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DALLAS -- Prior to Saturday night’s game against the Minnesota Wild, the Dallas Stars honored former goaltender Ed Belfour for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame

Former Dallas teammates Joe Nieuwendyk, Jere Lehtinen, Mike Modano and Brett Hull were part of the ceremony, listing Belfour’s career accomplishments which included a Stanley Cup, two Vezina Trophies and 484 career wins, which ranks third all-time in the NHL.

As Belfour walked onto the ice fans greeted him with a chant of “Eddie! Eddie!”

The Stars presented Belfour with a Breitling watch and a plaque that will be displayed in the Stars’ Walk of Legends.

During the ceremony, Belfour was asked about his favorite memory of his stay in Dallas.

“Winning the Stanley Cup in 1999,” Belfour said. “It was a dream come true.”

Prior to the ceremony, Belfour was asked about those “Eddie! Eddie!” chants.

“Oh for sure [I could hear them],” Belfour said. “Yeah, that’s definitely one of those adrenaline builders. It always makes you want to play that much better.”

Belfour, who is building a house north of Dallas, said he has been taking it easy and could get back into hockey someday.

“Just pretty much taking it easy, enjoying my time -- a little bit of fishing, camping, outdoor stuff and hunting, enjoying my family and friends,” he said. “Maybe someday (I’ll get get back into hockey), been building a house the last year and a half has kept me real busy. Now that that’s done, maybe I can look at something like that.”

Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November along with Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour and Mark Howe.

“That was awesome. It was a great weekend, first class, treated us right from the time we got there,” Belfour said. “My mom and dad and all my friends were there. It was just overall a great weekend and something I’ll never forget.”

Prior to Saturday night’s game against Minnesota at American Airlines Center, the Dallas Stars will recognize former goaltender Ed Belfour for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Saturday’s ceremony starts at 7 p.m. sharp and fans are encouraged to get there early. Four of Belfour's former Dallas teammates - Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Modano, Brett Hull and Jere Lehtinen - will participate in the ceremony. Stars broadcasters Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh will be the emcees.

Belfour, who helped lead the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup, was inducted into the Hall along with Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour and Mark Howe in November.

Here are a few notes for a Thursday afternoon.

*Brett Hull is now on Twitter (Follow him here:@2ndBestHull). Among his first tweets:

"a quick hello to all my friends in Buffalo."

*The Dallas Stars’ official Hockey Fights Cancer Night is Thursday night vs. the St. Louis Blues. The Stars will be collecting donations and holding an auction. The items to be auctioned:

1. Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Wrapped Sticks used during warm-ups:

· Eriksson
· Ott
· Ribeiro
· Robidas
· Souray
· Lehtonen

The winners will have the opportunity to go downstairs after the game for a meet & greet with the player and get the sticks autographed.

2. Jamie Benn Game Worn HFC Helmet – winner will have the opportunity to go downstairs after the game for a meet & greet and get the helmet signed.

3. Razor’s Personal HFC Cancer Ties – winner will have the opportunity to go up to the booth after the game to watch the post-game show, meet Razor and get the ties signed.

More information is here.

FRISCO, Texas -- Joe Nieuwendyk and Ed Belfour won a Stanley Cup together with the Dallas Stars and now they’ll head into the Hockey Hall of Fame together.

Nieuwendyk and Belfour were two of four players elected to the Hall on Tuesday. Doug Gilmour and Mark Howe were the others.

Nieuwendyk, who was in his second year of eligibility, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP when the Stars won the Cup.

“I’m thrilled. I really am,” Nieuwendyk said at the Stars practice facility in Frisco. “It’s been a busy time with the draft and the work we have to do to get ready for free agency and this is a welcomed diversion, no question. I know how important it is in the history of the game and the select class of players that have gone into the Hall. I am thrilled to be a part of it.”

Nieuwendyk also won Stanley Cups with Calgary (1989) and New Jersey (2003). He won the Calder Trophy in 1988 as the NHL’s top rookie. He scored 564 goals in 1,257 NHL games.

“When you go through the course of your career you don’t think that you’re playing because you want to be a Hall of Famer. You play because you love the game and you love to compete and that’s what I tried to do over the course of my career,” he said. “I was fortunate to have success with a group of guys. To me that is what it is all about – the relationships and the teams that you have throughout your career. I was very fortunate in that regard.”

Belfour, who was in goal for the Stars when they won the Stanley Cup in 1999, made it into the Hall the first year he was eligible.

