I asked some of the Yzerman contest entrants to talk about Steve Yzerman. All of them were asked three questions: (1) When did you become an Yzerman fan? (2) You live in __ (someplace outside of Michigan). Why did you become an Yzerman fan? (3) What quality do you admire most in Yzerman?

Al of Florida (LGW member: Viperar)

1. I became an Yzerman fan when I became a Red Wings fan in 1992 (I am only 20) so thats basically my entire life hahaha. His class and skill on the ice, and silent leadership have always been an inspiration to me, and I am today studying International Politics, which involves tons of leadership,and can only hold Yzerman’s behavior as the number 1 importance to me.

2. I have only lived in Florida since 1998, I lived in Michigan before that so I guess this question is kinda null.

3. His silent leadership. In a sport like hockey with bigshot hotmouths running around, he not only showed them up with skill, but kept his mouth shut which made it better. Of course he would speak when his team needed it, and re-inspired Red Wings fans everywhere.

Sanford of Mississippi:

I was born in Port Huron, MI and before I was rolling over in my crib my family moved to Fulton, MS. Having Family from Michigan I was always given some sort of sorts T-Shirt, bed sheets, toys you name it so I was always a Detroit Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and of course the Red Wings. When I was younger every summer I would visit my grandmother so I got to visit during the years that the Tigers were dominate in baseball and ever more did my love for Detroit teams grew. It was not until 1993 that I started seeing Hockey games (due to ESPN covering them) that an absolute obsession with the Red Wings and Stevie Y began. My Favorite Player at this time was Barry Sanders due to his incredible talent mixed with unbelievable ability to stay humble. But my problem now was the fact that I was (and still am) unreasonably obsessed about hockey (I think I am a reincarnated Canadian).
Now to Yzerman. When I started following the Red Wing in the early 90’s I had always heard about Yzerman but this was the first time I had started seeing him play. I was sad I had never seen pre-knee injury Stevie Y but to see a Man have so much talent, heart and get so much respect from his coaches it was easy to have a new sports hero. I was a grown man buying all kinds of sports cards, toy figures, Jersey. I felt like a kid again having a team and a person to cheer for and keep up with the news every day. I would even play NHL video games, play a season and have Yzerman score all the goals I could so he would win the Hart trophy (I know I was sick). I even joke with my wife (she is from St. Louis) that how romantic it is that I know what each
of us was doing the night, at that exact moment Yzerman scored on Casey in Game 7 vs St Louis (I was jumping up and down and she was vacuuming screaming at the TV) but she never laughs. And if this is not enough to make someone your hero the playoffs he played with the bum knee (when he could barely get up every time he was knocked down) made everyone who was a
hockey fan a Steve Yzerman Fan.

The Qualities? I’ll try to make this short since I’ve rambled on but anyone who has as much talent but yet be so humble is beyond me. I really don’t know if we will see in my lifetime an athlete who would have the God given ability, the heart, and total unselfish demeanor that Steve Yzerman did. He would honestly make me feel proud that I cheer for the team he played on.

Anastasia of Russia:

Yes, I live in Russia for all my life, but as for me it’s just one more reason to name The Wings and their Capitain Steve Yzerman the greatest - because really great things are great with no matter of how far is the distance to look at them.

The first time I saw the Wings playing hockey in 1998, it was almost by happy occasion because there were no regular TV-reports and live matches of NHL, our TV just showed few of them, and from the first moment I was deeply impressed of that perfect combination of the sport and the Art, that power, that speed, that intellect, that gracefulness, that the Wings as a team had.
And the main thing is that it was definitely THE TEAM - there were no spare and unnecessary members, they just were all for one, with one common dream - to win. And that was that. From that moment it became no matter of losing or winning, it’s just came like it’s MY team. With no matter of anything. Forever.

It’s just like the marriage made in heaven. :-)

And I guess in Russia there are lots of Wings’ fans. More than any other NHL club has in my country. I saw Steve Yzerman for the first time during the Olympic Games in Nagano, and it was like - he’s wonderful hockey player with incredible skating ability and perfect feeling of the game and game situations. And later, watching Detroit Wings’ games I appreciated him as a great hockey professional but I also thought the same way about Lidstrom, Fedorov, Shanahan, Larionov and others.

The first time I realized that he’s special - was the time when I saw Yzerman’s eyes. The eyes of the man who can give everything he has to his dream. And it’s a very rare and unique art - the ability of dreaming and the ability to fulfill your dreams. Not everyone can do this.

And as for me, it’s really Red Wings’ great honour to name Steve Yzerman their Capitain. It always was and it always will.

