the season heads into its final week.
Tampa Bay plays host to Buffalo at 6 tonight at the Ice Palace. "He's just beginning to find out what type of player he is," coach John Tortorella said of the 26-year-old Swede. "He's a humble, humble kid and that's what you've got to like about him. He doesn't accept some of the things that go on, and I think that's great.
"I think he's slowly evolved into saying, "I can be something special here,' and has taken it upon himself to say, "I'm going to show and try to lead this team out of this dismal situation the club's in.' "
Modin, who leads the Lightning with 32 goals this season, isn't a holler guy. His more physical brand of play, however, suggests less-than-maximum effort will not, and should not, be tolerated.
"I'm not a guy who's standing up and telling one guy or yelling and screaming at him," Modin said. "If I'm out there on the ice with them maybe then, but if I'm not making the plays that the guys on the ice expect, I expect them to come and maybe tell me.
"I'm trying different solutions for different problems."
Thursday's game against Montreal provided the perfect example.
Though trying to kill a first-period penalty, Modin intercepted a puck in the Canadiens' zone, outnumbered three to one, then pushed opposing players over with one arm before finally losing the battle.
"He's working so hard right now," center Brad Richards said. "He's the hardest worker on the team, every game, game in and game out."
Though disappointed with the number of hits he has this season -- 65 after Friday's victory against Florida -- Modin is using his size (6 feet 4, 220 pounds) to create more opportunities for himself and others.
He has 23 assists. "I think there are different ways you play physical," he said.
"You can skate around and really just hit people. Then you can get in there and get hit and take hits, protecting the puck and stuff like that which I've tried to work on a little bit this year."
Said Richards: "He just throws guys out of the way sometimes, takes control of the puck. It's good to see on the bench when someone's out there battling. It gives you extra motivation to get out there and try harder."
And that is why Tortorella is prepared to give Modin a more prominent role as a leader next season, but it doesn't necessarily mean he will have an A on his sweater.
"Mo's angry about some of the things that go on in here with some players and I think it's great," Tortorella said. "He has the perfect right to grab anybody in that locker room and shake 'em if they need it.
"I'm not sure if that's in his personality right now, we don't want to disrupt or force him into a different makeup, but he'll assume a very big part of this hockey team next year."