Being that this will probably be The Captain's last year in the league, I was thinking that we (all 2 of us that post on the hockey thread) could give some much deserved respect to one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) sporst icon in all of detroit sports history.

He will be sorely missed.

Just in case you don't know who he is, here is all you need to know:

Steve Yzerman had all the flashy adjectives applied to him as a young, slick center when he entered the NHL. He could score the beautiful goal and his flair translated into some remarkable statistical seasons. But Yzerman's team, the Detroit Red Wings, had struggled before he arrived, and he didn't set the world on fire during his early years. Since then, though, Yzerman has become the longest serving captain in league history and dedicated himself to an all-around game, finally leading the Wings to the Stanley Cup in 1997 after 42 years of futility.

At the age of 16, Yzerman moved to Peterborough to play with the OHL's Petes. He had 91 points in 56 games with Peterborough in his second year, but his numbers weren't the usual stratospheric kind registered by young phenomena in the OHL because of the team concept ingrained in the Petes by Dick Todd, the team's no-nonsense coach. Along with Pat LaFontaine and Sylvain Turgeon, Yzerman was still considered one of the top prospects as his draft year approached. He enriched that reputation with a strong performance on Canada's bronze medal team in the World Junior Championship in 1983.

The year before the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings were bought by Mike Ilitch, who entrusted general manager Jim Devellano with the job of rebuilding the failing franchise. The Red Wings had the fourth overall pick, and Devellano's first choice was LaFontaine, a hometown boy who would surely revive the interest of the Detroit fans. But LaFontaine was picked third and Devellano selected Yzerman to be the cornerstone of the new Wings.

Still only 18, Yzerman immediately established himself as an impact player with the Red Wings. In his first year, 1983-84, he set Detroit records for goals by a rookie with 39 and for points with 87. He finished second behind goalie Tom Barrasso in the Calder Trophy voting and also made the NHL's All-Rookie Team. He played in the All-Star Game after half a season in the league, making him the youngest player ever to don an All-Star sweater. His success carried over into training camp for the 1984 Canada Cup. Yzerman played so well in the camp that he couldn't be left off the team. Canada won the tournament, though Yzerman missed most of the action due to recurring tonsillitis.

Yzerman continued to record impressive numbers. He had a knack for the pretty goal and began to draw fans back to the beleaguered team. He was named Red Wings captain as a 21-year-old in 1986, the youngest player ever to earn that honor.

Between 1987 and 1993, he never failed to top 100 points, and five times he scored 50 goals or more while winning the Lester B. Pearson Trophy in 1988-89. He set all-time marks for Detroit when he had 65 goals, 90 assists and 155 points in 1988-89, placing third in the league scoring race behind Gretzky and Lemieux, just as he would in voting for the Hart Trophy that season.

In 1994-95, the Wings ended the lockout-shortened season atop the standings, winning the Presidents' Trophy. The team coasted through the first three rounds of the playoffs undefeated on home ice. For the first time in his 11th year in the league, Yzerman was in the Stanley Cup finals. The joy didn't last long. New Jersey's stifling defense shut down Yzerman and the Wings and he had to watch Devils captain Scott Stevens hoist the Stanley Cup after a four-game sweep. Still, after so many seasons of struggling even to make the playoffs, Yzerman was being talked about as the quiet but effective leader of a surging team.

Yzerman's high status was evident when his name began to surface in trade rumors in 1995. The Red Wings were a contending team, four games away from the Cup the previous season, an enviable position for which Yzerman had worked hard and sacrificed years of his career.

In the spring of 1996 the center exacted a measure of revenge on Mike Keenan, the coach who'd left him off those international teams. Yzerman scored a 60-foot goal to eliminate Keenan's St. Louis Blues from the playoffs. Although the Red Wings lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the next round, Yzerman had come into his own as a leader.

