SI.com column
January 5, 2007
by Darren Elliot
This week the calendar flipped from 2006 to 2007 and in Hockeytown they turned the page on an era neither the city nor the NHL is likely to witness again.
The Detroit Red Wings raised Steve Yzerman’s number 19 to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena in honor of his league-record 20 years as the team’s captain. Precious few players spend their entire careers in one city, performing for a singular fan base, answering to the same owner — never mind wearing the ‘C’ for two decades. Yet, almost inconceivably, that is precisely what Yzerman did during his days on the ice in Detroit.
The details of the career molded the man who is now the VP of the club. Yzerman the player and Yzerman the person grew up simultaneously under the scrutiny of a demanding fan base. Standing and addressing the adoring faithful last Tuesday night, Yzerman acknowledged as much, however doing so with his personas fully formed and long ago melded. No longer was there need for distinction between the man and the player. He had grown up before their eyes and, as he said, everything they were bestowing upon him personally was a reflection of what they had achieved together — he, the fans, and the organization — from Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch to all the players he’d played with.
No, there was no separation at all. Steve Yzerman was one of them… now and forever.
Aside from Steve Yzerman, there were three other individuals who received a standing ovation upon their entrance or sometime during the ceremony. Scotty Bowman. Vladimir Konstantinov. Bob Probert.
Probie had not stepped out on the JLA ice in 13 years, but he did so two nights ago to a roar from the crowd. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star has a really nice piece about Probie. The article includes Probie’s favorite Yzerman moments as well as why he and Joey Kocur sat behind the penalty box during the game and what he is doing nowadays.
Naturally, Probert maintains numerous fond memories of his days as Yzerman’s teammate. Not surprisingly, many involve fisticuffs.
“One that sticks out and it was a big thing, was when I fought (Belle River’s Tie) Domi, our second fight in New York,” Probert said.
“He had cut me over the eye in the first fight and did this thing with his hands, like he was wearing the heavyweight championship belt.
After the second fight, when I beat Domi, I looked over at our bench and there was Yzerman, standing on the bench, giving the heavyweight belt sign with his hands.
“Another time, Stevie was fighting this guy from Buffalo, (Kevin) Maguire, who was the Sabres’ tough guy and was on top of Stevie, really giving it to him.
“Now this is not something I would normally have done, but no one was going to pick on our captain, so I bent down on one knee and suckered (Maguire).
“I enjoyed my job, especially protecting guys like Stevie. He’s a great person.”
This is the fight with Maguire that Probie was talking about:
What I love about the video is near the very beginning, this girl just screams out. Pretty funny stuff if you ask me.
The Steve Yzerman jersey retirement ceremony two nights ago generated a rating of 7.7 (149,000 households) on FSN in the metro Detroit area. I wonder how the CBC ratings were across Canada for that night.
CBC had a 1.0 rating in Detroit. The game between the Red Wings and Ducks drew a 6.6 rating on FSN.
To put the rating in perspective, the average Tigers game last season drew a 7.1 rating. FSN Detroit spokesman Tim Bryant said the Yzerman rating was the highest for a non-game.
CBC.ca From the Pressbox article
January 4, 2007
by Elliotte Friedman
There were two Steve Yzerman tributes on Tuesday. One was held on the ice at Joe Louis Arena. The other came 90 minutes earlier in a nearby building, as politicians and fans feted one of the greatest in the city’s history.
In both ceremonies, one thing was clear: How uncomfortable such a humble person was in such a spotlight. One of the best pieces of advice I received early in my career was: when someone pays you a compliment, you shake their hand firmly and give a sincere, “Thank you.” That was Yzerman’s way as well.
Yzerman recognized that this was one of those rare occasions where he couldn’t just give a handshake and a thank you. This called for something more than that, and he delivered. Not that he wasn’t nervous. The HNIC cameramen twice captured terrific shots of his hand shivering as he tried to drink some water.
It was particularly impressive that he singled out Scott Bowman for so much praise. While Jacques Demers took the first steps in developing Yzerman as a two-way player, it was Bowman who really cracked the whip. Although Bowman downplayed it when I interviewed him before the puck drop, there was a time when it didn’t look like things were going to work out between them. Bowman was unafraid to get on Yzerman in front of the team, and Yzerman was unafraid to snap right back at them.
It was incredible to see Bowman, as stoic as they get, fighting back tears during Yzerman’s tribute to him. That was the highlight for me.
