Scotty Bowman blog on NBC.com
April 20, 2007
People have asked me about coaching Steve Yzerman in the playoffs, and I go back his most recent years, like our series in Vancouver in ‘02. He came into the playoffs all banged up and we didn’t know how long he was going to able to stay with it after going down 0-2 at home. But then we were seeing him produce in Vancouver with goals and playing hurt. He was terrific in that he kind of willed that series to us because of his determination and the fact that he wasn’t going to shut it down.
I don’t know if there was a moment where I realized Steve was transforming himself as a player. When I got to Detroit, he was a real scoring machine, and they had an offensive-type team, but the team wasn’t going to be able to win in the playoffs. In those years, teams could shut them down. The team eventually got a little better, we changed some players around and got a better mixture. But guys that can play offense, generally — if they want to and they apply themselves — can play defense. Not everybody can play offense, but most people can play defense.
And sometimes, it’s a personal sacrifice, but Yzerman had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders at around that halfway stage of his career. He didn’t want to end up getting the tag that he was never on a winner. That was the big carrot for him to say he was a Stanley Cup winner. He was a good leader anyway, but he would sacrifice some of his individual numbers and he did all that. I pretty much convinced him that his stats weren’t going to be as good as they were, but he wasn’t interested in that. He was more interested in leading the team. Everything was on his shoulders to score goals and get points, but I said to him ‘If you change now and work on all parts of the game, then other players are going to have to pick up in the scoring department.’ I think that’s what happened, and we were able to go to the next level as a team.
Now in my eyes, there is no comparison between the two captains of the most successful Detroit teams (Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings) although the Detroit Tigers have gone 5-0 to start the season (a miracle).If you live in Detroit or its suburbs, you know that Detroit Pistons fever is sweeping southeastern Michigan. A recent Detroit News article talked about the possibility of Detroit becoming Hoopstown now that the Pistons have better ratings on the regional Fox Sports Net than the Wings. From personal experience, attending Detroit Country Day for high school was awful from that standpoint. From April on, all anyone could talk about was the Pistons. And they just blew the Wings off - very upsetting, indeed.
Anyways, last night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, captain Ben Wallace snapped. According to the Detroit News, this is what happened:
After being taken out of the game with a little under 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter (and the Pistons down by 8), Wallace “stormed to the end of the bench uttering a torrent of unprintables directed at Saunders.” After head coach Flip Saunders explained why he took Wallace out (perhaps that he had played the entire second half at that point), Wallace waved him off. When asked to go back into the game, Wallace refused to “even look at Saunders” and firmly sat in his seat. When the Pistons had an opportunity to get a win, Wallace was asked once again to go back on the court. “Again, Wallace waved him off and stayed seated at the bench, not even getting up to join the huddle during timeouts.” Afterwards, Wallace said he’ll play against the Pacers and that this was not an injury.
In the clear light of a new day, Wallace will regret what he did. To refuse to enter a game is so beyond his character, it’s hard to believe it happened. He is a captain and a leader on the best team in basketball. His identity — and thus the identity of this team — has been forged on the principles of going to work every day, having your teammates’ backs and relentlessly fighting through all the bumps and hurdles life throws at you.For him to have hung his teammates out to dry like that, for sure, will be tough for him to swallow today. Already, the team was without Richard Hamilton, who was in Coatesville, Pa., attending a family funeral, and Rasheed Wallace, who left in the third quarter because of back spasms.
My thoughts…
I have a Ben Wallace jersey. As I mentioned earlier, the Pistons were really popular at my high school and my friends would take me to games (for free) throughout the year. So I bought a jersey to support the team when I was at the games. But now, I’m embarassed. I don’t care if Wallace was sitting out to protest the team’s “garbage” play of late. Especially as a captain, you have the responsibility to respect the coach (especially in public), encourage your teammates, and play with the best effort you can give. Wallace threw those responsibilities right out the window.You would never ever see Steve Yzerman pull something like that. I don’t believe you’d see Nick Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan, or Chris Chelios try something close to what Wallace did last night. Veterans and leaders have responsibilities. Disagreeing with a coach’s call is alright, but Saunders explained his reasoning and then after a couple minutes rest, allowed Wallace to re-enter the game. If a team is down a couple of key players and the game is on the line, I don’t care if you have the best record in the league, you go out and play.
