Detroit Free Press article
July 4, 2006
by Helene St. James
For years, teammates sat in the same locker room as Steve Yzerman and watched this superman. Like the man of steel, Yzerman seemed invulnerable, able to eclipse the limits of human endurance. In Yzerman’s case, able to will his team to victory.
Yzerman’s legend was nurtured through a 22-season career that befits a man who will go down as one of hockey’s greats: three Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, trophies that recognize his immense contribution to the Red Wings.
“He’s meant everything to this team,” goaltender Chris Osgood said. “Just from watching him from afar and being here, it’s his presence in the room. He always makes the team better. Guys just naturally work harder when they’re around him. His leadership will be missed huge.”
Yzerman announced his retirement Monday, nine weeks to the day after he played his last game. The finale was vintage Yzerman: He had a torn oblique muscle and shouldn’t have played, but his team trailed the Oilers, 3-2, in the first-round series, so he gave it a go. The Wings lost the game, but not before Yzerman set up a goal, squeezing one last play out of his worn hands.
MLive.com article
July 4, 2006
by Ansar Khan
Steve Yzerman always envisioned a scenario where he would hoist the Stanley Cup one more time for the Detroit Red Wings and then bow out from the game that made him a legend, much like former coach Scotty Bowman did in 2002.
It never came to fruition — that kind of Hollywood ending rarely does in professional sports.
Yzerman’s exit on Monday wasn’t nearly as glorious as planned, but it was just as graceful. And his timing was impeccable. He left on his own terms, which many players don’t get the opportunity to do these days.
But, Yzerman has always done the right thing.
This post will be updated over the next few days with comments from various members of the media, fans, and bloggers. Once I return home tomorrow afternoon, I plan on uploading a post full of my favorite Yzerman photos, videos, and audio. Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans!
This is going to be a pretty long post so if you just want to see my other posts on No. 19, please check out one of the posts linked below.
Steve Yzerman: Heart of a Champion
Steve Yzerman Quote Sheet
Steve Yzerman retires
Behind the Jersey: No. 19
You know you’re a special hockey player when all of these players/coaches take their time out of the holiday weekend to stop in Detroit for your retirement announcement.
Scotty Bowman, the Wings’ former head coach, came in from Chicago, where he was visiting relatives.
“Sorry, I was about 10 minutes late getting here,” he told Yzerman afterward, as the two posed for photos. “But I was listening on the radio on my way in.”
Mike Babcock, the current coach, flew in from his offseason home in Saskatchewan. Teammate Kris Draper left his family in Toronto and hopped on a plane to be here. Ted Lindsay was there with his wife. Igor Larionov strolled in, just ahead of a group of more than a dozen of the Wings’ prospects, most of whom weren’t even born when Yzerman played his first NHL game.
Bloggers
Paul Kukla @ Kukla’s Korner: With Yzerman in the lineup, Wings fans knew we always had a chance to win a game. Now that security blanket has left us. July 3, 2006, the day Detroit Red Wings fans shed a tear or two. We knew the day was coming and tried to convince ourselves to be prepared. But it hit us like a ton of bricks, took away our breath and left us stunned and dazed. #19 will never be seen on the ice again. I joked with a fellow blogger a week or so ago the #19 is not worn by anyone in Detroit sports, both amateur and pro, but today I am not kidding. No more #19 for anyone in Detroit, we cannot look at someone else wearing it again. Besides, who could live up to it?
IwoCPO @ Abel to Yzerman: The Captain has been through the most pressure-filled situations, dealt with pain I could certainly never imagine, swallowed emotion when necessary and made incredibly tough decisions because it was his job to do so. And yet, you got the idea yesterday that what he was doing up there on that dais was much tougher than anything he’s experienced with 19 on his back.
For now, it’s simply this: farewell to The Captain. We’ll leave the future for tomorrow. His successor can be discussed elsewhere for now. Ken Holland’s summer nap can wait one more day.
For now…I’ll say this. Steve Yzerman would have made a damned good Chief.