Yzerman was a standout player on Team Canada for the 1996 World Cup, scoring an important early round goal against Slovakia to keep the Canadian team on track and notching another in overtime in the first game of the final series against the United States. When Canada fell in the final game, however, Yzerman was once again forced to watch another team celebrate.

In the 1997 playoffs, everything came together for the hard-working captain. He was a solid player at both ends of the ice as Detroit faced the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup. In four consecutive games, the Wings were too much for the Flyers. At the end of the final game, Yzerman was the first to embrace goalie Mike Vernon. Moments later, in front of his home fans chanting "Stevie" over and over, Yzerman raised the Cup above his head, the first Red Wing to do so since 1955.

The next season, Yzerman's name was engraved on another award, this time the Conn Smythe Trophy, after the Red Wings repeated as Cup champions. Yzerman was an effective checker and became a player Detroit coach Scotty Bowman could use in all situations. Yzerman's strong play continued over the next two years capturing the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1999-00 before injuries limited the talented forward to a mere 54 games in 2000-01 and 52 games in 2001-02. Although his regular season was limited in 2001-02, Yzerman was healthy enough to take part in the Wings Stanley Cup run which landed Yzerman the third Stanley Cup ring of his career. An off-season knee operation limited Yzerman to a mere 16 games in 2002-03 and early exit in the post season. His brave efforts landed him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

In 2003-04, the Red Wing captain returned to the lineup and was instrumental in helping his team capture the Presidents' Trophy as the top team during the regular season and would surpass the 1,700 point plateau.

On the international stage, Yzerman has represented his country on numerous occasions, the first being at the 1983 World Junior Championships. In 1984, he played for Canada at the Canada Cup and in 1985, he went on to make his first of three appearances at the Worlds, the other two being in 1989 and 1990. After an appearane at the 1996 World Cup, Yzerman went on to become a two-time olympian, representing his homeland at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and the 2002 Salt Lake City Games - where he helped Canada capture its first gold medal in more than 50 years.

If he's not a first ballot hall of famer, I'll have to go on a three state killing spree. Long live The Captain!

I don't watch hockey.

I do, however, have a Steve Yzerman plaque/wall clock. Go Stevie.

Love Stevie, hate that I only got 2 Red Wings game so far that i know of. OLN sucks.


Art

Stevie is nothing but class.

If it wasn't for the fucking lockout, I think Yzerman would play another year or two.

Maybe, but he was having all kinds of freaky injury problems before the lockout. He got a stick AND a puck to the face and then there's that crazy surgery he had to repair his knee.

Probably one of the most overrated players in the history of sports.

Whatever. You're either trying to pick a fight or know nothing about hockey (or both).

Moving on....

Hey Bush overrating something would be calling the real Bush a great or even average president.

Stevie Y was probably the greatest at skill, heart, desire, class, etc than just about any other hockey player that ever played. If you dont believe that...go snort some more coke.


Art

Yzerman is the best fucking hockey player next to howe and gretsky

If he's not a first ballot hall of famer, I'll have to go on a three state killing spree. Long live The Captain!

I know very little about hockey. That said, I agree, and I'll supply ammo if need be.

22 years, all with the Wings. Classy. Guy scored 155 points in one season, then knew how to change his game to bring the Cup back to the D. Didn't bail on a bad team, didn't get greedy with a good team.

Can he cap his career with a Stanley on the way out?

Since Hull hit 700 goals I was soo hoping Stevie would get there. He's at 682, but I just don't see it happening. Lockout, injuries hurt him getting there. Needless to say hockey isn't all about scoring goals, but that would of been one of those rare accomplishments I would of loved to see.

Maybe not, but he notched his 1,050th assist last night which makes him 7th all time on the list. Better yet, he passed Gordie Howe to do it...and Gordie was actually at the game. Big fun.

Stevie, as usual, was his humble self.

look up class in the dictionary and you see stevies face.

nothin but respect for that man

look up class in the dictionary and you see stevies face.

nothin but respect for that man


As is the guy he just passed on the assist list.

