Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Eric Lacy

When Steve Yzerman was drafted by the Red Wings in 1983, he received a gift from then-general manager Jimmy Devellano that became a precursor for the remainder of his illustrious career.

It was a team media guide, one full of pages about Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and other greats.

“I went through it and immediately became excited about being a Red Wing,” Yzerman said. “I knew at the time I was joining a proud franchise with great players and a winning tradition.”

Some of those legends praised Yzerman at his retirement announcement Monday at Joe Louis Arena.

Now, Yzerman’s legacy is bound to encourage and motivate future players.

Howe, Lindsay and some of Yzerman’s former coaches and players all told stories about The Captain’s leadership, toughness and willingness to learn, lead and respond to adversity.

The reoccurring theme Monday was that Yzerman is a relentless, self-driven man who made sure to leave the game on his own terms.

Gordie Howe: ‘He wore that letter C with a lot of pride’

Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, knew it was time to hang it up when the pain from years of competition became unbearable.

So, Howe appreciates the way Yzerman handled his career and retirement announcement.

“I spent a lot of years hurting and didn’t really leave the game the way I wanted to,” Howe said. “I failed at retirement the first time and probably should have left earlier than I did. I’m impressed with Steve because he did it the right way. He had good reasons for leaving and mentioned spending more time with his family.

“He knows this is a good time for him to leave the game.”

Howe said he’ll remember Yzerman’s drive.

“He tried to impress everyone on the ice,” Howe said. “He was his own coach in many ways … Stevie was just a kid who never gave up and wore that letter ‘C’ with whole lot of pride.”

Ted Lindsay: Can’t imagine pain Yzerman played through

Ted Lindsay is one of the sport’s all-time greatest tough guys, and can relate to Yzerman’s pain — well, to a degree.

“Everyone has their own pain tolerance and mine was pretty high,” Lindsay said. “But I can’t imagine what Steve went through with that knee injury (in August 2002, Yzerman underwent an experimental surgery to realign his right knee).”

Consequently, Lindsay said, Yzerman can retire with no regrets because he gave hockey all he had — mentally and physically.

“I hate to see Steve stop playing because it moves him one row closer to the front of the church,” Lindsay said. “But he’ll still be around (and playing in Wings alumni games).”

Jimmy Devellano: He’s well-suited for front office role

The careers of Yzerman and Devellano are intertwined with the Wings. Yzerman was Devellano’s first draft pick for the organization.

Devellano, the team’s senior vice president, expects they will have a future together, too, as Yzerman moves into a front-office role.

It’s up to Yzerman, however, to determine how involved he wants to be with the team.

“We’ve made it very clear to Stevie that he’s welcome to come into our management group,” Devellano said. “For the last four or five years, we’ve been talking to Steve like he’s part of management. He’s played a major role in trades, contracts and such.

“He’s been more involved with what we do here than what most people and media know.”

Scotty Bowman: It was easy to realize how special he was

Scotty Bowman was a legend long before he arrived in town.

It didn’t take him long to recognize another.

“You never had to do much with Steve because no matter what condition he was in, the guy was always ready to play,” said Bowman, who coached the team from 1993-2002. “I came 10 years into his career so it was already given that he was the leader.

“The way he played hurt was like no other,” Bowman said. “Everyone has pain in hockey but he had a lot of it, more so than most. But that never stopped him.”

Dave Lewis: Always trying to ‘do the right thing’

Dave Lewis first got to know Yzerman as a teammate.

The veteran was immediately impressed by the youngster.

“When he was younger he was a sponge,” Lewis said. “He asked the older guys everything, like how do captains on other teams motivate players to how should I ask some of the guys out for a beer or how should I go about asking people over for Thanksgiving dinner. Steve always looked for guidance and wanted to do the right thing.”

Teammates: Never any question who was captain

Yzerman’s actions and concise speeches worked wonders for team morale. He didn’t have to yell or stomp around to make a point.

But he also never held back, said Larry Murphy, a former teammate.

“Steve never had to prove anything to anyone because he clearly was the leader and hardest worker on the team,” Murphy said. “He never rambled or lectured players to the point of boredom, either.

“Everyone knew when they came to Detroit that he was the captain and it was his team. That’s just the way it always was because he earned the title.”

Igor Larionov said players listened to Yzerman because he had such unwavering passion.

“Stevie never lived in the past or made excuses,” Larionov said. “He always tried to prove — no matter what kind of condition he was in — that he was the best on ice. Stevie was the captain and that’s what he will always be.”