Matt @ On the Wings: Click on the link to read about his favorite Yzerman memories.
Brian @ On the Wings: Click on the link to read about his favorite Yzerman moments.
Joe @ Legends of Hockey: Steve Yzerman is no longer the high scoring one-man show of the Detroit Red Wings. Instead he is one of the game’s most complete players ever. He is one the greatest leaders the ice has ever known. And most importantly, he is the captain of the 3 Stanley Cup Championships. One of the NHL’s true all time greats, Steve Yzerman is what hockey is all about.
David Singer @ The Ice Block: Even at a presser for him, about him, he still used the word “we” over and over, as he considered his retirement from the team’s perspective. Whether it be in the front office or somewhere behind the bench, Stevie Y isn’t going anywhere, and fans in Detroit should be grateful for that. Gordie Howe may be Mr. Hockey, but Yzerman has truly become Mr. Red Wing.
James Mirtle: Yzerman’s one of the few players who’s been an NHL star nearly my entire life, and certainly ever since I’ve been following the game closely. He’s an icon in the game, and a great representative of what hockey is — or at least what it should be. Looking at the ridiculous player movement the past few seasons, you wonder if another Yzerman will ever grace this league.
Is it even possible for this league to have a player named captain at 21 and play his entire 1,514-game career with the team that drafted him? For that alone, it’s the end of an era.
Kevin @ Buffalo’s Original Sports Blog: He has always been one of my favorite players, and the NHL is a poorer place with him not in it. True to his usual classiness, he had this to say: “I don’t want this to turn into a soap opera or an ordeal.” See you again the first day you’re eligible for the Hall. And you stay classy, Stevie Y.
Acid Queen @ Sweet Tea, Barbecue, and Bodychecks: Out of a team that I’ve held a deep-seated loathing for since age 10, he was the only one that I could never ever say anything bad about–because there just wasn’t anything bad that could be said about him. Even through the pain and heartache and anger of 2002, I still couldn’t say anything bad about the guy–because when you play the way he did on only one good leg, that’s valour right there (and you have to respect that).
That’s about the right word for it–valour. I can’t think of this man without that word coming to mind, not after 2002. It’s right up there alongside other words used in connection with him: class, dignity, and respect.
Fans
UMFan: I’ve never seen a player in any sport, with the exception of maybe Jordan, display such a drive and a determination to win than Yzerman. He did everything the right way, on and off the ice. I’m just glad I got to watch him play. The sports world, not just hockey, is losing a great icon.
Barry Steiner, Chicago: “I’m a big Hawks’ fan, but I had a lot of respect for him. You have to be impressed with what they’ve done during his career. He’s a classy player and it’s a big loss for the league. He’s a tremendous competitor and you have to believe he just felt he couldn’t compete at the level he was accustomed to playing. It’s good he can go out on his own terms.”
Connie: “I have been watching you play hockey since you were with the Peterborough Petes. I was 20, you were 16. I rarely missed a Red Wings game and watched you grow with the team as a player and as a man. I cried when you were hit in the eye with the puck, I cried when you had knee surgery, I cried when you won the Stanley cups, and I cried today. You are a class act, Steve Yzerman, and you are synonymous with Hockeytown. I have wanted to meet you since the day you first skated onto the ice but never got a chance. I knew back then you were going to be something special. Thank you for 23 glorious years in Detroit. Maybe there’s a chance that somehow, someday, I will still be able to meet the greatest hockey player that ever played the game. I have deep admiration and respect for you and I hope you continue to play a part in the Red Wings’ successes. Thank you for being my hero for many years, as you will continue to be. God Bless you on your post-career journey. Hockeytown Loves You!”
CrazyCoach: Stevie Y was a class act. It’s always hard to see players retire, but Stevie Y saw the writing on the wall, and realized it was time to go. I still can’t believe he was productive after that awful knee surgery he underwent a couple seasons ago. Good job Stevie! The NHL is a different world than it was yesterday and for the past 22 seasons.
