Yzerman named executive director
Detroit Red Wings vice-president Steve Yzerman will get a chance to lead Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics as executive director. The announcement was made yesterday afternoon in Ottawa.
“I am truly honoured and privileged to take on the role of executive director for Hockey Canada going into 2010,” said Yzerman. “I am also very excited about the group that we have in place, a group that has great experience at both the professional and international level. With support from Bob Nicholson, Johnny Misley and the Hockey Canada team, I know that we have the right mix in place to assemble a team that will make all Canadians proud in 2010.”
In his third season under the tutelage of GM Ken Holland and Assistant GM Jim Nill, Yzerman has quickly transformed from the face of the Red Wings franchise on the ice to a quick study in Hockey Management 101 off the ice. After just his first season in the front office, Yzerman won the gold medal at the 2007 IIHF World Championship as Team Canada’s GM. A year later, his team returned to the finals and won silver. He has gained valuable experience in leading Team Canada in the World Championships and has learned from the best 1-2 punch (Holland & Nill) in the NHL. Holland certainly agrees with Team Canada and fans across North America that Yzerman is the man for this job.
“In my opinion, he’s the right man to lead Canada into the Olympics because of his long playing career and because he’s been one of the faces of Canadian hockey for the past 10 to 15 years,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said Friday. “He’s one of the great players in Canadian hockey history. I’ve worked alongside him for the past 2 1/2 years, and I know he’s got tremendous passion for the game. I think he misses playing, but I know he’s enjoying this side of the game. He’s really deserving of being in charge of the Canadian Olympic hockey team. It’s just a natural.”
Yzerman knows the pressures that come with the job both as the GM from the last two World Championships and his time as a player. He played for Team Canada eight times throughout his career including a gold-medal performance in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Wings forward Kris Draper believes that Yzerman’s performance in 2002 cemented his status as a great leader.
“He’s going to put together one heck of a hockey team, I know that,” Draper said. “The determination, the character, the leadership that he had when they won in Salt Lake was something that, I think, just stamped his career as one of the greatest leaders in professional sports,” Draper said. “Now he gets to do it off ice.”
He will likely face even more pressure this time around as the Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, B.C. Yzerman understands the expectations that come with the most scrutinized job in Canada (okay, maybe the most scrutinized after Toronto’s GM) and is eager to face them head on.
“My message to Canadians is that I understand completely what the expectations of this team are,” Yzerman said at a news conference on Saturday. “I understand what the goal is. Each and every one of us up here … all fully understand the expectations. We understand the passion that all Canadians have and we share in that passion - we’re one in the same…Our goals are no different than yours. We understand that a gold medal is the expectation and we’re prepared for that.”
Holland and Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lorne were also named to the staff as associate directors and former executive director Wayne Gretzky will remain on staff as an adviser. In Yzerman’s previous two stints as Team Canada’s GM, Doug Armstrong has been at his side. Armstrong will return for the 2010 Olympics and has been named the Olympic team’s director of player personnel.
“The Red Wings pay [me], but I’m a Canadian, I’m going to give my heart and soul to the team and if I’ve gotta work longer days and longer hours, so be it — it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for all of us,” said Holland.
Wings fans will look forward to seeing Yzerman and Holland work their magic over the next 16 months. Team Canada management hopes to have its coaching staff in place by the end of the season so that they can hold a training camp this off-season.
Yzerman talks about Toews as captain
Scott Burnside @ ESPN.com has a great piece up on the Chicago Blackhawks’ new captain, 20-year-old Jonathan Toews, including some remarks and advice from another No. 19, Steve Yzerman.
“I have no doubts that he’ll be fine. But it’s tough for a young guy,” Yzerman said. “There’s a lot of accountability. The captain represents the team to the fans, to the media.
“John’s a really mature young guy. It’s kind of a natural evolution for him to be a leader.”
While Yzerman stated that it was important to have other leaders in the locker room, The Captain had numerous veterans on his team in the 1986-1987 team when he first became a veteran. This year’s Chicago Blackhawks squad has only two players over the age of 30 so this team is relatively young. The alternate captains are 26-year-old Patrick Sharp and 25-year-old Duncan Keith.
If the Washington Capitals are the Cinderella team in the East, the Blackhawks are that team in the West. Just last season, the team only had 3,500 season ticketholders. This year? Almost 14,000. The team may even have to cap that number to allow for some group and walk-up tickets. As someone who spent the summer living in Chicago and even volunteering at the Chicago Blackhawks Convention, this is definitely a rejuvenated fan base and there is palpable excitement in the Windy City.
