On being greeted by ex-Wing Steve Yzerman at the draft: “Stevie Y came up, introduced himself and welcomed me to the team. I told him that he didn’t have to introduce himself- I already knew who he was.”

Nicastro also had saw the Stanley Cup trophy and had dinner with ex-Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman.

“We absolutely do,” Koules said. “We’ve already talked to Vinny about it. When we talked, we talked about lifestyle, about how long he wants to live here. He wants to retire here when he’s done, and he wants to be part of this.

“We look at Stevie Y as the exact model of what we want to do with Vinny.”

Koules was speaking of Steve Yzerman, who after 22 seasons with the Red Wings moved immediately into a vice president position working with the senior vice president, Jim Devellano, and general manager Ken Holland.

At his home in Guelph, Johnston — a lifelong Red Wing fan — was floored to pick up the phone Saturday and hear Detroit great Steve Yzerman on the other end.

“It was pretty cool,” said the lanky centre. “He said he was Steve Yzerman and I wasn’t sure it was real. Detroit was my favourite team growing up. I really had no expectations for any team. But after he called, I couldn’t sit still for the rest of the day.”

Wings vice president Steve Yzerman received a round of applause from the Ottawa crowd on Friday night before announcing the team’s first-round pick. Yzerman is from nearby Nepean, Ontario. “It was getting pretty late,” he said. “I thought everybody would be almost asleep at that point. It was nice.”

“It’s surreal,” said goalie Michael Hutchinson of Barrie, who was drafted in the third round, 77th overall, by the Boston Bruins. “I had never seen Wayne Gretzky live before last night. And Steve Yzerman …” …

Many former NHL stars, including Gretzky with the Phoenix Coyotes and Yzerman with the Detroit Red Wings, were at the draft as team executives. But they can still relate to what their draft picks are going through.

“Mine was in Montreal. It wasn’t as big an event way back then,” said Yzerman, drafted fourth overall by the Wings in 1983.

“It brings back good memories and I understand the excitement that they have. They’ll be forever endeared to the organization that drafted them, regardless of what happens in their careers.”

Every time I hear Steve Yzerman talk, I’m more and more convinced that he will be the general manager of Canada’s men’s Olympic team sometime soon, maybe even as early as 2010 in Vancouver. I’m trying to put my finger on the quality that comes through when he speaks and I’ve concluded that it’s because, in an era of non-answers, where people in position of authority can talk at great lengths without actually saying much at all, Yzerman represents the polar opposite.

You could tell, for example, that during the conference call announcing Ken Hitchcock’s appointment as coach of Canada’s 2008 world championship team, that he was prepared for anything – the usual softballs that get lobbed up in these things, but also for the more probing questions about roster decisions, about a player’s obligation to play for his country and about the elephant in the room – if there had to be a nod towards French Canadian participation given that Quebec City is a co-host and when this event was first announced, a faction of Quebec politicos and commentators thought the province should enter its own team in the tournament, separate from the official Canadian entry. …

Yzerman was prepared to excuse players for health reasons, for contract considerations, and even if a player’s head wasn’t “in it” following a long season. Indeed, Yzerman acknowledged that in his own career, he turned down Canada twice for the world championships, citing injuries. The second time – when he was bothered by a wrist problem but played with it down the stretch and into the playoffs - ended up as a year in which Canada won the world championships.

In hindsight, he said he regretted that decision because he never got another chance to win a world championship. It was candid, it was honest, and it demonstrated once again that Canada’s depth in hockey isn’t limited strictly to the players in the pipeline. The executive staffs are coming along nicely as well.

Q: Who are the captains you admired growing up?

A: I would say Mats Sundin and Steve Yzerman. I was a Leafs fan growing up 20 minutes north of Toronto, and the Red Wings were right there, too. You had Stevie Y, a Canadian, with those great Red Wings teams and Sundin, who was my favorite player growing up with Toronto.

Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News did a brief two minute video interview with Steve Yzerman yesterday. You can view the clip here. Below are some of the remarks he made in the interview.

I don’t really have a particular allegiance to either school [U of M and MSU] so I’m pretty free to jump on whatever bandwagon is hot at the time. …

I’m starting to get comfortable in a suit. I don’t make a lot of decisions. I’m certainly welcome to give my input…I enjoy being part of the process and participating in all of the conversations and discussions on all aspects of the team and really learning a lot in the process. …

In my opinion, it was more than my time to retire.

The Detroit News also had a video montage with interview audio excerpts from the different inductees, which you can check out here. Wings owner Mike Ilitch had a few things to say about Yzerman:

Jimmy D and I knew he was going to be good, but we had no idea he’d be a Hall of Famer and win three Cups for us. He’s been the face of our team for 20-something years. It’s a big thrill for me to see him recognized. He loves this city. The fans adore him and he knows that and he adores them. It’s a big love affair.

Don Shane, the sports anchor for Channel 7, interviewed Yzerman at Max S. Fisher hall and here are a couple snippets of what he had to say:

I always take notice of the Michigan athletes and you kind of quietly root for them and almost adopt them as your own whether it be team or an individual athlete.

