January 3, 2007
by Lyle Richardson @ Spector’s Hockey

On January 2nd, 2007, the Detroit Red Wings and their fans, and hockey fans everywhere, got the chance to say goodbye to Steve Yzerman, one of the greatest players and leaders the NHL has ever seen.

It was a nice touch of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada to televise last night’s game between the Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks in which Yzerman’s number 19 was officially retired and raised to the rafters of the Joe Louis Arena.

It was great to see some of the now-retired former teammates of Yzerman’s on hand for this ceremony. Bob Probert and Vladimir Konstantinov received enthusiastic receptions, touching considering everything those two men have gone through.

As much as this was a ceremony to commemorate Yzerman, it was also rather symbolic, as though the Wings were also officially marking the end of an era, not just of Yzerman’s career, but of their tenure as one of the elite teams in the NHL from 1995 to 2004.

Some may wonder why I’m not being critical of this lengthy ceremony for Yzerman compared to Mark Messier’s with the New York Rangers.

The difference, however, is that Yzerman meant much more for the Wings than Messier ever could for the Rangers.

Yzerman came to a Red Wings franchise that was the worst in the NHL, a laughingstock, one that some may have wondered if it could possibly survive given the lack of fan support for the once-great franchise.

Yzerman spent his entire 22-year career with the Red Wings, becoming the cornerstone of the franchise upon which the team rebuilt itself back first to respectability, then to elite status, and finally to championship glory.

Put simply, Steve Yzerman saved hockey in Detroit, and while this humble man may have been uncomfortable with the lengthy accolades, he earned them. The Red Wings franchise, their players and their fans had the right to take as long as they wanted to say, “Thank You, Steve”.

Yzerman in typical fashion tried to deflect the credit for his achievements onto his former teammates, but truthfully, without him the Wings resurgence wouldn’t have happened.

I wrote the following about Yzerman’s retirement last summer, so it only seems fitting to re-post it again.

I don’t think I can add anything to the numerous heartfelt farewells floating around the media and cyberspace toward now-former (man, it felt weird to type that!) Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who announced his retirement on July 3rd, 2006.

Yzerman was one of the greatest captains in NHL history, a class act all the way, and the best reason to cheer for the Detroit Red Wings, even if you weren’t a fan of the club.

Instead, I’m going to “open the vault” as I did when Mario Lemieux announced his retirement to post up a couple of previous Soapbox columns regarding the great “Stevie Y”.

This one is an edited version written in the aftermath of the Salt Lake City Olympics, when it was revealed Yzerman and Lemieux had aggravated injuries in the tournament. Yzerman took a bit of heat from a Detroit News columnist and a few Red Wings fans, prompting this response:

“(T)he recent report in the Detroit News regarding the venom being launched at Yzerman came as a surprise….

…(T)here are Red Wings fans who believed he shouldn’t have competed in the Olympics so soon after having knee surgery, and are attacking him for supposedly letting down the Detroit club to chase Olympic gold….

…Those Red Wings fans questioning Yzerman’s participation have nothing to base their anger upon.

For those who are screaming that Yzerman is “sitting on his butt collecting $8 million rather than helping the Red Wings”, here’s a little history lesson they should heed before they stick their other feet in their collective mouths.

When “Stevie Y” was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1983, the franchise, once a powerhouse in the days of the “Original Six”, had fallen on hard times, thanks to decades of mismanagement. They were…a joke, one of the league doormats, a club that was considered an “easy two points” by opponents.

Although it was the off-ice improvement in management and scouting that helped rebuild the Wings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was built around Yzerman, who became Detroit’s franchise player and was the key ingredient in turning the Red Wings around.

It was Yzerman who had to painfully learn how to change his game from offence-only to a stronger two-way style. He had to grow as a leader, and develop the mental toughness against critics who said he was an ineffective team captain.

It was thanks to Yzerman the Wings had the strong on-ice leadership needed to bring the Stanley Cup back to Detroit after 42 long years. It was Yzerman who helped bring the team together after the tragic accident that ended the playing career of Vladimir Konstantinov. It was Yzerman who led the Wings to repeat as champions in 1998. It was Yzerman who helped make Detroit “Hockeytown”.

The attitude of those fans who are heaping abuse on Lemieux and Yzerman is that of, “what have you done for me lately”? They don’t take into account all that these players have done over their long careers.

The fact neither player demanded early in their careers to be traded when the Penguins and Red Wings were doing so badly is lost on these whiners. The fact they’ve stayed with their teams for all these years means nothing. All the pain and doubt they had to battle through, all the growth they did to become better players and leaders and champions is being conveniently overlooked by these bandwagoneers.

I think these complaints are coming from a minority of fans who are “johnny-come-latelys”, whose inflammatory statements are being fanned by some in the local media keen to stir up trouble. Those fans are either too young to remember what life was like before Lemieux and Yzerman came on the scene, or are the type who conveniently hopped aboard the Penguins and Red Wings bandwagon during the good years. Otherwise, they’re just plain morons who, as Lemieux said a few weeks ago, have nothing better to do than bitch.”

Finally, here’s what I wrote about Yzerman immediately following the Red Wings shocking early elimination from this year’s post-season:

“If we have seen the last of Steve Yzerman as an active NHL player after the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated on Monday by the Edmonton Oilers, then we as hockey fans will be poorer for it.

We’ve seen lots of retirements of the “old guard” this season, but for me, the retirement of “Stevie Y” will sting the most.

Sure, Mark Messier won more Stanley Cups and individual awards and accolades for leadership, but “Moose” hung around far past his “best before” date, and in his final seasons was a shadow of his former greatness.

Nobody will say that about Steve Yzerman. If anything, Yzerman’s career was more notable for the success and recognition he received in the last half than in the first half.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, he was a highscoring forward who rarely garnered the attention that his peers of that era - Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Lemieux and Brett Hull - received.

And as the Red Wings stumbled from one early playoff elimination after another in the early 1990s, more than one fan and pundit openly questioned his right to hold the captaincy of the Wings.

Highscoring forwards usually lose their effectiveness as they grow older and their skills deteriorate. They struggle to adapt to being checking forwards and penalty killers, never appearing fully comfortable in those roles. When their careers are reviewed, it’s the productive years that are fondly remembered, with the final seasons a painful memory to be blotted out.

For Yzerman, it’s the final years of his career that may have been the best.

After Scotty Bowman took over as coach of the Red Wings, he was able to convince Yzerman of the value of being a two-way forward. Along the way, Yzerman also learned what it took to be an inspiring leader.

A quick look at the final ten seasons of his 22 season career indicate that, while he was no longer the offensive dynamo he’d once been, he’d morphed into one of the most complete forwards in the game.

He learned to be a winner and a leader, and in the 2002 playoffs, he led the Wings to their third Stanley Cup in six seasons on a knee so badly damaged that it would sideline him for most of the following season.

That earned him the respect of everyone. Players, coaches, management types, pundits and fans, regardless of which team they cheered for.

Losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round was not the ending Yzerman envisioned, but battling a serious rib injury, he was there at Game Six, battling as hard as he could to help his team win. Of all the Wings in that series, he was the only one who could hold his head high in defeat.

Gordie Howe was long considered the greatest player in Detroit Red Wings history, but now he’ll have to share that spot with Steve Yzerman.

I don’t think “Mr. Hockey” will mind.”

Thanks for the memories, Stevie Y, and thanks for knowing, unlike so many of your peers, when it was time to go.

Thank you for not tarnishing your wonderful career.”