Text message reports Yzerman’s return
Yesterday afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings sent out an email advertising their new free service, the Red Wings Mobile News. This service will send out two text messages per day during the training camp in Traverse City as well as one message each week during preseason. It will also include game recaps, box scores, and player news.
Those who signed up for the service received an interesting text message, which stated the following:
“Breaking news,” the message read. “Steve Yzerman will come out of retirement and return to the ice in Mid November. Come to the Joe to catch the action!”
The Wings refuted this message and are currently trying to figure out how this message made its way out to fans.
Steve Violetta, Red Wings’ senior vice president of business affairs, said a third-party vendor handles the text-message system for the club and was trying to get to the bottom of the hoax Friday morning.
One possibility is they were testing the system and made an error, another is that the system got hacked.
“I promise you, he’s not coming out of retirement,” Violetta said, chuckling.
Interestingly enough, you can no longer subscribe to the service via either of the two suggested methods (a text to a certain number or through their website). I’m guessing they pulled the subscription offer to fans until this is figured out.
As George at Snapshots pointed out, Yzerman’s knee is just not healthy enough for him to play. Let’s say Yzerman wanted to pull a Brett Favre or Lance Armstrong and un-retire, he would have to have had a knee replacement on steroids or something to feel good enough to play. In past interviews, he has stated that his knee still hurts daily and this is without him skating a lot much less taking big checks from NHL players. Yzerman’s body won’t let him return even if his heart wanted to do so.
Our biggest Yzerman concern should be whether he’s going to stick with the Red Wings organization as a member of management. According to a fan who attended Fan Fest on Sunday and asked that very question, Yzerman discussed this topic with those in attendance.
“Steve, recently Ken Holland gave an interview and he said that you were ready to be a GM. That statement has struck fear in the hearts of those of us that analyze every word out of that genius’ mouth. Obviously, Ken Holland will be around for quite a while and he does an amazing job, which doesn’t give you the opportunity for quite some time. Would you consider going to another team or do you plan to be a Red Wing for your ENTIRE career?” (yeah, I’m wordy.)
That question probably didn’t make him too happy (since he’s in front of a bunch of dedicated Wings fans), but I give him a ton of credit for answering honestly… even if his answer made me sad. Basically, the legend said that he thinks sooo highly of the Wings organization. And he spent some time praising all the people in the front office. He said that he signed a contract with the Wings with the understanding that he would learn how things worked on the executive level of the business so that he could go further up the chain. Then he said that he has a lot of goals left to fulfill in his career and he may have to go to another team to fulfill them.
Yzerman inducted into MSHOF
Last night, former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the live stream online due to some stupid group meetings and right now I can’t seem to get his induction speech to play all the way through on WingsTV. It goes through about four and a half minutes of introduction/video and then Yzerman says about two sentences worth before it cuts off. Is this happening to anyone else or is it just me?
I have updated the audio and gallery pages on my Behind the Jersey: No. 19 website with the clips and photos from last night.
George @ Snapshots has already done a great roundup of what went on last night so I’m just going to reiterate some of the things said.
Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News did a brief two minute video interview with Steve Yzerman yesterday. You can view the clip here. Below are some of the remarks he made in the interview.
I don’t really have a particular allegiance to either school [U of M and MSU] so I’m pretty free to jump on whatever bandwagon is hot at the time. …
I’m starting to get comfortable in a suit. I don’t make a lot of decisions. I’m certainly welcome to give my input…I enjoy being part of the process and participating in all of the conversations and discussions on all aspects of the team and really learning a lot in the process. …
In my opinion, it was more than my time to retire.
The Detroit News also had a video montage with interview audio excerpts from the different inductees, which you can check out here. Wings owner Mike Ilitch had a few things to say about Yzerman:
Jimmy D and I knew he was going to be good, but we had no idea he’d be a Hall of Famer and win three Cups for us. He’s been the face of our team for 20-something years. It’s a big thrill for me to see him recognized. He loves this city. The fans adore him and he knows that and he adores them. It’s a big love affair.
Don Shane, the sports anchor for Channel 7, interviewed Yzerman at Max S. Fisher hall and here are a couple snippets of what he had to say:
I always take notice of the Michigan athletes and you kind of quietly root for them and almost adopt them as your own whether it be team or an individual athlete.
When national pride is on the line, it really was an emotional victory. I really cherish that [winning the Olympic gold medal in 2002]. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.