ESPN Magazine article
January 3, 2007
by Eric Adelson
Link to Article
The little boy held on to that Vic hockey stick even before he knew what it was. The piece of wood was too small to ever use to play, but Braxton Davis wedged it in his pudgy fist as if it were a security blanket, or his dad’s pinkie. How the boy wailed when the nurses took the Vic away. Brant Davis wanted so badly to tell his only son that the stick would be waiting for him after surgery. But Braxton wouldn’t understand. He wasn’t even a year old.
More than 10 years later, Brant Davis still looks at that stick every day.
Detroit News article
January 3, 2007
by John Niyo
For all his amazing talents, there always has been one skill we overlooked when it came to Steve Yzerman: He always knew the right thing to say, and he always knew when to say it.
Tuesday night, before a packed house at Joe Louis Arena unlike any we’ve seen here since 2002 — the last time Lord Stanley’s Cup paid a visit — it wasn’t so much the timing that mattered, though.
No, it was the simple, understated way Yzerman — now officially The Captain forever, as his No. 19 jersey climbed to the rafters at the end of a stirring tribute — managed to soak it all in and sum it all up, this city’s love affair with one of its most cherished sports heroes.
“My first game in Detroit was in October of 1983 against the New Jersey Devils and it was a thrill for me just to step on the ice,” he told the fans, smiling sheepishly after he’d waited out a standing ovation — and chants of “Ste-vie! Ste-vie!” — that lasted nearly 2 1/2 minutes. “Now here we are 23-plus years later, and once again, you never disappoint me.”
MLive.com article
January 3, 2007
by Ansar Khan
Players, coaches and fans have been lauding Steve Yzerman since the day he retired in July. On Tuesday, before the ceremony retiring Yzerman’s No. 19 jersey, local and state government officials honored the longtime captain of the Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick presented Yzerman with the key to the city and announced that the intersection of Third and Atwater Streets, along Joe Louis Arena, will be renamed “Steve Yzerman Drive.” And Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm proclaimed Jan. 13 as “Steve Yzerman Day” throughout the state.
It prompted the low-key Yzerman to demonstrate his sharp but underrated wit.
“That’s kind of neat, but I kind of wish my name was Smith or Jones because 20 years from now, nobody will remember how to pronounce it,” Yzerman said of his street. “It took me 20 years to get everyone around here to pronounce it right.”
Yzerman, now a vice president for the team, also added: “I find it somewhat ironic I was presented with a key from the mayor’s office today because I don’t have a key to my office at Joe Louis Arena.”
Said teammate Kris Draper: “His one-liners are as good as any we’ve heard that have come through this locker room. That’s the one thing as players we’ve had the luxury of being around, how witty he is.”
As many of you know, I had the honor to attend Tuesday night’s Steve Yzerman Jersey Retirement Ceremony as an early birthday present. I sat in section 114 row 10 placing me directly above the zamboni pit and it turned out to be a great place for photos as all of the players and coaches (aside from the current team) had to walk right underneath where I was sitting. This post will be a recap of everything I can recall from the night’s events.
If you would like to check out the many photos my dad and I took from our seats, you may view them here. Depending on your internet connection, it may take awhile for the page to load due to the amount of images on the page.
Before the ceremony…
I arrived outside Joe Louis Arena at 5:15pm (gates opened at 5pm). I walked in and bought the program, which included the Nineteen book by Bob Duff for $20. I then went to the giveaway table where my dad and I both received a replica banner and a commemorative player card set. My dad has graciously offered to give away his banner and card set to a BtJ reader. For more information on how to win these special items, check out the bottom of this post.
We stopped by a “store” and bought a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and a ticket carrier. At 5:30pm, the concourse was packed and Yzerman gear was flying off the shelves and racks. All the jerseys that were being sold had a Yzerman banner patch on the top left making them collector’s items for sure. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we made our way towards our seats.
Employees were still making last minute finishing touches and members of the media were taking their places. CBC’s Don Cherry and Ron MacLean floated in and out of the zamboni pit. I was fortunate enough to be the last fan to get the book Nineteen signed by Don Cherry right before he went on the air. Bud Lynch told everyone to find their seats as the lights would go down in five minutes.
