Steve Yzerman Career Milestone
DETROIT (AP) - Steve Yzerman merely shrugged his shoulders and reacted in typical, aw-shucks manner after becoming the seventh NHL player to reach 1,700 points.
``It's a nice number,'' Detroit's star centre said after the Red Wings tied Phoenix 3-3 Friday night. ``But I don't know, I've played a long time, and things gradually add up over the years.''
Yzerman assisted on Kris Draper's goal that tied it at 1 early in the second period. The Detroit captain has 672 goals and 1,028 assists in 1,418 regular-season games, all with the Red Wings.
Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux, who had season-ending surgery on his hip this week, is just ahead on Yzerman on the list with 1,701 points.
Henrik Zetterberg salvaged a point for the Red Wings, who have an NHL-best 61 points, when his backhander ended a goal-mouth scramble with a 1:44 left in the game.
``It squirted loose and that's unfortunate,'' Phoenix coach Bob Francis said. ``You come to Detroit and get a point, and you can't argue with that. Unfortunately, we had the lead and let it get away.''
Zetterberg was glad the Red Wings didn't lose on the night Yzerman reached his latest milestone.
``It's a great honour just to be on the same team, and in the same locker-room with him,'' he said. ``He's been around for 21 years. I was two when he got here.''
Detroit's Curtis Joseph made a few saves in the final minute to make sure the game wouldn't be decided in regulation. He was showered with ``Cu-jo! Cu-jo!'' chants during the short break before overtime. He made 27 saves.
Joseph has become a fan favourite for the Red Wings - who tried to trade him earlier this season when Dominik Hasek ended his one-year retirement - but have now decided to keep three goaltenders. Hasek, who missed his 30th game, was placed on injured reserve Monday because of a groin injury.
Brian Boucher made 31 saves for Phoenix. The Coyotes are 0-2-1 since Boucher's record shutout streak ended with a 1-1 tie against Atlanta on Jan. 11.
``It was an exciting game, but we didn't come here to put on a show,'' Boucher said. ``We came here to get two points, and we were (1:44) away from doing it.''
Fredrik Sjostrom scored a go-ahead goal for Phoenix midway through the third period. Sjostrom pounced on the puck, made it dance on both sides of his stick and beat Joseph high with a backhander - after Mathieu Dandenault lost the puck in Detroit's end.
``I feel awful,'' Dandenault said.
Early in the second period, Chris Chelios put Detroit ahead 2-1, but Daymond Langkow tied the game midway through the period.
Brian Savage scored the first goal late in the first period. Draper deflected Nicklas Lidstrom's shot - after Yzerman passed him the puck - for his 19th goal to tie the game in the second period.
While Yzerman was reluctant to talk about himself - as usual - his coach, and former teammate, Dave Lewis struggled to even address Yzerman's milestone.
``I'm not smart enough to describe what he's meant; I don't have enough adjectives,'' Lewis said. ``You could write a book about his career and you could read the whole 800-page book, and that would not be enough to describe his career.''
Notes: Detroit's Brett Hull has gone 18 games without a goal, the longest drought of his career. But Hull and Pavel Datsyuk were credited with assists on Zetterberg's goal. ... Draper, in his 13th NHL season, had not scored more than 15 goals before this season. ... Phoenix recalled centre Krys Kolanos from Springfield of the AHL on Friday, but he didn't play against Detroit.
|
Steve Yzerman Career Milestone
Linear Mode
