July 3, 2006

Email this Print this BY VINCE ELLIS

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
It was finally a little too much for Steve Yzerman.

After keeping it together for the first 25 minutes of his farewell to the Detroit Red Wings as a player, the emotions finally overcame Yzerman.

He paused. He lowered his head. A few tears fell, but then he gathered himself and steeled himself to take questions from the assembled media horde.

Maybe the weight of the moment got to him.

That’s understandable when you are carrying the memory of three Stanley Cups, 10 All-Star Game selections and 1,755 points off into the next stage of your life.

Yzerman, the longtime captain of the Red Wings who became a Detroit sports icon, finally announced his retirement Monday at Joe Louis Arena’s Olympia Room after thrilling Red Wings fans for 22 seasons.

“I know referees around the league are doing cartwheels,” Yzerman joked.

“I have enjoyed my career here in Detroit,” he said. “I was drafted in June of 1983 and immediately on being drafted I took great pride in being a part of this organization and the city.

“I am looking forward to being a part of this organization in the future.”
There was no word on what his future within the Wings’ organization will be. General manager Ken Holland, who sat behind the podium along with Red Wings owner Mike Illitch and senior vice president Jimmy Devellano, said: “He will be a part of the management team. He has a great mind and he knows hockey.

“We will talk about a specific role when he has gotten away for a couple of months.”

Yzerman has struggled with injuries in his last few seasons, specifically his right knee, and he admitted that was the major reason for his decision.

“Over the last eight weeks I thought a lot about playing,” Yzerman said. “But we are at a stage in our organization where we are expected to do well come playoff time.

“To do all the stuff I need to do be an effective player and a good player … I had doubts because of the condition of my knee.
“I’ve become kind of a part-time player. The determining factor was I won’t be able to do the things I need to do to be ready for next season.

“I didn’t feel comfortable on my knee. At times, last year was kind of difficult, but I still went out there thinking I was the best player on the ice. But I had given up on that. I questioned my own ability to be effective out there.”

After the Red Wings were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers in early May, speculation mounted about the Captain’s future with the team.

He initially said he would make a decision about his retirement about a week after the Wings’ dismissal, but as recently as June 26 when he made an appearance at a Class A baseball game in Comstock Park, Yzerman said he had yet to make a decision.

But with the announcement made, observers said he looked like he was at peace with his decision.

“He’s going to have it rough when training camp rolls around,” said Red Wings great Gordie Howe, who was in attendance. “But he has the right attitude with his devotion to the family. As much as he will miss us, we will miss him.”

The legacy Yzerman leaves is extensive. He leaves behind more than the Stanley Cups, the 20 years as captain of the Wings, the All-Star games and the points. He was drafted by the Wings during a dreadful time in the franchise’s history. Attendance was down and the Wings were struggling. Yzerman, more than anyone, helped revitalize a franchise. Hey, he can take credit for Detroit later being nicknamed “Hockeytown.”

He also leaves behind the legacy of having forged a legend in only one place. Think about it. Even some the greatest names in sports like Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas and others had to toil away the later years of their careers in other cities.
Red Wings fans never had to endure the indignity of watching Yzerman skate with another team.

"I was lucky,” Yzerman said of his span with the Red Wings. “Guys that have had better careers than I had, had to move on. I was able to find a role, and another reason is, we were successful.”

That success started with the drafting of a forward from Nepean, Ontario, with the fourth pick in the 1983 draft.

A great moment and the first of many.