Yzerman agonizes over future
John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- You don't play 22 seasons in one town, for one team, and walk away easily. You don't endure repeated injuries and surgeries to excel in a game you love, then automatically shut it down after a sudden, unexpected defeat.

Steve Yzerman is grappling with the issues all the legendary athletes face. When to leave? How to leave? Where to go next?

It has been a few days since the Red Wings' season ended ingloriously, in a Game 6 shocker at Edmonton. And while the most-telling signs -- the ones related to his health -- point toward an expected retirement, Yzerman is having trouble doing what his body essentially tells him he should do.

"When it gets to this point, it's just hard to pull the trigger," Yzerman said Thursday, after the Wings players cleared out their lockers, an event that has become a somber spring ritual.

Before and after suffering a torn rib muscle in the playoffs, Yzerman was one of the team's best players, capping an amazing individual resurgence. So in the past couple of days, he naturally has searched for reasons to stay, rather than confirming the obvious physical reasons to retire.

It would be great if The Captain gave it another shot. But it would require such deep faith in his unpredictable health, it's still hard to imagine. In some ways, Yzerman's fine play late in the season, and the Wings' abrupt exit, stuck a cruel twist in the decision. The end came so suddenly, he was not as worn out as he'd anticipated.

Yzerman, who turns 41 next week, will meet soon with GM Ken Holland and Coach Mike Babcock, then make an announcement. For a glimpse into his quandary, here's an excerpt of Yzerman's responses in a wide-ranging meeting Thursday with a pack of media members at Joe Louis Arena.

Q . How hard is this process, deciding whether to leave a game that's such a huge part of your life?

A . Um, I go back and forth virtually every hour on what I want to do. Since the season ended, I've let things settle down, and I have to talk to the coaching staff and management. I really don't want to turn this into a big drama. So I plan on making a definite decision relatively quickly.

Q . Does the sentimental part -- fans and players wanting you back -- factor in at all?

A . It does a little bit. But I'm gonna do the best thing for the team and the best thing for me. And I think they're one and the same, really.

Q . Does your family play into it?

A . Oh definitely. (Wife) Lisa and I talk about it a lot. I just have to make a decision, then live with it for a few days. And if I'm comfortable with it, stick with it. If not, I can change my mind.

Q . What do you hear from your kids (three daughters) about your future?

A . They've got their own interests. They're happy, I think, to have me around. But whether I play or not, they're wrapped up in their own stuff.

Q . After another early exit, do you expect big changes with the Wings?

A . Obviously, something has to change. But when you really sit down and analyze our lineup, it's not going to be dramatically different.

A lot of the faces here will still be here. But I think you'll see a couple of significant additions. And I think it'll still be a very strong team.

Q . You were the best player in the postseason. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, with all due respect to your age?

A . I don't know that I'd agree I was our best player. I felt I was effective and I had some moments, I guess. I thought Henrik Zetterberg was outstanding. And everyone's all over Pavel (Datsyuk) but I watched the kid closely. He didn't score but he played really well. People have to understand, he was out three weeks before the playoffs with a significant charley horse. They had to drain the blood out of it and he came back early from that.

Q . (Goalie) Manny (Legace) took the loss really hard. Is it unfair to blame him solely?

A . I don't blame anyone individually. Everyone has their own opinions on what was the big reason we lost the series. Manny did the best he could.

Q . Do you think this team was constructed properly for the playoffs?

A . I believe so. Obviously we didn't win, we didn't score enough goals, but we had scoring chances. It's just unpredictable. Everyone has the right to question us and be disappointed in us, but I think this team was put together extremely well.

Q . You've said you'd like to see yourself in a role like (Pistons president) Joe Dumars. Does that play into your thinking now?

A . The situation at the end of my career is a little different than Joe's. (The Pistons) were in a rebuilding phase and were bringing in a new management team. Our organization is in place (with the Wings). I have no notion, whenever it is that I retire, of taking anybody's job. I don't expect that and I don't deserve that.

If the right thing comes along at the right time, that'd be great. I don't have any plan right now if I don't play hockey. I always thought I'd take one full hockey season and just do nothing.

Q . Has coaching become a bit more appealing the older you get?

A . Yeah, it has. I'd like to stay in the game, and being a coach is the closest you can come to experiencing what you feel on the ice, like Game 6 in Edmonton. For a hockey player, that's as good as it gets. But I think I'm more interested in the management side of hockey.

Q . Did it go through your mind walking off the ice in Edmonton that it might be your final game?

A . Not really. I don't want to say I was in shock, but that happened pretty quickly. Honestly, I just wanted to get out of the building.

Q . Do you feel if you left, the organization would be turning the page on your era?

A . I don't know if I'd phrase it like that. But I think it already has changed. Our top players are Pavel and Henrik. If I come back, it would be as a supporting player. My era changed a year ago.

Q . Did how well you played make you think you had more left than you realized?

A . I skated better than I had since the knee surgery in 2002, so I was pleasantly surprised. I felt better the last two months than I have in the last five years, and I don't have a good explanation for it.

In the playoffs, I felt good, and it's frustrating to get an injury. You realize you can't keep doing this over and over. But I'm not looking for sympathy from anybody.

Q . So maybe you have a future in the media?

A . (Laughs). What do they pay you guys? Is there a salary cap? You never know. I'm not ruling out anything.

Q . Does any part of you think your shadow is so large in the locker room, as long as you're here, younger players are never gonna feel this is their team?

A . In the room, I don't really feel any different than any other player. I'm one of the guys, we joke around together. But I certainly agree it's difficult for a younger guy to really control the room when I'm still here.

Q . Does that weigh into your decision?

A . Yeah, definitely. At some point, whether it's a week from now or another year, I have to step aside. That's what I'm weighing. Does it make sense to come back for the team? What I want to do individually, I think I can justify in my mind either way, coming back or retiring.

Q . How much does your damaged knee factor into it?

A . A lot. The better I feel, and the more I feel I can do on the ice, the more it takes a toll on my knee. So eventually it deteriorates, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Q. You always have the competitive fire, and you were productive in the playoffs, so what else would factor into your decision?

A . I want to be a good player if I play. I don't just want to play it out.

I want to be on the ice in important situations. But my health goes hand in hand with being a good player.

I think what it really will come down to is, I'll sit down with our organization and see what they want to do next year. And I can figure out very quickly if it's right for me to come back.

You can reach Bob Wojnowski at bob.wojnowski@detnews.com.