In a recent post, IwoCPO at Abel to Yzerman talked about a comment Berry Melrose made regarding the Wings. And while I despise Melrose from the bottom of my heart, he actually said something I wouldn’t mind posting:
Detroit is another solid team right now. The Red Wings are such a professional team, year in and year out. What I like most about them is that there’s never any controversy with them. You never hear a player publicly bad-mouthing his teammates or coaches. It’s a tribute to the veteran players like Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom and Steve Yzerman.
If the Wings have problems with teammates or coaches, it is addressed and discussed in private. The public should not know of Wallace’s dismay with the team and/or coach, much less they shouldn’t hear the team captain swearing left and right at coach Saunders. Yzerman has been known to speak up in the locker room when he sees something happening, but he doesn’t protest a coach’s move or leave the team out to dry.I was incredibly disappointed in Ben Wallace’s actions last night and it only has strengthened my loyalties with the Detroit Red Wings and their captain, Steve Yzerman.
NHL.com article
April 5, 2007
by Shawn P. Roarke
Red Wings’ great Steve Yzerman is one of the most-respected players in the NHL’s long history.
Steve Yzerman didn’t need a Stanley Cup championship to be considered a great player and leader.
But the Stanley Cup he won in 1997, and the two that followed in 1998 and 2002, certainly didn’t hurt Yzerman’s Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
In fact, those titles most likely turned a quiet star and exceptional leader in Detroit into an international hockey icon. Even Yzerman acknowledges the role those championships play in the perceptions about him.
“If you play well and win, you’re a heck of a leader,” he once said. “You don’t win, you’re an OK leader. If you don’t play well and you don’t win, you’re a lousy leader.”
April 4, 2007
Blues president John Davidson has been impressed with what he’s seen from Wings vice president Steve Yzerman, who is also general manager for Canada at the upcoming Internatinal Ice Hockey Federation world championships.
Yzerman tabbed Blues coach Andy Murray to coach Canada on Tuesday and chose Blues defenseman Eric Brewer for one of the first few spots on the team.
Murray guided Canada to gold at the world championships in 1997 and 2003.
“Steve called me; we talked a few times,” Davidson said. “He’s doing his due diligence, no question. He’s a very thorough man. He had some options. He wanted to know our blessing, regarding letting Andy go and we certainly would.”
Davidson said Yzerman “very quietly goes about his business.
“People don’t know Steve well, because he’s a quiet guy,” Davidson said. “But he’s a very determined and hardworking individual. He can go anywhere he wants in this business. He’s not going to take it because he’s handed it. He’ll earn it and once he gets something, whatever he wants to do, he’ll be good at it.”
Canadian Press article
April 4, 2007
Steve Yzerman feels like a rookie all over again.
Two months after taking the job as Canada’s general manager for the upcoming IIHF world hockey championship, Yzerman is still getting a feel for the position.
“It’s been a real learning experience for me,” he said Tuesday night from Winnipeg. “Just in calling a hockey player and inviting him or talking to coaches and other general managers.
“Everything is new to me. A lot of these situations I’m handling for the first time.”
Fortunately, he hasn’t had to go it alone.
It appears that Team Canada’s GM, Steve Yzerman, will pick St. Louis Blues’ head coach Andy Murray to coach Canada in the World Championships held in Moscow.
Murray is the only coach to lead Canada to two world championship titles. Yzerman, who is also expected to bring along Boston assistant coach Marc Habscheid, is focused on trying to get players. It’s believed Phoenix captain Shane Doan, St. Louis D Eric Brewer and Islanders W Ryan Smyth will all be invited.
