Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by John Niyo
He spoke softly, as he almost always did, collecting his thoughts and measuring his words before sharing them.
But try as he might, when it came time Monday for Steve Yzerman to say the one word he’d been avoiding for so long, the stoic face of the Red Wings’ franchise finally cracked.
“Today, obviously, I’m here … to let everyone know I’ve decided to retire,” Yzerman said, the last two syllables getting stuck in his throat as he announced he was calling it a career after 22 seasons in the NHL.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by John Niyo
He spoke softly, as he almost always did, collecting his thoughts and measuring his words before sharing them.
But try as he might, when it came time Monday for Steve Yzerman to say the one word he’d been avoiding for so long, the stoic face of the Red Wings’ franchise finally cracked.“Today, obviously, I’m here to let everyone know I’ve decided to retire,” Yzerman said, the last two syllables getting stuck in his throat as he announced he was calling it a career after 22 seasons in the NHL.
A post at The Cheap Seats
by Rob Visconti
After 22 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman retired Monday from the National Hockey League. He leaves hockey with a sparkling resume and the utmost respect of the players with whom he shared the ice and the fans who watched him play, and he leaves Detroit–the city as well as its hockey franchise–with a gaping hole, located just a little bit below the “C” that adorned his jersey for the past 20 seasons.
On a personal note, his announcement didn’t leave me feeling sad. It just left me feeling just a little bit older, having seen the last of an extraordinary group of athletes whose careers started when I was a kid, guys who I grew up watching and admiring, guys who played their entire careers in Detroit. One by one I’ve watched them hang ‘em up–Sweet Lou and Tram, Joe D. and Isaiah, Barry Sanders and, finally, last, but certainly not least, The Captain.
It was, by any measure, an extraordinary career.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Eric Lacy
When Steve Yzerman was drafted by the Red Wings in 1983, he received a gift from then-general manager Jimmy Devellano that became a precursor for the remainder of his illustrious career.
It was a team media guide, one full of pages about Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and other greats.
“I went through it and immediately became excited about being a Red Wing,” Yzerman said. “I knew at the time I was joining a proud franchise with great players and a winning tradition.”
Some of those legends praised Yzerman at his retirement announcement Monday at Joe Louis Arena.
Detroit News column
July 4, 2006
by Bob Wojnowski
Maybe it was so hard for him to leave — and so difficult for many to let him go — because everyone knew what it meant. More than a hockey playing career ended Monday when Steve Yzerman retired. One of the great runs in Detroit sports, and one of the special runs in all of sports, was consigned to the pages of history.
This is a tough one, not because of all that Yzerman won, including three Stanley Cups, or all he endured, including numerous surgeries, or how long he played, all 22 seasons with the Red Wings.
The impact is found in what Yzerman represented, the qualities that made him the leader of a winning team and the face of a city. He was stoic, tough and determined. He was how Detroit hopes to be perceived, at its best. He was understated to the end, choking on his words a few times during the generally upbeat news conference.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Vince Ellis
It was finally a little too much for Steve Yzerman.
After keeping it together for the first 25 minutes of his farewell to the Detroit Red Wings as a player, the emotions finally overcame Yzerman.
He paused. He lowered his head. A few tears fell, but then he gathered himself and steeled himself to take questions from the assembled media horde.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Bob Wojnowski
Two faces. Two franchises. Two identities.
Gone in a day.
Whoa. And woe. Welcome to a strange new world, considerably less recognizable in the aftermath of the Dizziest Day in Detroit sports history.
Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman is off to a well-earned retirement after 23 seasons, the largest name removed from Detroit’s playing fields.
Detroit Free Press editorial
July 4, 2006
There are many kinds of leaders - loud, rah-rah types, intimidators, canny motivators and superstar performers. Perhaps the most consistently effective are those who lead by example of preparation, effort, loyalty, teamwork and honorable conduct. Combine those traits with natural talent honed to superior skills and you have the rare leader indeed.
Actually, you have Steve Yzerman, as classy an athlete as ever graced this sports-mad community, and, as of Monday, retired after 23 years with the Detroit Red Wings and a National Hockey League record 20 as team captain. Soft-spoken and self-effacing but a tireless worker and competitor, Yzerman is a rarity among professional athletes today, a real role model.
Windsor Star article
July 4, 2006
by Bob Duff
My father was an Al Kaline fan.
A huge Al Kaline fan.
One day late in the 1974 baseball season - Kaline’s final season as an outfielder with the Detroit Tigers after 22 years - the Tigers were featured on Monday night baseball.
My dad wanted to see Kaline. He understood it was probably his last chance.
Detroit News article
July 4, 2006
by Joanne C. Gerstner
Never before has a hockey player’s job description become so tightly interwoven with his public persona.
Steve Yzerman wasn’t just another member of the Red Wings for 23 years.
He was the team’s captain, a title he held so long that it practically became part of his name.
The Captain, Steve Yzerman.
“Why was he so good at being captain? Simple — he was always himself, always stayed true to himself no matter the situation,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “A lot of guys can’t do that. They might bend or waver depending on the stress of the situation, or they might not want to say the truth — which could be unpopular in the dressing room. Steve never compromised who he was, and that’s what makes a real leader.”
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