Brian of Illinois

1) “I became an Yzerman fan when I was first introduced to the game of hockey. I was 7 years old and we had just purchased a cable box for the first time. One night my father flipped the channel to ESPN and a regular season game was
about to come on. The Detroit Red Wings against Illinois’s own Chicago Black Hawks. Of course this was my first game and I knew nothing of the rules except one thing was clear. You get the round black thing in the net, you score a point. My dad was rooting for the Black Hawks of course, but I had started rooting for the Red Wings for the reason and I quote, “I like the red jerseys!”
The star the commentators talked about most was some guy named Yzerman. I watched the captain closely, scooting closer to the tv. My mother yelling at me to scoot away from it saying, “You’ll mess up your eyes like that!” But that
didn’t matter to me. And when I saw Yzerman score a goal or pick up an assist, I cant remember maybe it was both, I was hooked. To this day, I am a Red Wings and Yzerman fan.”

2) “I became an Yzerman fan because of his style of play, his character and his willingness to give 110% on the ice every game, and it showed every time.”

3) “My favorite quality about Yzerman was shown at his Retirement Ceremony. No matter how much success he had, he gave it all up to the fans. He is the most humble and classy individual I’ve ever known in the sport of hockey.”

Dave of California:

1) I’ve been an Yzerman fan since he joined the team.

2) I was born and raised in Michigan and lived there for the first 23 years of my life. The Air Force sent me to California back in 1988. I’ve been here ever since. (I like the weather)

3) I would say his Leadership. I also admire the way he directed the praise to his teammates, and the Wings organization, during his retirement ceremony.

Bill of California:

I became a fan around 1986 when my dad took me to my first hockey game at the Forum vs the Kings. That game I went to was against the Wings, and i just could not take my eyes off of Yzerman, he was the best player on the ice that night…

The quality I admire is the fact that he always has time for the fans. I was lucky enough to meet him after a game at the Staples center, and he was there for a long time talking to fans and signing autographs.

Geoff of Canada:

1) I became an Yzerman fan back in the late eighties.

2) (taken from my post at letsgowings.com) When I was young and just starting out in Hockey Yzerman had just been given the ‘C’ and was getting tons of points. Everyone my age loved Wayne Gretzky or other big names (Mario). Since I like to avoid the pack I looked to Yzerman as my favorite player. Really was almost coincidence and luck that I picked him.

This was really nothing major since I was too young to really understand the game and the players but I grew up in a great town for the Wings. I grew up in Kindersley Saskatchewan. I know what your thinking… where? Look up the stats on Dave Lewis and you will see he was born (and raised) in Kindersley. (Wiki)

Well in the early 90’s (I still loved Yzerman and finally understood why) my Grandmother moved to Kindersley from Newfoundland. She moved into a senor citizens apartment complex and my family would visit often enough. Well one day my grandma tells me that she knows I love the Wings and so she would like to introduce me to someone I may want to meet. I thought, great grandma is in the sauce again (yeah I was too young to think that but I figured she was crazy).

She brought me to meet Alice Lewis mother of Dave Lewis. She was the kindest and sweetest older lady I met. We talked about the Wings and she told me all about her boy and how proud she was that he was involved with the organization. I was in disbelief but she assured me it was for real.

After that meeting I started researching Hockey history, Yzerman, and Dave Lewis. I gained a lot of knowledge about the Wings and my love for the team grew. Along the way I would meet and chat with Mrs Lewis several more times and she was kind enough to give me Red Wings merchandise that Dave would send her. (pins, posters, etc) I still have my 1993 (I think) team poster. She would give me stuff like this all the time and of course being young I did not appreciate it much but today I do. The poster was the first one she gave me and it is in very rough shape (my brother and I had it on our wall until I moved out, like ~9 years later) but I still love it. It is in the original poster tube that Dave packed it in just rolled up and in storage in my home.

She even gave me my most prized possession, which I am still not sure how she managed to part with. I have a picture of Steve Yzerman as he is about to take the faceoff and it is signed by him. I have had that thing on every wall/desk in every home I have ever lived. Best gift I have ever received.

When Alice passed away last year I actually considered going to the funeral (My grandmother and parents went since they were good friends with Mrs Lewis) but I decided to skip it since I really only knew her through the Wings so I thought it would be
disrespectful for me to go and be more focused on shaking Dave’s hand then saying goodbye. I know I would have said goodbye there and thanks to Mrs Lewis, but I also would have taken the time to shake Dave’s hand (since he is awesome) and that part would not have been appropriate.

Although in my heart I know that she understands (where ever she is) that I loved the Wings gifts she gave me and that my love of Hockey is defined by her kind words. She was a wonderful lady who took it upon herself to share the Wings heritage with a young fan. Now I love the Wings but I sure want Dave to be successful as the Bruins head coach. I would love nothing more then a Bruins vs Wings final just so Dave could be recognized. (Yes the Wings would win!)

So that is why I am a fan and why there will never come a day when I stop being a fan. My dream is to one day take a trip through Detroit and catch a game, just for a chance to soak up some more of the history of this great organization.

3) His ability to withstand pain and put forth a desire to win despite all obsticles is something we could all learn from. 2002 playoffs defined his legend.