5/20 Yzerman notes
I haven’t talked about Steve Yzerman in awhile so while I’m waiting for the Wings’ game to start at 3pm, I figured I could give you all an update.
Yzerman as management
As I mentioned earlier, Yzerman’s Team Canada won gold at the WHC in Moscow. As GM, he deflected praise to those he worked with including Wings’ GM Ken Holland and Asst. GM Jim Nill.
Yzerman, architect of the squad that won gold at the world championships in Moscow over the weekend, can now be added to that list. (Interestingly, Yzerman downplayed his own role and credited the input of others, and the first name he mentioned was Leaf GM John Ferguson). It was interesting to see Yzerman’s team filled with young players, including a college star in Jonathan Toews. It was a team that stood in stark comparison to the 2006 Canadian team that finished seventh in Turin, a team that always seemed more about past reputations than current quality.
What makes Yzerman even more appealing, however, is that he’s currently, well, underemployed.
He has a senior title with the Red Wings, but mostly is learning the ropes, trying out various duties and finding out what may or may not interest him. Doug Gilmour spent last season doing something similar with the Leafs.
Is Yzerman likely to be a GM in the league next season? No.
Damien Cox @ the Toronto Star believes Yzerman is next in line to be the Team Canada GM. Yes, he was GM for the WHC. But the Olympics are a different matter. Personally, I’d like to see Yzerman develop under Holland and Nill with the Wings and eventually move up the Team Canada management ladder as well. Being a GM for an NHL team and Team Canada is a lot different, I don’t think Yzerman has the business knowledge and understanding to be a GM for a team. Yet.
His success as a GM prompted speculation that he desires an NHL GM position. Yzerman does not feel ready for that role as of now and is not currently gunning for the position of Wings’ GM.
“If there is one thing I have learned from this season is the tremendous amount of time needed to be a general manager,” said Yzerman, who spent his first year of retirement from the NHL as an executive vice-president with the Detroit Red Wings, working with Wings GM Ken Holland and assistant GM Jim Nill.
“It’s a major commitment, and I’m not ready yet because I have a young family,” the 42-year-old continued. “I’m in no hurry. I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now. My schedule has allowed me flexibility to spend time with my family and to do the Hockey Canada thing this year.” …
“I’m not sitting here waiting to become the next general manager of the Detroit Red Wings,” Yzerman said. “Ken Holland [51] is a young guy and has been very successful. Jim Nill [49] is in the same situation. He will likely be the next general manager. I’m not looking over their shoulders, waiting.
“I don’t really know what my long-term goal is. My initial plan was to take a year off and after that possibly getting involved. But Ken Holland encouraged me to stay involved right away,” said Yzerman, who scored 1,755 points (692 goals) in 1,514 regular-season NHL games — all with the Red Wings.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with Ken and Jim, learning how they handle a draft, how they handle a trade or negotiating a contract. After that, I have been asked for my input, when needed, on our own players and players around the league.”
Personally, I think Yzerman is really enjoying himself right now. Why?
(1) He’s not in the public eye as much. As a member of management, he has a behind the scenes role. He still interacts with players and important people in the hockey business. But he doesn’t have to deal with the media day in and day out.
(2) He has more free time. He gets to spend time with his wife and three daughters. His schedule with the Wings is flexible allowing him to make it to important family events he may have missed before. He doesn’t necessarily have early mornings and late nights everyday. He can kind of pick and choose what events he attends.
(3) He has a role within the organization. He’s learning from some of the best in the business. He can also be used as a tool in contract negotiations (ie. sitting down at dinner with Pavel Datsyuk and his agent before Datsyuk had re-signed with the Wings). I believe Holland and Nill value his input and Yzerman has enjoyed learning about the business side of the NHL.
(4) His knee doesn’t ache so much anymore. I’m sure it bothers him here and there, but he doesn’t have that daily reminder.
Response to Burnside article
Three days ago, ESPN writer Scott Burnside wrote a column with the title “Wings’ evolution couldn’t have happened without Stevie Y, Shanny.”
It is almost sacrilege to suggest, but it is nonetheless patently clear that this Detroit Red Wings team is far better team now that icons and legends Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan are gone.
This is not to diminish in any way the contributions both these players made to the Red Wings. Both are Hall of Fame material — Yzerman a first-ballot Hall of Famer to be sure. Both were crucial elements of three Stanley Cup teams between 1997 and 2002. Yzerman was the playoff MVP in 1998.
Each was, in their own way, a significant part of the team’s identity through the 1990s, a time when the Red Wings were the toast of the Motor City and the envy of other NHL franchises.
But the truth of the matter is, in the past two or three years, their presence stunted the team’s growth and contributed to early exits and unfulfilled promise in Detroit. The Wings didn’t lose because of them — but they couldn’t win with them. Not at the end.
A day after the article was published, Yzerman went on CBC’s Behind the Mask during the first intermission in Game #4 of the Wings-Ducks game Thursday night. During the interview, he was asked by Scott Oake, “Do you think it’s possible the Wings are a better team without Steve Yzerman?”
“I think the team’s a better team without a broken-down, 41-year-old Steve Yzerman, no question,” Yzerman told CBC’s Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey . “That’s why I retired. I didn’t feel I could help this team anymore.
“But to think that my presence was a hindrance or a negative in the locker room, I would say that’s completely inaccurate or ridiculous.”
You can view Yzerman’s entire interview here.
BTJ reader Joe asked me what I thought of this article and Yzerman’s response.
As much as I hated to see Yzerman retire on July 3rd, I think it was the right time for him to do so. He wasn’t getting any younger and his body was just wearing out on him. I still find it amazing that he played for as long as he did following that osteotomy procedure in 2002. I think his leadership and heart did a lot for the team. Could he produce offensively like he once did? No. Did he take ice time that could’ve been given to a younger player? Yes. Looking back, would I still have had him play in the 2005-2006 season? Heck yes.
As much as I like Shanny, I think we saw a different team this year because we lost both Shanny and Yzie.
Misc. Article
In the past couple of months, a few articles about Yzerman as “The Captain” and a player have surfaced.
NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke wrote about Yzerman’s journey to become the well known and respected leader he retired as.
Late in his career, Yzerman was revered as much by opposing fans as he was by the Detroit crowds. Players across the League also understood they were in the presence of greatness. Today, it is impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about Yzerman.
And, even though he is now done as a player — having moved seamlessly into management in Detroit — Yzerman’s legacy of skill and class remains, serving as inspiration to a new generation of players.
Edmonton center Jarret Stoll, 24, was still in diapers when Yzerman took his first twirl around a NHL rink. Yet Stoll now worships at Yzerman’s alter.
“Anybody that wins Cups and is a leader is looked upon as a very important player to their team. Not only (with) their team; he is a pretty well-respected throughout the League. With him retiring, his last game was here in Edmonton and that was pretty special to play against him in his last game.â€
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