When national pride is on the line, it really was an emotional victory. I really cherish that [winning the Olympic gold medal in 2002]. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.

The Detroit Free Press had a few quotes from Yzerman about being inducted into the MSHOF as well as making the transition from player to management.

“What really strikes me is that Michigan continues to produce great athletes year after year in all facets of sports,” he said. “You start to read up on some of these athletes and you realize how many tremendous athletes there are out there.”

The former Red Wings captain is now an assistant general manager who works closely with Holland. He said he was surprised how much he still enjoys being around the game.

“I really enjoy being in hockey. I’ve found it a pleasant surprise, whether it be an NHL game, which I watch very closely, college games, or the occasional junior game.”

He said he is getting a chance to learn a lot without being in the spotlight “or having to make the final decision. It’s been a great transition.”

Even when the Wings lose a tough game, as they did Sunday to burgeoning rival Anaheim, it’s much easier to lose now than it was as a player, he said. That is, until the playoffs.

“Then it is nerve-racking,” he said. “Sudden death. Lose and go home? That’s tough. But in the regular season? It’s easier. I like watching and looking for specific things.”

On a frigid Michigan winter evening, Yzerman stopped to sign autographs for the fans waiting outside along the red carpet (and without a coat!).

“This is a great evening, and it has a special Michigan touch,” the longtime Red Wings captain said before Monday’s ceremony at the Max Fisher Music Center. “There’s a red carpet on a zero-degree night.”

Yzerman was one of 11 inductees, and said that it was a perfect complement to his recent induction into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.

“These are two places with special meaning to me – Ottawa is my hometown, and Michigan is now my home,” said Yzerman, who retired in 2006 after a 22-season career. “I came here in 1983, and I’ve never left.”

Yzerman is now a member of the Red Wings’ front office, and he says he’s been too busy to think about his playing days.

“I have some memorabilia, but I never look at it,” he said. “I’ve had the perfect transition into a new career. To my surprise, I even discovered that I like to go to hockey games.”

Yzerman also drew a crowd inside the Max Fisher Center.

U-M alums Rice and Howard attracted crowds during the reception, but Yzerman drew a throng. Everywhere he was stopped and asked to sign something or to pose for pictures.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland wasn’t surprised. “He’s one of the two greatest Red Wings ever,” said Holland, who was there to watch Yzerman get inducted, of Yzerman and Gordie Howe. “Steve’s legacy is twofold: his offensive prowess and his commitment to winning. He went from a great offensive player to a great two-way player. He was about team and sacrifice.”

And if you missed the Detroit News column published yesterday, be sure to check it out.

He said he has no plans to leave the only NHL team he has known, in the city that has become home. There’s no lessening of his loyalty to the Wings, just a growing itch.

“At some point, I definitely want to do more,” Yzerman said. “But I’d be very, very careful about going somewhere else. I don’t want to say ‘no,’ I definitely wouldn’t do that (or) I’m here forever, because I can’t say that for certain.

“I fully understand the time commitment these general managers put in. To me, it’s very exciting. But I’m not sitting around and waiting to replace Ken Holland. I’m trying to help this organization any way I can. I also don’t want it perceived that I’m just kind of floating through life here, killing time. I’m very motivated to do well in this business. Things will evolve, and it’ll all work out fine.”

The recently retired Detroit Red Wings superstar is in his second season as vice-president of hockey operations, helping GM Ken Holland and his staff evaluate pro and amateur talent.

The expectation is that Yzerman will be the Red Wings’ GM down the road. To hear him speak, or watch him work, there is nothing casual about his involvement with the organization. Nothing like the typical ex-jock dabbling in some front-office work. Yzerman is pouring himself into his new occupation with the same sort of zeal that marked his brilliant 22-year playing career.

To Yzerman’s advantage, he still has a fresh appreciation of what’s required to win Olympic gold from his own heroic effort of essentially playing on one leg in the 2002 Games. As a guy who only retired in 2006, Yzerman retains an association with many of today’s players, veterans and young rising stars.

During his playing career, Yzerman was always there when his country came calling, be it World Cup, world championship, Olympics, whatever.

Now that he has traded in his No. 19 sweater for a suit, his country is still calling on Stevie Y. For good reason.

A limited number of pucks autographed by current members of the team will be available for $50 in a random draw. The guest who selects the puck signed by Yzerman in gold will be the winner.

Tickets remain for Toast of Hockeytown, the Red Wings’ annual wine-tasting gala from 6-9 p.m., Feb. 13, at Joe Louis Arena. The annual fundraising event to benefit the Detroit Red Wings Foundation offers guests the opportunity to join the Red Wings team for an evening of wine-tasting, a strolling buffet, silent and live auctions and the chance to mingle with members of the current Red Wings team, alumni and other celebrities in attendance.

This year’s event will take place on the ice surface of Joe Louis Arena, where fans can experience the players’ view of the arena. Since its inception the event has raised more than $750,000.

Tickets are $200 per person and can be ordered by calling (313) 396-7524. Guests must be 21 years of age to attend.