Dallas Stars to honor Hall-of-Famer Hull at Nov. 25 game

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By MIKE HEIKA

Special to the Star-Telegram

ST. PAUL, Minn. — As much as Brett Hull has been a part of the Dallas Stars’ front office for the past four years, fans never really did get to honor him for his contributions to the team as a player.

So with Hull being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Class of 2009 on Monday night in Toronto, the Stars have decided to recognize the achievement Nov. 25 before a game against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center.

"It’s such a whirlwind couple of weeks for Brett, so we thought we would let things settle down a bit and bring him back here and let our fans be a part of the celebration," said new Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. "It’s such an incredible honor, and we just feel it’s something that we need to recognize, as well."

Hull spread his 19-year career between Calgary, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix, with the majority of his accolades coming with the Blues. He had his No. 16 retired in St. Louis in 2006. And while he played just 218 games with the Stars, he becomes the first ever person who wore a Dallas Stars sweater to earn a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"It’s a great honor, and I’m really not sure what to even say about it," said Hull. "It’s just such a great time to look back on everything really and reflect on the people who helped me."

Hull’s father, Bobby, and his wife, Darcie, will be a part of the presentation in Dallas, along with his children. Also expected to be a part of the presentation for the Stars are owner Tom Hicks and longtime friend Mike Modano.

"It’s neat to see all of this happen," Modano said. "It’s the ultimate honor you can get, and he obviously deserves it. He’s trying to play it cool, but I know it’s going to get to him before it’s all over."

Modano and Brenden Morrow are expected to travel Monday to Toronto, where Hull will have a large group of friends and family present.

Local ties

The Stars had plenty of local ties in Saturday’s game with the Wild. The Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993, and Stars center Mike Modano played in the Twin Cities for parts of five seasons. In addition, Toby Petersen is from Minneapolis and Matt Niskanen is from Virginia in the Iron Country.

Coach Marc Crawford had all three players in the starting lineup.

Playing for the Wild was Antti Miettinen, who played with the Stars from 2003-08.

Briefly

The Stars were without LW James Neal (groin) and RW Krys Barch (back). Both are expected to be at practice next week.

D Jeff Woywitka was a healthy scratch.

This is the fourth set of back-to-back games the Stars have played this season. They will play 12 sets total.

RW Jere Lehtinen is two points shy of 500 for his career.

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