Yzerman announced Wings’ first pick
Steve Yzerman announced the Detroit Red Wings’ first round pick (#27 overall) in his new role as vice president. As the entourage of Wings’ management walked up to the stage, the Columbus crowd first booed and then started to chant “Red Wings Suck.” Once they realized Yzerman was making the announcement, the crowd applauded. I know some newspapers have reported that the crowd booed Yzerman, but that’s not true. They definitely booed the Red Wings, but applauded Yzerman when he stepped up to the podium to announce the pick.
Source: Getty Images
Yzerman receives new SUV
Source: General Motors
Detroit Red Wings owners have given Steve Yzerman a brand new 2007 Chevrolet Suburban at the General Motors’ World Headquarters in Detroit. He received his belated retirement gift yesterday, which was also the same day he was named to the Class of 2007 for the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
Yzerman to enter MI Sports HOF
Steve Yzerman will be inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame next year with 10 other athletes.
Other inductees were Olympic kayaker Greg Barton, announcer Frank Beckmann, Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, former Michigan basketball star Glen Rice, Olympic swimmer Clark Scholes, former Pistons player and coach Ray Scott, Negro League star Turkey Stearns, St. Cecilia’s Sam Washington and former Wing Norm Ullman. …
“I’m very proud to be a resident of the state of Michigan,” Yzerman said. “For whatever reason, Michigan continues to produce tremendous athletes. This is a pretty exclusive group and I’m proud to be a part of it.” …
Devellano revealed Tuesday the Red Wings organization had plans 10 years ago to give Yzerman a management role upon retirement.
“We never dreamed he would play 22 years — we thought probably 17 or 18,” Devellano said. “But he extended his career because he was such a competitor.”
In Yzerman’s first year in the front office, he’s been busy learning the tricks of the trade, from scouting to contract negotiations.
Getting the opportunity to learn about the business side of professional sports has been extremely rewarding, Yzerman said.
“I’ve enjoyed my role with the Red Wings, which is basically watching and observing,” Yzerman said. “I’m learning the inner workings, the behind-the-scenes work, and it’s very educational. All in all, it’s been a fantastic year and I think the Red Wings are in a great position for more success in the future.”
The Wings’ vice president Jimmy Devellano went with Yzerman to the Detroit Athletic Club where it was announced No. 19 would be in the MI Sports Hall of Fame’s 2007 class.
Yzerman was the last of 11 people announced for induction. The date for the dinner has not yet been determined, but it is slated for after the Super Bowl but before the start of spring training.
Yzerman thought it was fitting to be a part of the 2007 class, since Devellano was inducted last year.
“I followed him into Detroit a year later,†said Yzerman, now a vice president with the Wings. “He came in ’82, I came in ’83. … To follow him in feels somewhat appropriate. He brought me to Detroit and looked after me when I was a young kid here. Kept a close eye on me and he’s always been a huge supporter of mine.â€
Congrats to No. 19!
Yzerman inspires many prospects
After finding the 2007 NHL Draft media guide online, I skimmed through the 224 page guide to see what was in there. I saw most prospects listed an important hockey figure in their life. I decided to search the PDF for “Yzerman” and 29 results popped up. Two of the results were in regards to when Yzerman was drafted in 1983 so I have excluded those results. The other 27 were from prospects. There were less than 27 prospects who named Yzerman as some prospects used Yzerman in multiple answers. For example, Kyle Turris, Ranked #1, named Yzerman as his favorite player.
Here’s what they said…
AKIM ALIU (OHL, Forward, North American Skater, Ranked #41)
If he could have dinner with any three people he would choose hockey greats Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman and Gordie Howe.
BRYAN CAMERON (OHL, Forward, North American Skater, Ranked #43)
If he could take any three people to dinner he would invite: former Detroit Red Wing Steve Yzerman – “to find out what kind of mindset you need to be a leader”, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Andrew Raycroft – “to learn how to score more goals†and actor Will Ferrell – “to get everyone laughingâ€
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€
Canada wins gold in WHC
GM Steve Yzerman has added another gold medal to his resume, but this time it came as the GM instead of team player.
Team Canada defeated Finland, 4-2, earlier today to win the gold medal in Moscow where the World Hockey Championship was being held.
The country’s third gold at the event in the past five years only looked in doubt in the final minutes after Petri Kontiola and Antti Miettinen scored late. But the Canadians were able to hold on for the win after Rick Nash scored his second of the game with just over a minute to play.
The win earned St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray his third gold medal in four stints as Canada’s coach in the tournament.
“I’ve had the ability to surround myself with quality people,” Murray told TSN afterwards about his impressive tenure at the world championship.”
You can view a two minute interview that TSN conducted with Steve Yzerman here.
Playoffs and pain
It’s 12:35am on Wednesday evening and I should be sleeping since I have an incredibly busy day tomorrow. But, the constant throbbing in my knee won’t let me sleep. So this post is definitely not a normal post for me by any stretch and is really me rambling about my knee, Yzerman, pain, and the playoffs so feel free to skip this one if you so desire.
People look at me like I’m crazy when they learn how much I’m into hockey. You want to know why? Because when I’m watching hockey, I’m free. I picture myself out there. I get all excited when the players start fighting and I celebrate after every goal. I can’t escape my life of chronic pain, but I can escape the pain for those couple hours. It’s that time that makes me feel like I’m free again. That pain doesn’t confine my life. That I can do anything. I get caught up in the beauty of the movement. Of the connection between teammates. Of the joy following a goal. Of the passion these players have for their sport. Of one player fighting for a teammate. Of the magic of a breakaway goal. Of scoring a shorthanded goal to win the game. Of watching these incredible athletes sacrifice their bodies for the sake of the team.
