Pittsburgh Penguins phenom Sidney Crosby hopes to become a leader and play for just one team like Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux.

So far in his early career, Crosby feels at home in Pittsburgh and would like to emulate hall of fame players Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman by staying with the same franchise for his entire career.

“That would be nice. I look at those guys and I think that says a lot to stay with one organization.

“You see their situations, and the way they went through tough times. But, there were also good times for them at the end.”

Despite the added pressure heading into the new season Crosby’s goal is to win the Stanley Cup.

“It’s always been a dream to play in the NHL and one day hoist the Cup, and everyone knows it’s the captain who gets that opportunity.”

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.

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According to an article in The Detroit News, recently signed defenseman Brian Rafalski finally met Steve Yzerman (aside from the times they played on the ice as opponents).

Rafalski, who has been in the league since the 1999-2000 season, has had his share of on-ice meetings with Steve Yzerman .

But on Tuesday, he got his first shot at meeting the Red Wings legend off the ice.

“I grew up watching him,” Rafalski said. “I hope I’m not dating myself, or him.”

Red Wings Central article
July 6, 2007
by Sarah Lindenau

The Muskegon, Mich., native is looking forward to one day playing for the Red Wings, the team he grew up cheering for.

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” he said. “Growing up watching guys like (Steve) Yzerman, (Sergei) Fedorov and (Paul) Coffey and then getting drafted by the dream team you want to be on some day — it’s pretty special.”

Kyle Turris, one of the top prospects for the upcoming 2007 NHL Draft, hopes to meet Steve Yzerman in Columbus. Turris grew up following Yzerman’s career and was inspired by his great play.

When Kyle Turris makes his way from the Nationwide Arena stands tonight to greet the general manager who selects him at the National Hockey League entry draft in Columbus, he may take a circuitous route to the stage in order to pass the Detroit Red Wings’ table.

The reason for his walkabout would be to meet his idol, Steve Yzerman, the retired superstar who is now a hockey executive.

“I have grown up watching him play and have watched all those Don Cherry videos,” said Turris, who would go with his parents to see Yzerman perform when the Wings visited Vancouver to play the Canucks. “[Yzerman] is the ultimate all-around player and warrior. He battled through everything.

“I really wish I could meet him. It would be a dream come true.”

That dream likely will be realized. In town to represent the Wings, who will draft 27th in the first round and have no shot at Turris because he will be among the first three selections, Yzerman would like to meet Turris, also.

“I look forward to meeting Kyle this weekend,” Yzerman said Wednesday. “I haven’t seen him play, but have heard nothing but good things about him.”

After finding the 2007 NHL Draft media guide online, I skimmed through the 224 page guide to see what was in there. I saw most prospects listed an important hockey figure in their life. I decided to search the PDF for “Yzerman” and 29 results popped up. Two of the results were in regards to when Yzerman was drafted in 1983 so I have excluded those results. The other 27 were from prospects. There were less than 27 prospects who named Yzerman as some prospects used Yzerman in multiple answers. For example, Kyle Turris, Ranked #1, named Yzerman as his favorite player.

Here’s what they said…

AKIM ALIU (OHL, Forward, North American Skater, Ranked #41)

If he could have dinner with any three people he would choose hockey greats Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman and Gordie Howe.

BRYAN CAMERON (OHL, Forward, North American Skater, Ranked #43)

If he could take any three people to dinner he would invite: former Detroit Red Wing Steve Yzerman – “to find out what kind of mindset you need to be a leader”, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Andrew Raycroft – “to learn how to score more goals” and actor Will Ferrell – “to get everyone laughing”

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I haven’t talked about Steve Yzerman in awhile so while I’m waiting for the Wings’ game to start at 3pm, I figured I could give you all an update.

Yzerman as management
As I mentioned earlier, Yzerman’s Team Canada won gold at the WHC in Moscow. As GM, he deflected praise to those he worked with including Wings’ GM Ken Holland and Asst. GM Jim Nill.

Yzerman, architect of the squad that won gold at the world championships in Moscow over the weekend, can now be added to that list. (Interestingly, Yzerman downplayed his own role and credited the input of others, and the first name he mentioned was Leaf GM John Ferguson). It was interesting to see Yzerman’s team filled with young players, including a college star in Jonathan Toews. It was a team that stood in stark comparison to the 2006 Canadian team that finished seventh in Turin, a team that always seemed more about past reputations than current quality.