Media
Phil Coffey @ NHL.com:
But Yzerman will not be remembered for his statistics. He was far more than a point producer, he became the soul and conscience of not only the Red Wings, but to a large degree, hockey in general. Yzerman was a prime-time player in international competition, a staple on Team Canada’s various rosters for Olympic and Canada Cup competitions.
Through it all — the incredible highs and the unspeakable lows — Yzerman played the game with a grace and humility that captured the hearts of the region’s passionate puckheads. He could always be counted on for the big goal, the perfect pass, the faceoff win, the defensive wizardry that saw Detroit through a tight time.
Scott Burnside @ ESPN:
In a blue-collar, union town, Yzerman really was the lunch pail superstar. “I’ve been a hockey player since the age of five,” he said. “I played hockey all winter and thought about hockey all summer.”
He didn’t particularly like dealing with the media. It was his job. And as captain, he did it, but often grudgingly and sometimes not at all. But you know what? That’s small potatoes to what he did, what he meant in the dressing room, playing through pain at crucial points of the season, delivering key goals or defensive plays when it mattered most.
GMs across the NHL use Yzerman as an example when they talk to their young players about the price that has to be paid, not to be a star, but to be a winner.
Now, with the Wings at a crossroads in terms of their future, Yzerman has once again made the selfless choice. Like taking less money to play last season, Yzerman reinforced Monday that it will always be more about the team than the individual. Because, just as it was when he arrived, this is a Wings team in a state of flux.
NHL Players / Management
Wayne Gretzky: “Steve Yzerman was a tremendous hockey player who epitomized everything good about our game. He loved the game and played with passion every night.”
Mario Lemieux: Steve was a great ambassador for the game of hockey and will be sorely missed by everyone associated with the National Hockey League. Steve was a great leader, a great teammate, and most importantly a great person.”
Gary Bettman: “With his leadership and determination, with his devotion to the team concept, with his refusal to accept anything less than the best, Steve Yzerman became the symbol of the Detroit Red Wings’ standard of excellence in the modern era.”
Kirk Maltby: “”When I first got here, I was in awe of him, and my buddies back in Toronto couldn’t believe I was his teammate. But I quickly found out that he’s just an easy-going, approachable guy, whether you’re a young kid trying to make it or a veteran star.”
Doug Weight: “It was Gordie Howe and then Wayne Gretzky, but at an age of about 12 or 13 Steve Yzerman came into the League, and me being from Detroit, I just took a huge liking to his game and we were both centermen. And I just followed his career real closely after that.”
Mike Babcock: “When you don’t see him every day, you don’t notice him as much. But now that I’ve seen him up close on a daily basis, I think he’s phenomenal, and he’s in the conversation with anybody that has played this game.”
David Collon (Wings team doctor): “I think he’s doing the right thing. I think he’s put a lot of thought into it. He had a great end of the season and way to finish his career. He’s got more than just his knee, too. It’s just unbelievable that he’s got the heart that he’s got. His heart sure didn’t give up.”
Ken Kal (play-by-play announcer): “I remember during the playoffs in Calgary. It was the game before he got hit in the eye with the puck. It was an off day, and Steve was having breakfast at a small restaurant. He kind of gestured over and said, ‘Here, sit down and have breakfast with me.’ We talked for a good 45 minutes to an hour, just about life, hockey, everything. It was such a great experience to get to know the man behind No. 19 in a way that I really never had a chance to talk to him. To me, that was special in my broadcasting career.”
Al Sobotka (Wings Zamboni driver): He always considered me as being part of the team. Always invited me for photos and things like that. He made that clear years ago. Makes me feel good, because I don’t know if that goes on all over the league.”
Mike Ilitch: An excerpt from John Niyo’s article.
Ilitch, for his part, said he’d spent the weekend fretting like a kid preparing for a final exam.”I thought, ‘Oh, my. What am I going to say about him?’ ” said Ilitch, who tried to put it down on paper, then scrapped that idea because, as he explained Monday, “It’s hard to find all the words.”
