Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News
DETROIT — Never before has a hockey player's job description become so tightly interwoven with his public persona.

Steve Yzerman wasn't just another member of the Red Wings for 23 years.

He was the team’s captain, a title he held so long that it practically became part of his name.

The Captain, Steve Yzerman.

"Why was he so good at being captain? Simple — he was always himself, always stayed true to himself no matter the situation,” Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “A lot of guys can’t do that. They might bend or waver depending on the stress of the situation, or they might not want to say the truth — which could be unpopular in the dressing room. Steve never compromised who he was, and that’s what makes a real leader.”

Yzerman retired Monday, admitting his body couldn’t take the toll of playing hockey anymore.

The captain of a hockey team carries unique functions, something not seen in captaincies in other sports. He serves as a peer counselor, intermediary between coaching staff and teammates, on-ice spokesman to the referees, club motivator, a virtual hall monitor, and, often, the team’s biggest star.

In other words, Yzerman was asked to take on a lot of responsibility when named captain at the start of the 1986-87 season at age 21.

“As I’ve gotten older, it (the responsibility of being captain) wasn’t a big deal to me,” Yzerman, 41, said Monday. “When Jacques Demers first made me captain, it was really special. And I always wore the 'C’ with pride. As I got older, playing with guys like Drapes (Kris Draper), Shanny (Brendan Shanahan) and Nick Lidstrom, Murph (Larry Murphy), a lot of older players, a lot of really special players I never felt like, ‘This is me, I am the leader of this team.’

“I was just one of the players, who tried to do things the right way and tried to set a good example. I’m proud I was captain of the team, not for the number of years, but proud for some of the things we accomplished.”

But the truth was clear, even at a young age, that Yzerman was special.

“A real captain of a hockey club doesn’t need to scream and yell to command attention. Stevie’s not a loud guy,” former Wings coach and player Dave Lewis said. “The great ones do it through example. When a young player comes to the Wings and sees Steve Yzerman working harder than everybody else, that leaves a real impression. That’s what commands respect, both from coaches and players.

“He knew when to get on somebody, or to maybe tell the guys that we’re all going out for a beer after a hard loss. He knew what to do at the right time. And he remained humble, something sometimes gets lost with a superstar of his magnitude.”

Former Wings general manager Jimmy Devellano, who drafted Yzerman in 1983, remembers sitting at a news conference at Joe Louis Arena to introduce a baby-faced and slight-looking Yzerman to the Detroit media.

Devellano hoped Yzerman would someday become the face of the Wings, but never imagined the legacy Yzerman now leaves behind.

“Look at the transformation we have seen here,” said Devellano, now the Wings senior vice-president. “He’s gone from a skinny, shy, polite teen who had talent, to now being a confident, intelligent 41-year-old husband, father of three, multi-millionaire businessman.

You can reach Joanne C. Gerstner at (313) 223-4644 or joanne.gerstner@detnews.com.