Washington Post article
February 22, 2003
by Jason La Canfora
Another grinding practice was winding down last week when Dave Lewis, coach of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, handed his team over to its venerable team captain. Steve Yzerman, the heart of this organization for the last 20 years who is days away from completing an unprecedented return from knee-realignment surgery, could have let the club rest for the next night’s game, but opted for a session of sprints instead.
For 15 minutes, one of the NHL’s oldest teams sweated and panted as Yzerman and his tender right knee led them from end line to blueline to redline to blueline to end line. Yzerman’s presence on the ice was itself a medical wonder — some doctors advised him to retire last summer and spare his shredded knee further damage — and the mere sight of him spurred on his teammates. No one dared complain about the extra work, and the next night the Red Wings, who will face the Capitals at MCI Center tonight sans Yzerman, emerged from a slump with a 6-2 thrashing of Atlanta.
“We had already had a full practice but Stevie skated them hard and we ended up having pretty good success the next night,” Lewis said. “That’s just one little example of what Steve Yzerman means to this team. He demands and commands as much of his team as he commands and demands of himself. And Stevie has pretty high standards.”