The Detroit Free Press had a few quotes from Yzerman about being inducted into the MSHOF as well as making the transition from player to management.
“What really strikes me is that Michigan continues to produce great athletes year after year in all facets of sports,” he said. “You start to read up on some of these athletes and you realize how many tremendous athletes there are out there.”
The former Red Wings captain is now an assistant general manager who works closely with Holland. He said he was surprised how much he still enjoys being around the game.
“I really enjoy being in hockey. I’ve found it a pleasant surprise, whether it be an NHL game, which I watch very closely, college games, or the occasional junior game.”
He said he is getting a chance to learn a lot without being in the spotlight “or having to make the final decision. It’s been a great transition.”
Even when the Wings lose a tough game, as they did Sunday to burgeoning rival Anaheim, it’s much easier to lose now than it was as a player, he said. That is, until the playoffs.
“Then it is nerve-racking,” he said. “Sudden death. Lose and go home? That’s tough. But in the regular season? It’s easier. I like watching and looking for specific things.”
On a frigid Michigan winter evening, Yzerman stopped to sign autographs for the fans waiting outside along the red carpet (and without a coat!).
“This is a great evening, and it has a special Michigan touch,” the longtime Red Wings captain said before Monday’s ceremony at the Max Fisher Music Center. “There’s a red carpet on a zero-degree night.”
Yzerman was one of 11 inductees, and said that it was a perfect complement to his recent induction into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
“These are two places with special meaning to me – Ottawa is my hometown, and Michigan is now my home,” said Yzerman, who retired in 2006 after a 22-season career. “I came here in 1983, and I’ve never left.”
Yzerman is now a member of the Red Wings’ front office, and he says he’s been too busy to think about his playing days.
“I have some memorabilia, but I never look at it,” he said. “I’ve had the perfect transition into a new career. To my surprise, I even discovered that I like to go to hockey games.”
Yzerman also drew a crowd inside the Max M. Fisher Center.
U-M alums Rice and Howard attracted crowds during the reception, but Yzerman drew a throng. Everywhere he was stopped and asked to sign something or to pose for pictures.
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland wasn’t surprised. “He’s one of the two greatest Red Wings ever,” said Holland, who was there to watch Yzerman get inducted, of Yzerman and Gordie Howe. “Steve’s legacy is twofold: his offensive prowess and his commitment to winning. He went from a great offensive player to a great two-way player. He was about team and sacrifice.”
And if you missed the Detroit News column published yesterday, be sure to check it out.
He said he has no plans to leave the only NHL team he has known, in the city that has become home. There’s no lessening of his loyalty to the Wings, just a growing itch.
“At some point, I definitely want to do more,” Yzerman said. “But I’d be very, very careful about going somewhere else. I don’t want to say ‘no,’ I definitely wouldn’t do that (or) I’m here forever, because I can’t say that for certain.
“I fully understand the time commitment these general managers put in. To me, it’s very exciting. But I’m not sitting around and waiting to replace Ken Holland. I’m trying to help this organization any way I can. I also don’t want it perceived that I’m just kind of floating through life here, killing time. I’m very motivated to do well in this business. Things will evolve, and it’ll all work out fine.”
Yzerman’s knee still a pain
Tomorrow after my exam and quiz, I will post about Yzerman’s induction ceremony into the Michigan Hall of Fame as well as post photographs from Dave, who was the winner of the BTJ tickets to Thursday’s game. I hope to write plenty about No. 19 because, well, that’s how I roll.
Until then, the first two “paragraphs” from a Detroit News column today will have to hold you over until then.
He still looks like he could play. Same weight, same love of the game. Unfortunately, same right knee, too.
“Oh, the knee is terrible,” Steve Yzerman said, chuckling. “I have a tough time doing a lot of things, but I still do them.”
And this is why I’m such a Yzerman fan. I feel like right there, he was me talking about my knee. My mom actually called me and read me that excerpt from the article before I even had the chance to because she felt that what he said was actually me talking.
Yzerman named GM for Team Canada
After last year’s success at the World Championships in Moscow where Team Canada went 9-0 and won the gold, Steve Yzerman was named GM once again for Team Canada. This year’s World Championships series will take place in Quebec City and Halifax from May 2nd through May 18th. Luc Robitaille, a former Detroit Red Wings player himself, will be Yzerman’s assistant GM as will Doug Armstrong.
