The Sporting News article
Jun 12, 1995
by Larry Wigge

Steve Yzerman led the Red Wings with four goals in five regular-season games against the Blackhawks. So it’s understandable they want him back in the lineup for their conference-final series as soon as possible. The best medicine for arthroscopic knee surgery normally is rest and relaxation, but Yzerman has no time for either. And through the miracle of modern medical techniques, he is expected back for Game 4.

Yzerman is getting two 90-minute sessions each day in a portable hyperbaric chamber the Red Wings have leased for $97,000. “It’s magic,” Yzerman says. “I go in there, sit down and watch TV–and come out feeling refreshed and more healthy.” The chamber got its biggest publicity blitz in 1994 when the British Columbia Lions used it to help injured players en route to a Canadian Football League championship. The Canucks took note and used one during their grueling stretch drive to last season’s Stanley Cup finals.The chamber pumps in room air to double the earth’s normal atmospheric pressure, creating the equivalent of what divers feel at 33 feet under water. The user spends 390 minutes inhaling pure oxygen–100 percent compared with the 21 percent we normally breathe. The oxygen theoretically enters the bloodstream and reaches all tissues of the body, promoting healing.

In addition to the Red Wings, the Canucks, Oilers, Jets, Flyers and Blues are among the teams that have used a hyperbaric chamber this season. The NFL’s Cowboys and Jets also have joined the group of satisfied customers. Forget all the technical angles to this gizmo. A healthy Yzerman is all the Red Wings care about.