Yzerman has 684 career goals as of right now, 6 goals shy of Mario Lemieux's.

With 6 more games, he will also become the 10th player in NHL history to play 1,500 games.

So apparently, Yzerman tied Lemieux for 8th place on the career list with 690 goals after last night's game.

yeah I suppose that is noteworthy [smilie=arrgh.jpg]

yeah I suppose that is noteworthy [smilie=arrgh.jpg]

Yeah you would not know it though. Oh Stevie scored #690 huh oh that is great hey what are the Lions doing? Congrats Stevie. [smilie=applause.gi:

3 goals in 3 games, but hey this guy is over the hill

3 goals in 3 games, but hey this guy is over the hill
Yeah alot of people could not see how we could justify paying him what we did. His line with Lang has been maybe our best over the last couple of weeks. Stevie will be invaluable come playoff time.

Experience + Skill + Heart = Playoff Performer

Experience + Skill + Heart = Playoff Performer

All this equals top 50 player of all time. That fucking list was some serious bullshit.

Stevie's tear continues 10 pts last 7 games. I hope he is open minded about next season. I still think he has a couple 40-50 pt seasons left in him. I think his slow start this season just had to do with all he time off, it's obvious that Stevie still has it he just needs to stay healthy. I am hoping that he comes back and gets his 700th. It was always my hopes that Stevie would get to 1900 points which won't happen but he has a real shot at 1800 next season.

Yeah, Steve has turned back the clock the last 10 or so games. Its real nice to see #19 out there doing more than skating around. [smilie=2thumbsup.g:

Yeah, Steve has turned back the clock the last 10 or so games. Its real nice to see #19 out there doing more than skating around. [smilie=2thumbsup.g:
It is going to be huge for the playoffs if Stevie keeps this up. If he can give us this kind of production and we can roll 3 strong lines we are going to be tough to handle.

I agree

At The Wild home games they allow people to text message them and they select a few messages to post on the jumbotron. Yesterday someone texed a message thanking Stevie for his excellent career. Kind of a nice send off from a great hockey town.

You're still alive?


Yzerman with another goal last night.

Yeah, barely.

He's only a few goals (4 maybe) behind Messier.

He's only a few goals (4 maybe) behind Messier.

I think he is only 2 goals behind Messier.

Messier is at 694 so yeah Stevie is 2 from tying, him and three away from passing him.

Kevin Allen hinted at the fact that Stevie may comeback depending on how he feels after the season. He said Stevie sees Chelios doing what he does at 44, and said that as long as Stevie wants to there is no reason he can't play at 41. I am not sure what brings Stevie back a fourth cup and chance to repeat or disappointing exit?

Messier is at 694 so yeah Stevie is 2 from tying, him and three away from passing him.

Kevin Allen hinted at the fact that Stevie may comeback depending on how he feels after the season. He said Stevie sees Chelios doing what he does at 44, and said that as long as Stevie wants to there is no reason he can't play at 41. I am not sure what brings Stevie back a fourth cup and chance to repeat or disappointing exit?
I think a disapointing exit would bring him back. If he wins that fourth cup or his family let's it be known that would rather have him around more I think he will quit. Stevie is such a class act though and it does not bother him to play on the third line so I could see him playing a couple more years.

http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/nhl/2005/0921/photo/g_yzerman_412.jpg

Best Stevie moment of ALL TIME:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RWr9fBtvPAU&search=Yzerman%20Hockey%20Detroit%20Red%20Wings

Best Stevie moment of ALL TIME:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RWr9fBtvPAU&search=Yzerman%20Hockey%20Detroit%20Red%20Wings


I remember that game like it was yesterday. I still get goosbumps when I see the clip. Thanks for sharing.

Did anyone else see Stevie Y down the stretch?

