The South End article
January 11, 2007
by Bruce Mason

One by one, they entered Joe Louis Arena with eager anticipation. The same fans. The same ushers. The same vendors. All there again on this night.

But this time it was different. This time Steve Yzerman would not be fully equipped and walking out of the tunnel. This time he would not be skating. This time he would not be providing heroics. This time he would be saying goodbye, as his No. 19 would be raised to the rafters forever.

Images from his glory days were displayed on the Jumbotron screen hovering above the center ice stage. Pictures from draft day in 1983. The knee injury that nearly ended his career in 1988. The 500th goal versus Colorado. The 600th goal versus Edmonton. The Cup moments. So many exciting, and classic, moments.

When the ceremony began, former coaches and teammates were fittingly introduced by Yzerman’s life-long friend, Darren Pang. They reflected on a magnificent career, the array of milestones, Cups, awards, and all of the great memories provided by The Captain for the past 20 years.

Out came Brett Hull, Doug Brown, Igor Larionov, Joe Kocur and Danny Gare, the only captain Yzerman ever played under.

Out came the 2006-07 Detroit Red Wings, wearing an assortment of No. 19 jerseys to represent each sweater Yzerman wore throughout his career.

Out came Jacques Demers – the first coach to put the “C” on that left shoulder, as it stayed there for 20 seasons – and Dave Lewis, who now coaches the Boston Bruins, but could not miss such a special night.

Out came Larry Murphy and Bob Probert, followed by Vladimir Konstantinov, who used a walker for assistance, looked fantastic, and showed remarkable improvement from the horrible limousine accident that ended his playing career in June of 1997.

Here came legends Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio and Ted Lindsay, along with Jonathan Sawchuk (Terry’s grandson) and Jerry Abel (Sid’s son), back to have their retired numbers raised again in a special tribute.

Then came the face of the franchise, the Hero of Hockeytown, as he walked across the red carpet with his wife, Lisa, and their three daughters, Isabella, Sophia and Maria, as Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” blared across the Joe Louis Arena speakers.

Senior Vice President Jimmy Devellano spoke at the podium about drafting that 18-year-old kid from the OHL’s Peterborough Petes on June 8, 1983 at the Montreal Forum. Owner Mike Ilitch praised Yzerman like he was his own son.

And when Stevie Y finally made it to the stage, he humbly thanked his family for their patience over the years, Scotty Bowman for architecting three Stanley Cup championships, Ilitch for bringing him here, and in a vintage classy move, even the visiting Anaheim Ducks for being patient throughout the ceremony. He then told Wings fans to give themselves “a pat on the back” for playing a part in helping the jersey rise to the rafters in retirement.

Then, amid flash bulbs and a thunderous ovation, Yzerman’s No. 19 slowly rose to its new destination. It came through a black curtain draped over a table, while white smoke poured all around.

When the lights came on and the props came undone, as the legends and coaches and friends walked off the surface, Yzerman walked off that red carpet and into the Zamboni entrance. And that’s when it hit you.

An era was over. A once-in-a-lifetime legend had said goodbye. A career that will be discussed in hockey rinks for generations was finished.

Little did we know, one of the most historic nights in Red Wings history would also be one of the saddest. By sad we mean in a good, appreciative way. By finding out what a living legend was worth all along.

That is why fans gazed at the ice with watery eyes when the ceremony was over. They stared at the arena workers who took away all those trophies as the great memories fluttered through their minds.

They stared at the spot below the blue line where that thrilling double-overtime winner was scored against St. Louis in the 1996 playoffs. They stared at the spot on the doorstep to the left of the crease, a place where Yzerman scored top-shelf, time after time. They thought about the shaggy-haired kid streaking through center ice on all of those breakaways in his early offensive days.

They remembered how he flew down the left wing and put on the brakes. They remembered that uncanny ability to see angles, to anticipate bounces off boards.
Or how about that magical lap in 1997, as Yzerman showed the hockey world the silver piece of hardware that had eluded him for so many years?

You wish it could happen again. All of it. If only we could turn back the clock and watch him take the ice for the first time against New Jersey in 1983.

When the Red Wings came out of the tunnel for warm-ups prior to the game against Anaheim, they were still sporting those No. 19 jerseys on their backs. You looked closely; hoping one of those actually was Yzerman, coming back for one last run. But then you looked up again at the rafters, and realized he was not out there, and instead, was gone for good.

A player like this will not come around again. There will be talented skaters and dazzling puck handlers and goal scorers, but there will not be another player with so many great characteristics. God doesn’t make human beings like this too often, and for good reason. They’re special.

Yzerman was everything you could ask for in an athlete. Everything you could ask for in a role model. Everything you could ask for in a human being.

A player with immense talent, leadership, toughness, perseverance, humility, class and respect — all rolled into one — was honored by a classy organization. It was the stroll of all strolls down memory lane.

An amazing career came to an end.

But not the memories. Those will be there forever.