“It’s a great honor,” said Belfour. “I want to thank all my teammates that I played with over the years. Obviously, without them I couldn’t have had success. I want to thank all the great coaches I had over the years, my mom and dad, all my friends that backed me and that made me a better player and a better person on and off the ice. It kind of surprised me. There are a lot of mixed emotions because you always have it in your heart that you want to continue to play, but there is a point when it has to come to an end.”

Belfour was among the best goaltenders of his time, and his career numbers stack up among the best of all-time.

He’s third all-time in wins with 484, trailing only Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. He’s tied for fourth all-time in games played with 963. He had 76 career shutouts, which is tied for ninth in NHL history. He won the Vezina Trophy twice, the Jennings Trophy four times and he won a Calder Trophy as well.

“I played with a lot of good goaltenders over my career and there was something ultra-unique about Eddie,” said Nieuwendyk. “I wouldn’t say he was socially with us all the time, but we knew he was preparing himself to play nets on any given night. He took his job very seriously. He competed at a high level and we knew Eddie was going to be there for us. If I had to go into a one game showdown, Eddie Belfour is the goalie that I would want in the net.”

Three players from that 1999 team are now in the Hall of Fame. Brett Hull is the other. Mike Modano is probably not far behind. Nieuwendyk thinks Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen will get consideration as well.

“It’s a reminder of the special time that we shared here from the mid-to-late 1990’s and the players we were associated with. It really was a terrific time for all of us and for the fans of Dallas. You appreciate those things when you go through your career and you don’t have those opportunities very often. We all came together for a common goal and it was very rewarding.”

Nine former Dallas Stars/NHL alumni will be signing autographs during the first intermission of Tuesday's game against Columbus at American Airlines Center as part of the team's support of Bully Proof USA, a non-profit foundation that is committed to battling bullying in schools across America.

Brett Hull, Jere Lehtinen, Andy Moog, Bob Bassen, Gerald Diduck, Steve Duchesne, Steve Dykstra, Bill Huard and Landon Wilson are all scheduled to participate. Autographs will be limited to the first 200 people in line. The event will take place on the main concourse, near section 101.

Bully Proof also will be passing out free copies of its new book.

You can read more about it here on the Stars' official site.

DALLAS -- Mike Modano said he's going to wait until at least July to see what type of interest there is on the free agent market before deciding about his future. But he sounds like a player who doesn't expect to return to the Stars.

"The more and more I look at the situation here, I come to believe I’m not in the scheme of things here," Modano said before going on the air with Ben & Skin on ESPN 103.3 FM at Go Fish Ocean Club as part of Lunch with a Legend on Monday. "If I had to play, I may have to look at going elsewhere."

Free agency in the NHL begins on July 1. At that point, Modano will see what kind of interest other teams have in him. But he hasn't decided if he wants to play anywhere but Dallas.

"It depends what kind of interest and what teams," Modano said. "I’d probably take two or three weeks in that month and see who comes calling and if there’s connection with those teams that call. I'd want to play for a competitive team, someone that might have a legitmate shot at it."

Modano also said how he's used on the ice would factor into his decision.

"It depends on who I’d play with and who I feel I can make some plays and make decisions with on the ice," Modano said. "I just need help as far as quickness and pace of the game now. You can’t make it work the way you used to with any given linemate. You need help how."

Modano said he's continued his offseason workouts as if he's playing, which was his plan even before the season ended.

"You always feel you can still play," Modano said. "I’m working out like I’m going to play. If I do get an opportunity to do something, I'd be ready. If not, I’ll come to the end of July and say, ‘That’s it.’"

Modano acknowledged that it's "never the same," for athletes that leave a longtime team and go somewhere else.

"It never seems to be a fit," Modano said. "[Brett] Favre is the only one I can think of in the last half-dozen or so years that it worked out. That's why it would depend on who's on the team, who the coach is, do I have a relationship with guys on the team. You have to go do a good, challenging, competitive team."

Brett Hull, a Stars VP, appeared with Modano at the Lunch with a Legend on Monday and clearly believes Modano should return.

"I think you'd be crazy not to look at the endless possibilities Mike gives a team," Hull said on the air with Ben & Skin. "He can fill in or even play on your top-2 offensive lines. He’s one of the most intelligent players. I don’t see how any team wouldn't want him. I think he’s crazy to quit, whether it’s here or another team."

DALLAS -- Mike Modano and Brett Hull are the featured guests at Lunch with a Legend at Go Fish Ocean Club (NE corner of Alpha and Noel in North Dallas). They will be on the air at noon until 1 p.m. with Ben & Skin.

I'm already here and the place is starting to fill up, but there are seats remaining if you want to come out and join us. We'll let you know what Modano and Hull have to say.