When the Dallas Stars defeated the Sharks in San Jose Wednesday night, two of the top three U.S.-born goal scorers were on the ice. Both Mike Modano, the all-time leader with 509 goals prior to last night’s 3-1 decision, and Jeremy Roenick were on the verge of milestones.

In his first season with the Sharks, Roenick is one goal shy of joining Modano and Joe Mullen as the only U.S.-born members of the 500 club. He would become the 40th player overall to tally 500 goals, but it didn’t happen last night.

It happened for Modano, who scored a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the game. He drilled a long slap shot past San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov at 2:19, and barely more than two minutes later, Modano beat the goalie on a breakaway with the Stars shorthanded. The first goal tied former defenseman Phil Housley for the most points all-time by an American. The second made Modano the leader with 1,233 points.

Housley, a Minnesotan, spent 21 seasons in the NHL -- the first eight with Buffalo, and five with Calgary later in his career. He played for eight teams and retired a month after his 39th birthday in 2003. As a defenseman, he collected more than 75 points in five seasons, including a career-high 97 in 1992-93 with Winnipeg.

The 37-year-old Modano, a Michigan native, was the first overall pick by the then-Minnesota North Stars in 1988. This is Modano’s 18th season with the Minnesota-Dallas franchise. He scored a career-high 93 points in 1992-93, the team’s final year in Minnesota. He tallied 50 goals the following season in Dallas.

Roenick, from Boston, turns 38 in January. He played his first eight NHL seasons in Chicago, where he netted 53 and 50 goals in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Then he moved to Phoenix with the Winnipeg Jets franchise in 1996-97. He spent five seasons with the Coyotes. In his 19th season in the league, Roenick is playing for his fifth team.

Roenick was happy to witness Modano setting the mark. They grew up together in the NHL, and they were among the U.S.-born stars who spurred a growth in the game domestically during the 1990s.

"It was really special to watch, especially the way he did it (with) two beautiful, beautiful goals," Roenick said after the game. "I wish we could have done it on the same night. I was just really proud to be here when he did it."

Here are the all-time leader boards for U.S.-born players.

Goals by U.S.-Born Players, All-Time

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .G
Mike Modano. . . . . . . . . . . 511
Joe Mullen. . . . . . . . . . . . .502
Jeremy Roenick. . . . . . . . . 499
Keith Tkachuk. . . . . . . . . . 478
Pat LaFontaine. . . . . . . . . .468

Points by U.S.-Born Players, All-Time

Player. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pts
Mike Modano. . . . . . . . . . 1,233
Phil Housley. . . . . . . . . . . 1,232
Jeremy Roenick. . . . . . . . .1,178
Joe Mullen. . . . . . . . . . . .1,063
Brian Leetch. . . . . . . . . . .1,028