Wings captain Yzerman finishing season, and possibly career, strong
posted April 2 @ 12:01, EST
DETROIT (AP) - An hour after a recent game, one Detroit Red Wing was lifting weights with the intensity of a prospect hoping to make the playoff roster.
Only it wasn't a youngster trying to make a good impression. It was Steve Yzerman, a 21-year NHL veteran. "Not only is he tremendously skilled, but not many work harder than him," said Red Wings coach Dave Lewis, who once was Yzerman's teammate. "His internal drive is probably his biggest asset."
With the NHL's looming labour problems, this might be the last chance for one of the game's all-time greats to win his fourth Stanley Cup.
"I plan on playing next year, but the collective bargaining agreement will determine that," Yzerman said. "I'm just going to wait and see what happens. I'm prepared to wait a year.
"I don't think the potential lockout adds any motivation, but the uncertainty has evolved to the point where it looks like about 20 teams in our league threw in the towel this season."
If a long lockout leads to Yzerman's retirement, the end of his career will be fondly remembered.
The NHL's sixth-leading all-time scorer will end the regular season this weekend with about 20 goals and more than 50 points for the Western Conference-leading Red Wings.
"Surprising isn't it?" said former Red Wings star Gordie Howe. "The fans got their wish."
Retirement seemed like a dignified way for Yzerman to end his storied career last year, but he said it wasn't an option he considered.
He missed the first 66 games last season following a knee surgery - usually reserved for retirees - that involved sawing into the bone below his knee and using a wedge to realign the joint.
"The man shouldn't even be able to walk, and he's out there playing great hockey," teammate Manny Legace said.
Before choosing the radical surgery, Yzerman sometimes needed to prop himself up with a stick when he was knocked down.
At the end of last year and the beginning of this season, he looked like an aging athlete playing one too many seasons. He sounded like one, too, saying it hurt to skate.
"At the beginning of training camp, we thought he might not play more than 35-40 games and wouldn't play back-to-back nights," Lewis said. "And when he did play, we didn't know what kind of production he would have."
Slowly and steadily, the 10-time all-star and 1998 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP proved he still could score, set up goals and backcheck with the best. He has played 70-plus games and has been a regular in the lineup other than six games he missed in December with a groin injury.
Even opponents are pleased his career has not come to a lackluster end.
"You wouldn't want a guy like that to end his career not playing well because of an injury," Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "In the history of our game, he's at the top of the list among the best players."
In January, Yzerman moved past Mario Lemieux and into sixth place on the career scoring list. With 1,721 points, he trails just Marcel Dionne, Ron Francis, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky.
Yzerman, the only player among the top six to have all of his points with one team, has a shot at passing Dionne and perhaps Francis if a lockout doesn't end his career.
Of the 33 players with 500 goals in NHL history, Yzerman is the only one with more goals on the road than at home, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Red Wings senior vice-president Jim Devellano shakes his head in amazement when he reflects on what has become of the fourth overall pick in the 1983 NHL draft.
"We said we would make him the cornerstone of the franchise, and he became the cornerstone of the franchise," Devellano said. "This franchise has obviously had a lot of great players, but the two greatest were Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman - and I rank them 1 and 1a."
The Red Wings - with three Stanley Cup titles in seven years and 11 division titles in 17 years - have played in front of 300-plus straight sellout crowds in Detroit.
The year before Yzerman was drafted, the team dubbed the "Dead Wings" gave away a car at each home game to spur interest and boost the number of season-ticket holders (one season, there were only 2,100).
"He deserves a ton of credit for what has happened here - a ton," Devellano said. "We built everything around him from our marketing to our drafting and our free-agent signings."
The Wings will make their 14th straight playoff appearance this month and 19th in Yzerman's career. Yzerman, who turns 39 next month, is the longest-serving captain in NHL history at 18 seasons.
Whenever The Captain is done playing, he doesn't plan to just go away.
"I'd like to stay with this organization in some capacity in management," he said. "I've always followed and admired the way Joe Dumars and Alan Trammell played in this town, then moved onto careers with the Pistons and Tigers. I'd like to do that, too."
well its almost time for him anyway, he just has bad knees at his age, and he doesn't have much to prove three stanley cups, and consmythe, close to 700 goals, a Lester B. Pearson Trophy, and a Frank J. Selke Trophy. but when you see one of the all time greats hang it up its pretty sad.
When that day comes that Stevie Y announces his retirement, it will be a sad day : : : . As I've mentioned before, what he has meant to the Red Wings organization and its fans is unmeasurable. To try to put it into words, well I can't because my mere words would not be good enough. The best compliment I can give is he is the blueprint on how young, up and coming stars in the NHL should conduct themselves and play with tons of heart, skill, class and to be a true leader for his teammates.
Ya I havent seen a athlete but so much hart into his game in the playoffs with his bad knees a couple of years ago, hes truly on of the best in the games history.
this article was posted at a red wings fan site that i belong to and there was a poll asking if yzerman retired who do you think should be the red wings' captain and drapper got an overwhelming majority of the votes. i dont know if he would be my guy but i just thought it was interesting to see who you guys would pick...
this article was posted at a red wings fan site that i belong to and there was a poll asking if yzerman retired who do you think should be the red wings' captain and drapper got an overwhelming majority of the votes. i dont know if he would be my guy but i just thought it was interesting to see who you guys would pick...
I posted a poll. We'll see what people come up with here.
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yzerman calling it quits?
yzerman calling it quits?
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