What makes Yzerman even more appealing, however, is that he’s currently, well, underemployed.

He has a senior title with the Red Wings, but mostly is learning the ropes, trying out various duties and finding out what may or may not interest him. Doug Gilmour spent last season doing something similar with the Leafs.

Is Yzerman likely to be a GM in the league next season? No.

Damien Cox @ the Toronto Star believes Yzerman is next in line to be the Team Canada GM. Yes, he was GM for the WHC. But the Olympics are a different matter. Personally, I’d like to see Yzerman develop under Holland and Nill with the Wings and eventually move up the Team Canada management ladder as well. Being a GM for an NHL team and Team Canada is a lot different, I don’t think Yzerman has the business knowledge and understanding to be a GM for a team. Yet.

His success as a GM prompted speculation that he desires an NHL GM position. Yzerman does not feel ready for that role as of now and is not currently gunning for the position of Wings’ GM.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this season is the tremendous amount of time needed to be a general manager,” said Yzerman, who spent his first year of retirement from the NHL as an executive vice-president with the Detroit Red Wings, working with Wings GM Ken Holland and assistant GM Jim Nill.

“It’s a major commitment, and I’m not ready yet because I have a young family,” the 42-year-old continued. “I’m in no hurry. I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now. My schedule has allowed me flexibility to spend time with my family and to do the Hockey Canada thing this year.” …

“I’m not sitting here waiting to become the next general manager of the Detroit Red Wings,” Yzerman said. “Ken Holland [51] is a young guy and has been very successful. Jim Nill [49] is in the same situation. He will likely be the next general manager. I’m not looking over their shoulders, waiting.

“I don’t really know what my long-term goal is. My initial plan was to take a year off and after that possibly getting involved. But Ken Holland encouraged me to stay involved right away,” said Yzerman, who scored 1,755 points (692 goals) in 1,514 regular-season NHL games — all with the Red Wings.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time with Ken and Jim, learning how they handle a draft, how they handle a trade or negotiating a contract. After that, I have been asked for my input, when needed, on our own players and players around the league.”

Personally, I think Yzerman is really enjoying himself right now. Why?

(1) He’s not in the public eye as much. As a member of management, he has a behind the scenes role. He still interacts with players and important people in the hockey business. But he doesn’t have to deal with the media day in and day out.

(2) He has more free time. He gets to spend time with his wife and three daughters. His schedule with the Wings is flexible allowing him to make it to important family events he may have missed before. He doesn’t necessarily have early mornings and late nights everyday. He can kind of pick and choose what events he attends.

(3) He has a role within the organization. He’s learning from some of the best in the business. He can also be used as a tool in contract negotiations (ie. sitting down at dinner with Pavel Datsyuk and his agent before Datsyuk had re-signed with the Wings). I believe Holland and Nill value his input and Yzerman has enjoyed learning about the business side of the NHL.

(4) His knee doesn’t ache so much anymore. I’m sure it bothers him here and there, but he doesn’t have that daily reminder.

Response to Burnside article
Three days ago, ESPN writer Scott Burnside wrote a column with the title “Wings’ evolution couldn’t have happened without Stevie Y, Shanny.”

It is almost sacrilege to suggest, but it is nonetheless patently clear that this Detroit Red Wings team is far better team now that icons and legends Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan are gone.

This is not to diminish in any way the contributions both these players made to the Red Wings. Both are Hall of Fame material — Yzerman a first-ballot Hall of Famer to be sure. Both were crucial elements of three Stanley Cup teams between 1997 and 2002. Yzerman was the playoff MVP in 1998.

Each was, in their own way, a significant part of the team’s identity through the 1990s, a time when the Red Wings were the toast of the Motor City and the envy of other NHL franchises.

But the truth of the matter is, in the past two or three years, their presence stunted the team’s growth and contributed to early exits and unfulfilled promise in Detroit. The Wings didn’t lose because of them — but they couldn’t win with them. Not at the end.

A day after the article was published, Yzerman went on CBC’s Behind the Mask during the first intermission in Game #4 of the Wings-Ducks game Thursday night. During the interview, he was asked by Scott Oake, “Do you think it’s possible the Wings are a better team without Steve Yzerman?”

His response?

“I think the team’s a better team without a broken-down, 41-year-old Steve Yzerman, no question,” Yzerman told CBC’s Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey . “That’s why I retired. I didn’t feel I could help this team anymore.