A guy who got reconstructive surgery done on his knees to make them bow like a cowboy so he could move his leg on fresh spongi tissue because he wore out the other spots on his knee deserves a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame anyday. Even if he hadn't had the great career he had, Steve should be in Hall on the basis of his past two seasons alone. Other sports athletes pull themselves from the game when they have a frickin blister for crying out loud.

^ I agree.

Red Wings presser at 1:00pm today.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/ (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20060703_085922_940)



Yzerman hangs up his skates
Sportsnet.ca - After 22 seasons, Detroit Red Wings' captain Steve Yzerman is calling it a career, Sportsnet has learned.

The Red Wings have called a press conference for 1 pm ET on Monday where the announcement is expected to be made official.

The 41-year old is considered one of the greatest players ever to wear the red and white, and led Detroit to three Stanley Cups, which included a Conn Smythe trophy in 1998.

Also sitting in the ten-time all-star's trophy case is a gold medal from the 2002 Olympics.

Yzerman finishes his career with 692 goals and 1,063 assists for 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games.

What a brilliant career. He will be missed.
End of an era.

His presser just finished

Nothing but a class act.

didnt babble on endlessly or start crying all over himself like Messier did

total class act
seemed at peace with his decision

Stevie will be missed. Thanks for the fun


Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Yzerman there is a real front-office position ready for him. It's up to Yzerman to decide how much he wishes to take on.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AmhkVVHCg0ED0kmDnv7el_hD2bYF?slug=ap-redwings-yzerman&prov=ap&type=lgns

poor steve. a whole career of humility and not allowing himself to be the story. the day he retires everyone is ready to celebrate his career. 8 hrs after his retirement conferance his story gets eclipsed and no one is talking about steve. he deserves better. he should come back for 700. actaully, nah. that would cheapen his career.

my absolutely favorite player of all time before and what is to come. stevie is why ive always been a wings fan, and why i have watched red wings games. i was born in 80, so by the time i started liking sports he was a budding star, around 86. ive never known hockey without him. i will still watch and love the wings, but it will officially never be the same again. no ill feelings though, he is getting older and id rather him retire at the right time than drag his career out. even though he hasnt had the best last couple of years, you cant say he hung around too long.

sucks that Ben's departure had to take attention away from Stevie Y's retirement.

when i was a kid, his poster was one of the first i had up on my wall. i remember seeing him at Starbucks once and my sister talking about how good looking he was, before i mentioned who he was, lol.

Yzerman is a fucking icon in this town. Non-sports fans know who he is. Dude will be missed. He had class (that word comes up a lot with Yzerman) unlike some other "star" athleats we've had here.

Stevie's Wonder Years
For 22 seasons in Detroit, Steve Yzerman was the consummate franchise player who saved Hockeytown.

I don't necessarily want to start a tribute with bathroom material, but this story must be told:

A short time after Detroit Red Wings general manager Jim Devellano had trudged up to the podium to announce that he was pleased to select Steve Yzerman with the fourth pick in the 1983 entry draft, he was in a restroom at the Montreal Forum muttering imprecations about the hockey gods and the New York Islanders, who, one spot ahead of the Red Wings, had snatched an honest-to-goodness Detroiter, Pat LaFontaine, the perfect fit, a man-child seemingly capable of resuscitating his moribund hometown franchise. (Over the years Devellano has steadfastly denied that the Wings preferred LaFontaine to Yzerman, but I was in the room. I was, er, privy to his thinking.)

In the end, Plan B worked far better than anyone dared dream. LaFontaine went on to score 468 goals in a Hall of Fame career spent principally with the Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres, but he never had the chance to do what Yzerman did. Yzerman took a franchise from Dead Things to Hockeytown.

You can distill everything from Yzerman's 22 seasons in Detroit -- 692 goals, 1,063 assists, three Stanley Cups, immeasurable grit -- and it comes down to that: The team was the Dead Things when he came in, and Detroit was Hockeytown when he went out. He didn't win Cups until the Red Wings assembled a suitable supporting cast more than a decade later (Nick Lidstrom, the Russian Five, Brendan Shanahan and the others), but the revival had to start somewhere.