The Ceremony
I knew the ceremony was about to begin because the family members representing Sawchuk (his grandson) and Abel (his son) as well as players Lindsay, Howe, and Delvecchio all were gathering below in the zamboni pit. Each of them walked out toward the center of the ice when their name was announced and they all received a lot of cheers. Mr. Hockey had the biggest reception among the five. To honor these five, they re-raised their jersey numbers in front of a packed Joe Louis Arena.
Oh, Yzerman’s best friend Darren Pang was the master of ceremony and he introduced each person.
After the five jersey retirees were announced, we were introduced to former Yzerman teammates ranging from Bob Probert to Danny Gare to Brett Hull to Doug Brown to Vladimir Konstantinov to Steve Duchesne to Igor Larionov to Joey Kocur to Larry Murphy. I was pleasantly surprised to see Vladdy walking with the help of a walker. It was definitely an awesome thing to watch. Probie got a huge cheer and standing ovation from the crowd as well.
Once those players were finished, former coaches Dave Lewis, Barry Smith, and Scotty Bowman were presented. Members of the staff followed including GM Ken Holland, assistant GM Jim Nill, Wings president Jimmy Devellano, Ilitch Holdings president Chris Ilitch and his wife, and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch.
Once all those individuals had their seats, the current Detroit Red Wings team took the ice. Each player was wearing one of four Yzerman jerseys (his 2002 Stanley Cup jersey, his ‘81-83 Peterborough Petes jersey, Team Canada jersey, or his All-Star jersey). The team lined up on both sides of the red carpet, which stretched from the zamboni pit to the center of the ice. They then showed a variety of clips highlighting the wonderful career of Steve Yzerman.
At the conclusion of the video, Steve Yzerman and his family (wife Lisa and his three daughters) were introduced and walked toward the center of the ice with fans giving a standing ovation and plenty of cheering.
It was at this time that the ceremony truly began. Scotty Bowman, Jimmy D, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Mike Ilitch all gave very nice speeches honoring No. 19. At the end of Lidstrom’s short speech, he presented Yzerman a gift. The gift was a trip to see the Europe Cup in 2008 if I recall correctly.
Personally, I enjoyed Scotty’s speech the most because it seems so rare to hear such emotion and high praise for an athlete come out of Scotty’s mouth, which made the speech so much more memorable. There were plenty of funny lines from the evening, but I was not able to write them down so I’ll probably post some of them later this week from articles or by watching the ceremony that I recorded on my laptop.
They then presented the various trophies and awards that Yzerman had received throughout his career ranging from the Bill Masterton to the Selke to the Stanley Cup to the President’s Trophy to the Conn Smythe.
Finally, it was Yzerman’s turn to take certain stage. He stepped up to the podium and the JLA went crazy. The cheering, applause, standing ovation, etc. easily continued past five minutes and it became clear to me that Yzerman was touched, but wanted to get on with his speech. He finally just started talking and the crowd eventually quieted down.
You certainly wouldn’t have known that Tuesday night was honoring Yzerman by his speech. He thanked everybody - his family, his coaches, his teammates (both those who had not won the Cup with him and then those who had), the owners, the staff, and lastly the fans. At one point, he even said he was undeserving of the praises regarding his leadership. The crowd then booed and groaned in response. Once again, Yzerman displayed how humble he is and what a team player he was.
My favorite part of his speech was when he said something like Scotty Bowman has never been properly thanked for leading the team to 3 Stanley Cups. The crowd jumped to their feet and cheered on a very emotional Scotty Bowman. That moment gave me chills. As Yzerman’s speech wound down, my eyes started tearing up as he became more and more emotional. He finally thanked the fans and then exited the stage with another standing ovation.
With Yzerman and his family standing near the blue line, his jersey number banner was raised to the rafters amidst some cool smoke/fog effects. I recorded the raising of the banner with my camera as a video, but I won’t be able to post it until I figure out how to convert it for you guys.
After the ceremony…
Following the raising of Yzerman’s banner to the rafters of the Joe, the former teammates and coaches exited through the Wings bench while Yzerman and his family exited through the zamboni pit. Employees were quickly rushing about trying to dismantle everything and get ready for the game. The game was scheduled to start at 7:30, but did not begin until 8:30. During warm ups, my dad caught a puck that was sent over the net by an Anaheim Ducks player.
I was certainly disappointed in the crowd’s cheering during the game. It started to build towards the end, but it was nothing close to what we heard during the ceremony. Unfortunately, many people left after the ceremony or the end of the first period leaving a bunch of empty seats. I really don’t understand.