“But to think that my presence was a hindrance or a negative in the locker room, I would say that’s completely inaccurate or ridiculous.”

You can view Yzerman’s entire interview here.

BTJ reader Joe asked me what I thought of this article and Yzerman’s response.

As much as I hated to see Yzerman retire on July 3rd, I think it was the right time for him to do so. He wasn’t getting any younger and his body was just wearing out on him. I still find it amazing that he played for as long as he did following that osteotomy procedure in 2002. I think his leadership and heart did a lot for the team. Could he produce offensively like he once did? No. Did he take ice time that could’ve been given to a younger player? Yes. Looking back, would I still have had him play in the 2005-2006 season? Heck yes.

As much as I like Shanny, I think we saw a different team this year because we lost both Shanny and Yzie.

Misc. Article
In the past couple of months, a few articles about Yzerman as “The Captain” and a player have surfaced.

NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke wrote about Yzerman’s journey to become the well known and respected leader he retired as.

Late in his career, Yzerman was revered as much by opposing fans as he was by the Detroit crowds. Players across the League also understood they were in the presence of greatness. Today, it is impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about Yzerman.

And, even though he is now done as a player — having moved seamlessly into management in Detroit — Yzerman’s legacy of skill and class remains, serving as inspiration to a new generation of players.

Edmonton center Jarret Stoll, 24, was still in diapers when Yzerman took his first twirl around a NHL rink. Yet Stoll now worships at Yzerman’s alter.

“Anybody that wins Cups and is a leader is looked upon as a very important player to their team. Not only (with) their team; he is a pretty well-respected throughout the League. With him retiring, his last game was here in Edmonton and that was pretty special to play against him in his last game.”

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.”

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In a recent post, I linked to a great article on ESPN by Eric Adelson, who wrote about a friendship between Steve Yzerman and a boy named Braxton.

Yzerman did not pat him on the head or lift his eyebrows in compassion; everyone in Detroit knows The Captain doesn’t do maudlin. “There are some people who know he’s sick,” Brant said. “They ask how he’s feeling. That makes him feel different. Steve didn’t do that.”

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.

I emailed Adelson and asked him how he came across this story when Yzerman hides these stories from the media. Here’s what he had to say…

I was actually in town to see my parents last spring, since I grew up in Ann Arbor. I dropped down to The Joe because I wanted to do a story on Yzerman for the Magazine in case he did retire. I always let the beat writers ask all their questions first before butting in, but Yzerman disappeared after only a couple of questions. I waited him out and annoyed media relations guy John Hahn (who is as much behind the Braxton cause as Steve is, by the way). Eventually, the only people in the locker room were John and I and a little kid and his dad. So I asked John who the kid was and he told me. I introduced myself and Brant told me the whole story. I promised myself that I would write the story when they raised Yzerman’s number.

In another email, I asked Eric what Braxton and his dad, Brant, thought of the article. This was his response:

A reader actually met Braxton and his dad in Metro Airport on the way out of town and showed them the story on his laptop. I’m pretty sure they were happy to see it, though I haven’t heard from Brant. I’m sure they are both exhausted from their trip.

I would like to thank Eric for answering all my questions and helping me out!

ESPN.com’s Sportnation Mailbag
July 3, 2006

From Sparky Anderson’s Tigers in 1984 to Chauncey Billups and the Pistons winning it all in 2004 (with some Barry Sanders and Isiah Thomas thrown in for good measure), Steve Yzerman has seen it all in Detroit. Other stars came and went in the Motor City, but “Stevie Y” led the way for the city’s most successful pro team for more than two decades.

But all good things must end, and sometimes the finale stands no chance of living up to the prelude. After losing a first-round series at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton Oilers, Yzerman is hanging up his skates after 22 seasons in the NHL.

From the young center who tallied 39 goals as a rookie and soon ran off six consecutive 100-point seasons to a veteran leader on Stanley Cup champions and Team Canada, Yzerman played every role in his hockey career and played them all well.

So how will you remember Yzerman, SportsNation? Does his retirement signal a passing of the torch to new stars like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin? Will the next generation be able to live up to those standards? Whatever you have to say, sound off below!
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Kurren (Houston): Stevie was the best captain to ever play, and will probably be the best ever. To stay with one team for his whole career is really something, and that rarely happens anymore. It’s a sad day in the NHL, but we should learn from his career and enjoy what he did on and off the ice. You’ll be missed Stevie Y!
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