It began the June day in Montreal when Devellano called Yzerman's name. When the boyish 18-year-old center arrived that fall, you could have fired a cannon (or an octopus, for that matter) in the upper level of Joe Louis Arena and probably not have hit anyone. Now 20,066 proselytes are there every night, cheering the Franchise That Yzerman Rebuilt. In the NHL's nine decades only Rocket Richard and Montreal and Mario Lemieux and Pittsburgh have been so inextricably intertwined as Yzerman and Hockeytown.

In a career neatly bifurcated at the midway point, Stevie Y has been Stevie A and then Stevie B. The first Yzerman was the offensive dervish. After averaging 1.06 points per game over his first four seasons, Yzerman rattled off six consecutive 100-plus-point seasons, including a 65-goal, 90-assist masterpiece in 1988-89.

Being a first-line center in the NHL at the time was like being a New York City centerfielder in the Willie, Mickey and the Duke '50s. Yzerman was neither Wayne Gretzky nor Mario Lemieux, but when the discussion expanded to include LaFontaine and Dale Hawerchuk and Mark Messier, well, he was as worthy as any. Like another center who would soon join the elite company, Joe Sakic, Yzerman possessed an accurate shot and a creative genius.

At the height of his scoring prowess, during the 1991 Canada Cup training camp, Team Canada coach Mike Keenan, almost inconceivably, cut Yzerman (saying he needed to free a roster spot for another defenseman). Not until 2002, when Yzerman played superbly on basically one leg as Canada ended an Olympic gold medal drought of 50 years, did his country fully grasp his worth.

This was the second Yzerman, the two-way force. In the lockout-shortened 1995 season, he failed to average a point per game for the first time since his third year, but Detroit reached its first Stanley Cup final since 1966. The captain had evolved into one of hockey's best leaders, a quiet man with a ready smirk who never hesitated to go to the danger areas to score a goal or block a shot. His stall was on the near wall of the dressing room, affording him the chance to seek out all his teammates' eyes.

As the offensive star receded, a valiant player emerged. It was a metamorphosis that would translate into three Cups in one six-year stretch. In his stubborn way -- Yzerman would want to know from his coaches why the Red Wings were breaking out of the defensive zone on this side of the ice and not that -- Stevie B was even more estimable than Stevie A. During that last Cup run, in 2002, he could barely climb the steps of the team's charter, and coaches and players would mumble, "Stevie can't go tonight." But he always did, playing in all 23 playoff games.

Now he is going again, this time into hockey immortality. There may have been two Steve Yzermans, but in Detroit -- wait, make that Hockeytown -- he was the one and only.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/michael_farber/07/27/wonder.years/1.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2566350


Red Wings to retire Yzerman's number

SportsTicker

DETROIT -- Steve Yzerman, whose play and leadership lifted the Detroit Red Wings from league laughingstocks to NHL champions, will have his number retired by the team.

In a pregame ceremony Jan. 2, 2007, Yzerman's No. 19 will be raised to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena, where it will join hockey immortals such as Gordie Howe and Terry Sawchuk.

Yzerman announced his retirement in July, ending a 23-year career, all with the Red Wings.

"For a long time, there was no doubt in ownership's mind that Steve Yzerman would play his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and that his sweater would fittingly go up into the rafters along with the other all-time greatest Red Wing players," senior vice president Jim Devellano said.

"As to picking a date, we wanted to be sure that this will be a very special evening and with that, it takes a lot of planning," he said.

Yzerman will be the sixth member of the Red Wings to have his number retired, joining Sawchuk (No. 1), Ted Lindsay (No. 7), Howe (No. 9), Alex Delvecchio (No. 10) and Sid Abel (No. 12).