“Working with Hockey Canada and their staff for the world championship last year was a terrific experience, and I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to return,” Yzerman said. “Over the coming months, myself, Doug and Luc will be looking to name a coaching staff and players that will give Canada the best chance to defend their gold medal in Quebec City in May.”
“Hockey Canada is very excited that Steve Yzerman has agreed to return as Canada’s general manager for the 2008 IIHF World Championship, the first-ever world championship to be held in Canada,” said Misley. “We are confident that Steve will provide us with the leadership we need to help Canada stay on top of the hockey world.”
Apparently, this is an important year to win the gold as it would give Team Canada the top ranking in the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver.
The Hockey News has gotten a bit ahead of themselves, in my opinion, with an article speculating that success in this tournament may cause Detroit to allow Yzerman to take the helm as GM allowing a team like Toronto to hire current GM Ken Holland.
Think about it. Yzerman could be moved into the president-GM role with the Red Wings and would still have the expertise of assistant GM Jim Nill, senior vice-president Jim Devellano, uber consultant Scotty Bowman and a top-notch amateur and pro scouting staff to help him. And if Yzerman isn’t ready yet, the Red Wings could promote Nill to the GM chair until Yzerman is ready to take over.
And if Holland does become available, he automatically becomes not only the frontrunner for the Maple Leafs, but the only candidate in whom they should have any interest. He is without a doubt the best GM in the league – THN named him that last season, so it must be true – and he meets every single one of the criteria needed to satisfy the Leafs.
I think even Yzerman himself would say that he’s not ready to be the GM for the Wings. Yes, I eventually would like to see Yzerman in the GM or Assistant GM position, but the organization has a great thing going right now and I don’t think anyone is in too big of a rush to switch things up and mess with a good system. Being the GM for Team Canada in the World Championships is like a kid learning to ride a bike. Yzerman still needs his training wheels, which is what he gets with the Team Canada GM position. He’s not quite ready to go without those wheels yet as a GM for a professional hockey team.
Father deceives Yzerman and DRW
Last year on January 3, I linked to an article by ESPN the Magazine senior writer Eric Adelson about Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings reaching out to a little boy named Braxton, who had been diagnosed with cancer. As the big Yzerman fan that I am, I was very touched by the article and even more impressed with how much Yzerman had reached out to Braxton.
Yzerman told the boy to stick around and watch practice. Braxton did, and his eyes locked on the players as they whizzed by. Brendan Shanahan zipped over and handed Braxton a broken stick. Brant gasped, but Braxton hardly raised an eyebrow. “That’s cool,” he said. “But it’s not Steve’s.” Brant grimaced and looked around, hoping no one heard. But behind him, then-goalie Curtis Joseph roared in laughter. The next night, Yzerman invited Braxton to the Detroit locker room.
I enjoyed the piece so much that I emailed the reporter, Eric, with a couple questions. He responded with how he came across this story.
I was actually in town to see my parents last spring, since I grew up in Ann Arbor. I dropped down to The Joe because I wanted to do a story on Yzerman for the Magazine in case he did retire. I always let the beat writers ask all their questions first before butting in, but Yzerman disappeared after only a couple of questions. I waited him out and annoyed media relations guy John Hahn (who is as much behind the Braxton cause as Steve is, by the way). Eventually, the only people in the locker room were John and I and a little kid and his dad. So I asked John who the kid was and he told me. I introduced myself and Brant told me the whole story. I promised myself that I would write the story when they raised Yzerman’s number.
Since that article, I formed a mentor/mentee relationship with Eric so I was disappointed to learn last August that Braxton’s father, Brant, had scammed the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman. Eric felt awful that he had been duped by Brant because as a reporter, he should uncover the truth instead of leading readers astray. He even apologized to me because he felt we met through a story that wasn’t even correct.
He informed me that he would be working on an article to tell the truth about Brant and that Braxton was not sick with cancer. Earlier this week, the second article was finally released uncovering the scam artist that is Brant. The amazing thing is that even after Steve Yzerman invested all this time and money in making a little sick boy happier and being duped in the process, Yzerman says he will reach out to sick kids even more.
A few months after that conversation with Hahn my phone rings. The caller ID reads “BLOCKED.” It’s Yzerman. I tell him the whole story. “Really bizarre,” Yzerman says, without sounding angry or frustrated. In a way, his calm makes sense. Yzerman began his career with one of the worst teams in NHL history. And though he lifted that club into the playoffs, he was nearly shipped to Ottawa, then asked to play second fiddle to a flashy Russian. Over the years he rehabbed from crippling injuries and, by the end of his career, needed to prop himself up on the ice with his stick. But who ever saw Yzerman angry? Who ever saw him give up?
