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.”

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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.”

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January 3, 2007
by Lyle Richardson @ Spector’s Hockey

On January 2nd, 2007, the Detroit Red Wings and their fans, and hockey fans everywhere, got the chance to say goodbye to Steve Yzerman, one of the greatest players and leaders the NHL has ever seen.

It was a nice touch of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada to televise last night’s game between the Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks in which Yzerman’s number 19 was officially retired and raised to the rafters of the Joe Louis Arena.

It was great to see some of the now-retired former teammates of Yzerman’s on hand for this ceremony. Bob Probert and Vladimir Konstantinov received enthusiastic receptions, touching considering everything those two men have gone through.

As much as this was a ceremony to commemorate Yzerman, it was also rather symbolic, as though the Wings were also officially marking the end of an era, not just of Yzerman’s career, but of their tenure as one of the elite teams in the NHL from 1995 to 2004.

Some may wonder why I’m not being critical of this lengthy ceremony for Yzerman compared to Mark Messier’s with the New York Rangers.

The difference, however, is that Yzerman meant much more for the Wings than Messier ever could for the Rangers.

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NHL.com article
January 3, 2007
by John McGourty
Link to Article

They retired Steve Yzerman’s No. 19 at Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night, a fitting tribute to the captain of the Detroit Red Wings’ three Stanley Cup championship teams from 1997, 1998 and 2002.

They remembered the three championships, Yzerman’s 692 goals and 1,063 assists in 1,514 NHL games. They remembered his plus-202 career statistic and his 70 goals and 115 assists for 185 points in 196 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Also remembered was Yzerman’s five seasons in which he scored 50 or more goals and his six-straight seasons with 100 or more points. Those with long memories recalled Yzerman leading Canadian Junior A hockey in assists while with the Nepean Raiders and his 91-point season with the 1982-83 Peterborough Petes. That led to Detroit making Yzerman the fourth-overall pick in the 1983 Entry Draft.

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MLive.com article
January 2, 2007
by Ansar Khan

Hall of Famers, record-setters and Stanley Cup champions are among the host of great players who’ve donned the Detroit Red Wings jersey the past 81 years. Only a select few earned the privilege of having their number retired and raised to the rafters.

“We aren’t like a lot of teams that just retire sweaters as a PR gimmick or to sell tickets,” Red Wings senior vice president Jimmy Devellano said. “You have to be a very, very special player for that to happen.”

Steve Yzerman was that type of player. A Detroit sports icon who revived a once-proud franchise and was the longest-serving captain in NHL history, Yzerman is referred to by legions of fans as 19. Tonight, that number will be retired and hoisted to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena in what promises to be a special ceremony before the Red Wings play the Anaheim Ducks. The festivities begin at 6:30.

“Aside from the Hall of Fame, this is the next-greatest honor you can get,” Wings defenseman Chris Chelios said. “I know he doesn’t like the limelight or all these personal accolades, but I think he’s got to be very proud of what’s going to happen. I’m nervous for him and at the same time proud of him. What better guy to receive this? It’s going to be a great evening.”

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Associated Press article
January 2, 2007

Steve Yzerman’s jersey was hoisted to the rafters and the Detroit Red Wings pulled into a first-place tie with Nashville in the Central Division.

It was a good night in Hockeytown.

Henrik Zetterberg scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Detroit held on for a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night after Yzerman’s No. 19 jersey was retired.

“It certainly helped the festivities that we were able to get out of here with a win,” Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. “We started off sluggish because we were sitting around for more than an hour, but then we played well.

“I’m sure Steve was proud.”

After a ceremony that lasted nearly 1 1/2 hours, Tomas Holmstrom kept the sold-out crowd happy with a power-play goal 1 minute into the second period. Ryan Getzlaf made it 1-all a couple of minutes later while the Ducks had a two-man advantage.

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Windsor Star article
January 2, 2007
by Bob Duff

On the brink of his big day, friends, family and former teammates on hand to fete him, a capacity Joe Louis Arena crowd awaiting to embrace him with their warmth, Steve Yzerman spotted a couple of reporters who’d covered him since the early years of his Detroit Red Wings career and stopped to chat.

About the Rose Bowl.

It was so typical Yzeman.

An engaging conversationalist when he wants to be, Yzerman can speak to virtually any topic with some sense of authority.

Except himself.

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Calgary Herald article
January 2, 2006
by Jean LeFebvre

The quiet teen from Nepean, Ont., hardly looked like someone with nearly 700 National Hockey League goals in his future.

“Steve was obviously very skilled,” recalled Calgary Hitmen boss Kelly Kisio, “a very good hockey player, but in practice, when he used to take a shot, it looked like he could hardly get it to the net. It was amazing.”

Like Steve Yzerman, Kisio was a Detroit Red Wings rookie in 1983-84, although the latter was six years older. If the Wings — including Ron Duguay, Danny Gare and Reed Larson — were underwhelmed by the kid’s warm-up deliveries, things changed when Yzerman started playing for keeps.

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