The ceremony will precede Detroit's game against Anaheim and last approximately one hour. Yzerman was captain of the Red Wings for 20 years, assuming the role as a 21-year-old in 1986. He led the team to three Stanley Cups, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1998.

A 10-time All-Star center and 2002 Olympic gold medalist with Canada, Yzerman had 692 goals and 1,063 assists in 1,514 contests. His 1,755 points rank sixth in NHL annals and are the most any player has had with just one team.

Yzerman was the third piece of the puzzle in restoring "Hockeytown." The Red Wings were mired in a stretch of six years of missing the playoffs when pizza moguls Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the team in 1982.

The Ilitches appointed Devellano general manager shortly thereafter. Devellano's first draft pick as GM was used on Yzerman in 1983.

With Yzerman leading the way, the Red Wings won Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002. In 196 postseason games, he ranks eighth all-time in playoff scoring with 185 points, including 70 goals.

Yzerman also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for best defensive forward in 2000 and the Bill Masterson Trophy for perseverance in 2002.

2 things....

1.) I was fortunate enough to be at his reirement ceremony at The City Theatre yesterday where he did show and sign autographs as well as answer questions from the audience.
2.) There was nothing like it in the whole wide world (except maybe for being at the game).

My only problem was that after the ceremony 1/2 half of the stadium got up and walked out. Too bad....they missed one hell of a great game against one of the best teams in the league.

No one I know is a bigger Steve Yzerman fan than me, but the fact of the matter is that this current version of The Red Wings is pretty damn exciting to watch. I'll always be a little bummed that I no longer get to watch The Captain work his magic...but this new team could just as easily win a Stanley Cup this year all by themselves. It's just a shame that no one will really be watching.

Thats really cool that you got to go see that Shugadaddi. If I lived there I would have been at it too. Did you get to talk to him at all after the ceremony or was it too crowded? I agree it will never be the same watching the Wings, but they do seem to be pretty good this year. Im also sad that since I dont get to see any games Im real disconnected this year. My RW name-recognition is at an all time low... all the box scores in the world wont help that much.

I watched the Ceremony and the game and both were very good. I still love to watch them play. It's especially fun to see the young guys develop and wonder what their ceilings are.

It was pretty crowded (as you could imagine), and his time was short, but he had a lot of great things to say....and was suprisingly witty. Both my wife and I were thrilled to have been there, but we also were bummed that we didn't win the jersey they were giving away which he actually signed right on stage while the recipient was wearing it. All in all it was pretty fucking spectacular.

I can see where you might be at a loss for recognizing the new team members. Just know that there are a few hidden gems that are really turning it up as the season wears on. Hasek is playing out of his mind, Lidstom (once again) is leading the league in plus/ minus...and this Cleary kid is a genius. I can't wait until playoff time.

I liked the whitty comments from Bowman too.

I love watching Lebda play too. That guy is fast and jumps up on the rush a lot. Lilja, although not a great defensemen, likes to hit in the open ice so that is nice to see. I still wish we'd get more out of Lang. That guy dissapears for long stretches.

Lilja is fun to watch, but I'm still partial to Kronwall. That guy gets at least one RIDICULOUS open ice hit per game. I sure wish Fischer was healthy so they could throw those two lumbering giants on the ice at the same time.

I'll agree as well that Lang is a bit of an head scratcher. One game he's involved in all the goals...and the next game I have to check the box score to see if he actually played.

The biggest suprise for me this year, however, can only be Dan Cleary. Leads the team in goals and also leads the team in number of teeth knocked out. It's not just that he has a career number of goals...it's the number of actual scoring chances he gets that's amazing. Seriously...watch a game and look for #11. He's everywhere playing his ass off.

http://i.a.cnn.net./si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0702/gallery.canon.klutho/images/canon-gallery015421185.jpg

This was listed as one of an SI photographer's favorite photo's he's taken.