Mike Modano has a little extra spring in his step these days.

Some of it is weight he has dropped, some of it is energy he has gained.

The combination has been rejuvenating, he said.

"It just feels good right now," Modano said. "There are reasons, I'm sure, but it just feels really good right now."

The reasons are fairly simple. Modano has finally put behind him the American-born scoring record – a feat that required 15 games for him to score seven points, a feat that he admitted was weighing on him like an eagle around his neck.

And just as he passed Phil Housley to become the greatest point scorer from the United States, his good buddy Brett Hull was named one of the Stars' interim co-general managers – a move that gives Modano just a little more motivation to perform on the ice.

So mix the two together, and you have a Modano who really does look lighter.

"My guess is it's more the record than it is anything else, but it's just good to see him playing well," said Les Jackson, who is the other interim co-GM. "There's obviously a lot of respect between him and Brett, and they are good friends. But I think this change was coming no matter what happened.

"We've watched Mike for a long time, and he doesn't stay in slumps for very long."

The honors and accolades Modano received before Wednesday night's game against the Anaheim Ducks were a testament to that.

Modano, 37, has gone through a string of milestones in the last two seasons, including becoming the 39th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, passing Joey Mullen for first place among American-born goal scorers at 503 and passing Housley for most points by an American-born player at 1,233. He put off any kind of ceremony until it was all behind him, he said.

"We talked about this last summer and just sort of picked a date out in November," Modano said of the This Is Your Life type of evening. "The way it started, I'm just glad we didn't have to push the date back."

Modano, needing six points to tie Housley and seven to pass, had two points in his first nine games. He was demoted to the fourth line for a while, and that actually sparked his game. He eventually started rolling and picked up the record with two outstanding goals in a 3-1 win over San Jose on Nov. 7. Including that game, he has three goals and four assists for seven points in his last six games.

"I think a little more spring in his step is a good way to look at it," Stars goalie Marty Turco said. "And him being that top-end guy, it filters through the rest of us."

The Stars are 3-1-2 in the last six games heading into Wednesday and appear to be getting their game together. And Modano needs to be a big part of that. The irony of Wednesday's ceremony is that Modano really has reflected on his career in recent weeks and wondered how long he has left to play. But the ascension of Hull and Jackson after owner Tom Hicks fired former GM Doug Armstrong last week has put a new thought in his mind.

"Change does that," Modano said. "I think it sparks guys and gets everybody excited. It's a new beginning for guys. It's been interesting just chatting with Brett and Les, and the guys just feel they have a little more breathing room now, that they can show their personalities."

Modano said he is focusing more on the future now.

"There's a lot of memories. There's a lot of flashbacks. It's nice to reminisce," he said of the ceremony. "But we're trying to get back on track here. We want to be getting better and grow as the season goes on, and hopefully this spring, we'll be coming together at the right time."

Modano calls Hull his boss now and admits it would be nice if the co-best man at his wedding could remove the interim tag in the summer so that he and Jackson could keep the GM job for the long term. In fact, Modano said the thought he could help achieve that goal is motivating.

"Yeah, a little bit," Modano said. "I've always enjoyed being around him, I enjoyed playing with him, I'm going to enjoy working for him. You don't want to let him down. ... You don't want to let any of your bosses down."

Hull said he enjoyed the emotion of the pregame ceremony, and said that fans were privileged to not only watch Modano's talent throughout his career, but the maturation of a "classy superstar."

When asked if he plans to squeeze everything he can out of the remainder of Modano's career, Hull explained, "We definitely want to do everything we can to make sure he can be the best player he can be. Yeah, I don't see him getting anything but better."