The game wasn’t the most exciting game ever, but the Wings managed to win the game for Stevie ending with the score, 2-1. Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg scored the two goals for Detroit. Anaheim’s lone goal came on a 5-on-3 power play in the first period.
More Yzerman posts
Want to check out more posts I made in the past about Steve Yzerman? You can check out the following…
- Steve Yzerman retires
- Steve Yzerman: Heart of a Champion
- Tribute to Steve Yzerman
- Tribute to Steve Yzerman (Part Two)
- Steve Yzerman Quote Sheet
- Behind the Jersey: No. 19
Links and quotes from a variety of newspaper articles commemorating Steve Yzerman following last night’s wonderful ceremony.
Helene St. James at the Detroit Free Press reminds us of some of the quotes said during the ceremony:
Bowman’s next comment stirred the crowd to another round of applause.
“No player I ever coached,” Bowman said, “could play with a pain threshold like Steve Yzerman.”
…
Just before his jersey went up, Yzerman made a plea to fans.
“You look up there, give yourselves a pat on the back because I really feel you’re a huge reason, a big reason why it’s up there,” he said. “From the bottom of my heart, I am sincerely grateful to you all.”
…
Before the ceremony, assistant general manager Jim Nill described a scene from his trip to the World Junior Championships in Sweden last week. Yzerman, now a team vice president, was with Nill, as has become habit. Just recently the two were at a game in Windsor, where Yzerman needed a police escort to get out of the building. It wasn’t any different in Sweden.
“We’re in these small little rinks in Leksand and Mora, I figured, ‘Who’s going to know Steve Yzerman?’ ” Nill said. “Wouldn’t you know it, a couple of kids recognized him in about two minutes.”
John Niyo at The Detroit News emphasized Yzerman’s humility as he thanked everyone under the sun in his 20 minute speech.
From there he went about thanking everyone he could think of, beginning smartly — and sweetly — with his wife, Lisa, and their three daughters, all of whom joined him for a red-carpet entrance, with flash bulbs popping.
Nerves? Sure, Yzerman showed a few, particularly when his voice trembled as he addressed the fans at the end of his 20-minute unscripted speech.
“To all of you, I don’t know how I can thank you,” he began, before faltering and reaching for a bottle of water.
…
“He led without arrogance or self-indulgence,” owner Mike Ilitch said. “Steve Yzerman, you helped build Hockeytown.
Yzerman begged to differ. He took time out to honor the five other Red Wings greats he joined, three of whom — Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio — were seated behind him.
“The only way we could truly honor them,” he said, “was to play the way they did: with pride.”
…
“I’m less uncomfortable with all this than I was when you probably first met me,” Yzerman said earlier at a VIP reception where he was honored with more proclamations and plaques — and even a street sign with his name on it — than one man could carry. “But the reason for any adulation I get is because I played on a good team with good players and we won. So I just tried not to take myself too seriously.”
According to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News, the plaque to commemorate Yzerman’s accomplishments had three spelling mistakes. Oops!
The words “consummate,” “synonymous” and “perseverance” were misspelled. The errors will be fixed before the plaque is put up, Wings senior director of communications John Hahn said.
Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press writes about the thanks Yzerman received from the city of Detroit.
It’s not that the man lacks ego, but he counteracts an immense level of self-assurance with an equal portion of humble, small-town Canadian perspective. He walked around Detroit Tuesday with a red face that matched the color of the hockey sweater he graced for 23 years.
He was embarrassed with all the pomp, joking about how he had gotten a key to the city of Detroit but still didn’t have a key to his new executive office at Joe Louis Arena. And the 200 or so folks that laced the three-tier circular concourse at the Wintergarden inside the GM Renaissance Center heartily laughed their approval at the quip.
…
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick presented Yzerman with a key to the city, saying he symbolized the heart and soul of a city whose work ethic represents its heartbeat.
And a little mist welled in Yzerman’s eyes as he listened to the mayor extol the virtues that mean more to him than any individual honor he ever earned.
“This is real people living real lives every day in Detroit,” Yzerman said. “It’s not the bright lights and big city and whatnot. People here work hard and for me, fortunately, they follow their sports teams very closely.”
Chris Silva, Helene St. James and Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press compiled quotes from the players about their reactions to the ceremony.