Steve Yzerman is my favorite player of all time. Why? It’s not because he’s a great leader. Or at one point a scoring machine who turned into a complete two way player. It’s because he has a high pain threshold and incredible perseverence. He went out and played. Hockey was also his escape. Sure, it made the pain worse. But I bet while he was playing, he felt whole again (I bet you during a stoppage in play, it hurt all over again). Winning was Yzerman’s ultimate pain killer and in 2002, he led the team in points during the playoffs and to a Stanley Cup victory despite a knee so bad he had to have an operation to realign his knee that offseason. Something that is usually only done for elderly patients to help them walk again. Something that no professional athlete has ever returned from (aside from Yzerman).
An article by John Niyo of The Detroit News was printed Wednesday morning discussing pain in the playoffs. My favorite excerpt obviously included Yzerman and that magical playoff run:
For the last two decades in Detroit, that meant following the example set by Steve Yzerman. And given The Captain’s high pain threshold, laughs Piet Van Zant, the Wings trainer, “It’s almost unfair to compare anybody to him.”
Everyone remembers Yzerman in 2002, essentially playing on one leg throughout the playoffs, using his stick almost as a crutch at times.
“That was one of the greatest sporting accomplishments that I’ve ever witnessed,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “To watch him limp into the rink the morning of a game, talking to doctors to see what he went through to play, the pain he endured every other night for two months — it was incredible.”
And yet, it’s closer to the rule than the exception in hockey.
“That’s one of the things the fans admire about hockey players, their ability and their desire to play through the pain,” said Van Zant, who is in his 14th season with the organization. “That’s one of the things that I think sets hockey players apart — that willingness to sacrifice themselves.
I have an autographed 16×20 photograph of Yzerman sitting on the the bench during a game at home above my bed. I have a 5×7 photo of Yzerman slowly getting up on his bad knee during a game at my dorm. These photos remind me of how he overcame pain to succeed and that I need to have the same mindset when all I can think of is the intense throbbing or stabbing pain in my knee. I don’t know Yzerman. I’ve never met the guy. I can’t tell you what he’s like in the locker room or how he treats his family. I can tell you that he has dealt with a significant amount of pain and the way he responded to it inspires me on a daily basis.
And sometimes, it hurts to be a fan. Sometimes it doesn’t help you escape life. During the playoffs, it becomes your life. A loss for your team? It hurts. When you see your team lose in the first round consistently, it stings. And yes, I get bitter towards the team that kicked us out of the postseason. But I’m still feeling something other than the pain in my knee. Hockey distracts me from the one thing that drives me mad.
Tomorrow, the playoffs begin for the Detroit Red Wings. And as much as these playoffs torture my very being, they also make me feel more alive and excited than any other time of the year. Tomorrow, the Wings quest for the Cup begins. Tomorrow, the city of Detroit will fill with a sea of fans wearing the red and white. Tomorrow, we will start a magical playoff run or continue the haunting early playoff exits. Either way, I’m going to be there every step of the way and I hope you’ll join me by commenting on the playoff action here on BTJ. Good night and go Wings!
Zetterberg looks to No. 19
As a big Steve Yzerman fan, I felt I had to report this quote I saw via George at Snapshots.
I guess I’m not the only one who has a picture of Yzerman placed prominently as a source of inspiration. McKeen’s Hockey recently interviewed Henrik Zetterberg. Their first question asked Hank how the team has adjusted to the absence of Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan. Part of his answer included the following quote:
You are never going to replace those players. I would be naïve to tell you that. Their presence in this locker room helped to shape the Wings into Stanley Cup Champions. There is a picture above my stall where I change of Yzerman so I am fully aware of the contributions he has made every time I dress for the Red Wings.
Yzerman to become Team Canada GM
Nothing is official yet, but it’s looking like Steve Yzerman will be named GM for Team Canada in the 2007 World Championship tournament in Russia. If that goes well, look for him to take on the 2010 Olympic management role as well.
The recently-retired superstar, who is now a vice-president with the Detroit Red Wings, has had several conversations about the job with Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson. Hockey Canada wants Yzerman to do it. Yzerman, by all accounts, is extremely keen and when he returns from a ski vacation in Colorado, he and Nicholson are expected to nail down the final details and make it official.
Yzerman is said to be very excited to try his hand at managing in a hands-on role and Hockey Canada likes the idea of bringing another Canadian hockey icon into its fold, just as it did when it named Wayne Gretzky the executive director of the 2002 Olympic team.
Congrats to Stevie Y!
Yzerman Contest Winners
I would like to congratulate Chris on winning the replica banner and commemorative player card set that was given out on Yzerman’s jersey retirement ceremony AND the SI Steve Yzerman Commemorative Edition. Once I get the address of the winner, I will mail out their prizes!
I had 41 entries, numbered 1 through 41 in a folder within my inbox. I then went to random.org and filled in the correct information. It then generated two randomly selected numbers between 1 and 41. The first number won the “grand prize” and the second number won the “runner up prize.”
The first number was 28 and the second number was 33.
#28 belongs to Chris out of northern Deleware. Congrats!
#33 belongs to Melissa who lives in New Brunswick, Canada! She won a copy of the SI Steve Yzerman commemorative edition!
I’d like to thank all participants for entering this contest and I hope you all agreed that the winners were decided randomly and fairly.