May 2, 2006

BY HELENE ST. JAMES

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman said he expected to announce within a week or so whether he would return for a 23rd season.

If not, Yzerman's last game will have been Monday night at Rexall Place, when his outstanding performance fell just short of saving the Wings from elimination. The Wings lost, 4-3, to the eighth-seeded Oilers, ending their playoff run six games into the first round.

Yzerman played with a torn oblique muscle; the injury, suffered in Game 3, was thought previously to be his back. Yzerman missed Games 4 and 5, and he didn't decide to play in Game 6 until after warm-ups.

"I wanted to try," he said. "As the game wore on I felt better, more comfortable."

Yzerman played 13:03 and set up Robert Lang's power-play goal in the second period. That gave the Wings a 2-0 lead.

Asked if he had the will to put his battered body through another season, Yzerman laughed. He turns 41 next week.

"Yeah, you know, it was a fun game to play in," he said. "Obviously the result was disappointing, but to come in the building the way it was, it's just really exciting. The more times you're in these situations, the more you come to enjoy it.

"So, yeah, I don't know that I'm ever going to want to not play the game. I mean, I really, really enjoy it. I'll make a decision pretty soon."

Yzerman said he already knew his decision. Teammates are rooting to see him back in uniform.

"He's been the best player for us the last two weeks," goaltender Manny Legace said. "I hope he comes back. This team needs him."