“It’s very emotional, especially if you do a lot of thinking about what’s taken place over the 23 years,” said Ilitch, who bought the Red Wings franchise in 1982, then made Yzerman his first draft pick. “You’ve got so much to reminisce about. Stevie talked for, what, a half hour? We could talk for a week about 23 years. It’s pretty much a lifetime — a lifetime of hockey — is the way I look at it.”
On the Wings blog talked plenty of Steve Yzerman soon after he announced his retirement including their favorite Yzerman memories and detailed notes from his press conference.
October 9, 2003
After having osteotomy surgery for knee realignment during the summer of 2002, Yzerman only played 16 games in the 2002-03 season. The date was opening night at the Joe, and Steve Yzerman scored with 1.7 seconds left to give the Wings a 3-2 win over the LA Kings. I remember watching that night thinking there was no way the Wings could lose the game, that it was opening night and Yzerman was back at home ready to begin a full season. It was an amazing way to open the season at home and really gave fans a lift, and a feeling that Yzerman was back in great form.
Windsor Star article
July 4, 2006
by Bob Duff
My father was an Al Kaline fan.
A huge Al Kaline fan.
One day late in the 1974 baseball season - Kaline’s final season as an outfielder with the Detroit Tigers after 22 years - the Tigers were featured on Monday night baseball.
My dad wanted to see Kaline. He understood it was probably his last chance.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Joanne C. Gerstner
Never before has a hockey player’s job description become so tightly interwoven with his public persona.
Steve Yzerman wasn’t just another member of the Red Wings for 23 years.
He was the team’s captain, a title he held so long that it practically became part of his name.
The Captain, Steve Yzerman.
“Why was he so good at being captain? Simple — he was always himself, always stayed true to himself no matter the situation,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “A lot of guys can’t do that. They might bend or waver depending on the stress of the situation, or they might not want to say the truth — which could be unpopular in the dressing room. Steve never compromised who he was, and that’s what makes a real leader.”
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.”
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Angelique S. Chengelis
While Steve Yzerman spoke, Mike Ilitch never cracked a smile.
Ilitch, who with his wife, Marian, purchased the Red Wings in 1982, sat to Yzerman’s left as the team’s captain announced his retirement Monday at Joe Louis Arena.
It was a bittersweet moment for Ilitch, as he admitted later. He maintained a forlorn pose as Yzerman discussed his career and his reasons for retiring after 23 seasons.
“It’s very emotional, especially if you do a lot of thinking about what’s taken place over the 23 years,” Ilitch said.
“You’ve got so much to reminisce about. Stevie talked for, what, a half hour, and we could talk for a week about 23 years, not only what took place, but all the different players and all the different incidents and situations.
“Pretty much a lifetime … of hockey is the way I look at it.”
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by John Niyo
In Steve Yzerman’s first season as captain of the Red Wings, he set about proving Jacques Demers right.
The baby-faced 21-year-old scored 90 points during the regular season, led the team to its best record in a decade, and helped rally the Red Wings from a 3-1 series deficit in the division final against the Toronto Maple Leafs to reach the Campbell Conference finals. And even after a loss there to the mighty Edmonton Oilers, Demers admits thinking to himself, “My God, we can win the Stanley Cup some day with this man.”
A year later, Demers was thinking something else, however.
“I was worried we’d lost our franchise player,” he said, remembering the night of March 1, 1988, when Yzerman slid awkwardly into the goal post in the second period of a game against Buffalo.
Detroit News column
July 4, 2006
by Bob Wojnowski
Before he became one of the most revered leaders in Detroit sports history, and the longest-serving captain in NHL history, and an enduring symbol of simple perseverance, Steve Yzerman was a man who kept grasping — and just missing.
It was fair to wonder if it would ever happen, if validation would ever arrive. The Stanley Cup became a grail more than a goal, and at the end of each season, Yzerman would watch the Cup presentation and would wonder himself.
Before Yzerman became a champion, he was largely luckless and misunderstood. And if there’s one obvious truism to his tale, it’s this: just keep skating, no matter the pain.
