The Stevie Y Appreciation Thread.

[Glenn]

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.

[Shugadaddi]

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.

[UxKa]

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.

[WTFchris]

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.

[Shugadaddi]

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.

[WTFchris]

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.

[Shugadaddi]

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.

[Zekyl]

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