Ducks forward Teemu Selanne: “I actually snuck out a couple times to watch. I wasn’t supposed to but I did. 19, it was always great to play against him, and I watched him just because he’s a special player and a class guy, one of my heroes and a great story.”
Lidstrom, on seeing former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov come out onto the ice for the ceremony: “He actually comes in here every now and then, he usually sits in (Jiri Fischer’s) spot. It’s always emotional to see Vladdie. I thought it was great of them to have him out there on the ice, too. We’ve seen a lot of improvements in him. He really enjoys just coming in here and sitting here before we go out for our skate. He still recognizes me and some of the other guys in here.”
Robert Lang: “I think it was done first-class. Stevie had a great speech; I think it’s pretty hard to keep it together. It’s definitely an emotional night even though he retired awhile back. I thought it was a very nice night, and I’m happy to be part of it.”
Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press commented on some of the musical selections and random happenings during the ceremony or earlier in the day.
- Congrats messages were played on the big screen from people like Darren McCarty, Joe Sakic, Jarome Iginla and Wayne Gretzky. Fans at the Joe booed just one, the one from Bill Ford Jr.
- Brett Hull, telling FSN what he learned about Yzerman when they became teammates: “I was friends with Wayne Gretzky — I didn’t realize there was someone else that could carry themselves with such class. The one thing that may have been a little bit missing from my repertoire.”
- From the Wings players: a family trip to the 2008 European soccer championships in Austria. When they retire Nick Lidstrom’s jersey, will they send him to the World Series?
There was a little confusion when Cherry asked Yzerman about the gift on CBC. They seemed to be under the impression the European championships were in Australia instead of Austria.
- Most over-the-top moment: When they played “Also Sprach Zarathustra” — the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” — as they re-raised the jerseys of Howe, Lindsay, Abel, Delvecchio and Sawchuk.
- Better musical choice: Yzerman walked out to “Simply the Best,” by Tina Turner.
Brian Cazeneuve of Sports Illustrated summarized Yzerman’s speech.
When Yzerman took his turn to speak, he did so without prompting or notes and often choked as he fought his words. He paid heartfelt tributes to his wife, Lisa (”my best friend and part-time psychologist”) and three daughters; to Bowman; to the other five Wings with retired jerseys (”the way we can thank them is to play the way they did and to respect the logo the way they did”), to management and fans, teammates such as Probert and Gare who never got to carry the Cup with him; and those who did. He even thanked the Anaheim Ducks for their patience in waiting out the hour-long ceremony.
“Steve never liked taking a lot of credit for himself,” Bowman said later. “He was so responsible in the dressing room, it was like having another coach.”
Eric Adelson at ESPN.com has a very touching story about Yzerman’s friendship with a boy who grew up battling two different cancers.
Yzerman told the boy to stick around and watch practice. Braxton did, and his eyes locked on the players as they whizzed by. Brendan Shanahan zipped over and handed Braxton a broken stick. Brant gasped, but Braxton hardly raised an eyebrow. “That’s cool,” he said. “But it’s not Steve’s.” Brant grimaced and looked around, hoping no one heard. But behind him, then-goalie Curtis Joseph roared in laughter. The next night, Yzerman invited Braxton to the Detroit locker room.
SI.com column
January 3, 2007
by Brian Cazeneuve
Start with a day at the Montreal Forum in 1983, when Jim Devellano, then the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, was still trying to convince his staff, his owner, local reporters and anyone who would buy it that the wisp he had just entrusted with his team’s future really weighed 160 pounds — sure, maybe with Canadian conversion or dipped in molasses or toting some school books that seemed to complement his 12-year-old face.
Had the Red Wings really spent the fourth overall pick in the NHL draft on someone who looked like he was only a few years removed from baby fat?
That people needed convincing that Steve Yzerman was bigger than they imagined was only a distant memory on Tuesday night, as the Captain’s No. 19 was raised to the top of Joe Louis Arena. Yzerman, one of the great warriors and leaders in the history of the game, spent the better part of his reluctant acceptance speech trying to undo a perception that he took 22 glorious years to build. Who else, but Yzerman, could try to convince anyone that he wasn’t nearly so big after all?
“My image as a great leader is greatly overblown,” he told a dissenting audience. “I realize that because I played with some of the greatest hockey players in the league. All I did was play like they did. I did nothing different than them.”