“I’m not going to stop reaching out,” Yzerman says. “Actually, I think I might do it more often.”
And the little boy?
“Braxton is a nice young boy who seems to have been manipulated. I hope he can realize he did something wrong. It’s not too late for him.”
The true story of the hockey hero and the healthy little boy begins now.
Maple Leafs reach out to sick kid
In a similar situation but with a much better outcome, the Toronto Maple Leafs reached out to a little boy Jordan Primeau who has cancer. You can view a great segment done by TSN about Primeau’s trip to a Toronto practice and who he got to meet along the way (including a visit from Alexander Ovechkin).
Marty Henwood, a writer for Hockey.com, compares and contrasts the story of Jordan with Braxton and comes to this conclusion.
Not surprising to those who have followed his career, Yzerman plans to continue a relationship with that kid he once believed faced same obscure future as Jordan Primeau.
A player can always leave the game. Class never retires.
Yzerman may have been duped, yes. But the kid was conned far worse by his own father.
So, maybe, just maybe, the stories of Braxton and Jordan aren’t as different as we think.
My Greatest Hockey Legend
I was tagged both by the Forechecker and Lucas @ Hockey Adventure to write about my favorite hockey legend as part of Joe’s challenge honoring the greatest hockey legends. The challenge entailed…
What I want to do is get as many hockey bloggers as possible to post an article, a memory, interactive content of some sort, something or anything that honours a favorite retired hockey player.
Anyone who has been reading this blog for let’s say two weeks or more should know that my favorite player has been and always will be Mr. Steve Yzerman. He was named captain of the Detroit Red Wings half a year before I was born. I literally grew up watching him play and turn this team around into the championship caliber team that they are today.
Since I started this blog during the NHL lockout, I have written plenty about Yzerman and this summer I even created a fan website called Behind the Jersey: No. 19 in honor of my favorite athlete. This year, I was hired as a public relations intern by the Red Wings and while I can’t and won’t say anything about what I’ve heard of #19, I can say that my admiration for him as both a person and a player has grown. I still have yet to formally meet him, but I know I will be quite honored whenever it does happen.
For me, I am still blown away by his performance during the 2002 playoffs when he was in an incredible amount of pain and struggled to walk up the airplane steps during the playoffs yet continued to play. That postseason play was actually a big inspiration for me personally as I have had 9 knee surgeries over the last 7 years and am constantly in pain. The fact that he was able to lead the team as a source of inspiration as well as in terms of offensive points to win the Stanley Cup is incredibly impressive. Aside from my parents getting me a car for my 16th birthday, my best birthday present ever was sitting 10th row (1st row behind the zamboni pit) at Yzerman’s retirement ceremony and having the chance to celebrate his wonderful career in person at the Joe.
Speaking of Yzerman, I added a new post to Behind the Jersey: No. 19 with a video clip of a speech he gave to some Navy recruiters recently.
Yzerman retired one year ago
It’s been one year since Steve Yzerman announced his retirement at Joe Louis Arena. We all knew it was coming and looking back, it was the right time to move on. It still was a sad day in the Hammond household and for Yzerman fans everywhere.
Since then, the Wings hosted a wonderful retirement ceremony on January 2, 2007 and gave him a spot as vice president. He was also named Team Canada’s GM for the 2007 World Championships where his squad won gold.
I am currently working on an all Yzerman fan website, which is coming along. I have the basic design done. All that is left is adding old articles, photographs, video, and audio.
Note: I have class until three and then will be driving up north to spend time with my family for the 4th of July holiday. If the Wings sign anyone today, I will not be able to even get online until probably 7:30pm at the earliest.
Jonathan, meet Yzerman.
I met a family from Quebec at the NHL Draft and the young boy, Jonathan, shared with me some of his hockey experiences for an article I’m writing for Michigan Hockey. They gave me a URL to his personal webpage where I literally saw him in hundreds of hockey photos with players like Sidney Crosby and JS Giguere. I was blown away that such a young boy could already have met so many players! While at the draft, he added a few more photos to his collection with Brett Hull, Bob Hartley, and Steve Yzerman. Yep, I’m a bit jealous.
Speaking of fan photos with Yzerman, I’m working on a project and would really appreciate it if any of you could send in fan photos of Yzerman to this email address. Thanks!