USA Today article
May 14, 1996
by Kevin Allen

After losing Game 5, Steve Yzerman’s mood was as unattractive as one of those four-pound octopuses that have been bouncing off the ice at Joe Louis Arena.

The even-tempered Detroit Red Wings captain showed plenty of anger, although he believed himself to be quite rational when he offered the same guarantee Mark Messier made when his New York Rangers faced a similar situation in 1994.

“We’ll be back,” Yzerman said. “It’s not going to end Tuesday. We’ll be back for Game 7 in Detroit.”

To avoid elimination by the St. Louis Blues tonight, the Red Wings need to perform at a higher degree of proficiency than they have
mustered their last outings against the Blues.

The Blues’ goaltending and defense have harnessed the Red Wings, in particular Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov and Keith Primeau.

Fedorov has taken the most heat from the Detroit media because Blues center Wayne Gretzky has outperformed him the last three
games.

The Red Wings’ game plan will be to do a better job against the Brett Hull-Gretzky tandem, although Blues coach Mike Keenan will
have the last line change on home ice.

“You can talk all the defense you want,” Yzerman said. “But the guys who know how to put the puck in the net have to do it.”

The Red Wings’ situation is similar to the Rangers’ predicament in 1994 when they trailed 3-2 heading into Game 6 at New Jersey.
The Rangers, the No. 1 regular-season team that season, won in overtime and then went on to win the series and the Stanley Cup.