"I know there's a lot of referees doing cartwheels today,'' Yzerman said.

The same can't be said for Detroit Red Wings fans, players and front-office officials, after one of the city's greatest sports icons announced his retirement Monday at Joe Louis Arena.
Yzerman, 41, spent his entire 22-year career with the Wings, an NHL-record 19 seasons as captain. In the end, his mind was telling him to play one more season, but his surgically repaired and often times sore right knee told him it was time to call it a career.

"I'm very relieved and very comfortable,'' Yzerman said. "This was the right decision for me. I really don't have any doubt about that.

"I had a wonderful career. I really will miss it.''

Yzerman said he struggled with the decision ever since the Wings were eliminated by Edmonton during the first round of the playoffs two months ago. Ultimately, he feared he would become a fringe player and would not be able to help the team.

"I just felt to do the things you have to do throughout the course of the summer and training camp and next season and be ready to go and be 100 percent and a real effective player for this team next spring, because of the condition of my knee, I'm not going to be able to do that,'' Yzerman said. "I've become somewhat of a part-time player.

"It would have been a simple decision to come back and give it one more shot. I've given up hope that I'm still improving.''

Yzerman called Wings general manager Ken Holland late Friday afternoon to inform him of his decision. They spoke at length. Afterward, Yzerman called team owner Mike Ilitch and senior vice president Jimmy Devellano to inform them.

I wanted to make sure he was comfortable with the decision because I know once we got off the phone there was no turning back,'' Holland said. "For me, it was very sad. He has great passion for the sport of hockey, for our team, for this city. Throughout his career, whenever we needed somebody to make a big play, we looked to him.''

Several luminaries attended the press conference, including former Wings greats Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. Former Wings coaches Scotty Bowman -- he flew in from Chicago for the occasion -- and Dave Lewis, recently hired as head coach of the Boston Bruins, also attended, as did Ilitch and coach Mike Babcock.

In 1997, Yzerman helped the Wings end a 42-year Stanley Cup championship drought. They won the Cup again the following season, with Yzerman winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He was also a key player in the club's 2002 Cup triumph.


Yzerman and Howe are widely regarded as the greatest players in franchise history. Yzerman ranks seventh on the NHL's career list in goals (692) and assists (1,063) and sixth in points (1,755).

Wings center Kris Draper said there will be a huge void in the dressing room.

"We've lost the one constant in our organization -- it's something you can't replace,'' Draper said. "We have a lot of great young kids, but the one thing you realize is the knack that Stevie had for when to say things. He had a tremendous feel for what to say and when to say it -- that's what made him such a great leader.''

Yzerman said it's not easy to walk away from the game that has consumed his life since he was 5, but believes the team is in good shape.

"There's plenty of leadership, there's a lot of talent,'' Yzerman said. "The organization is moving forward and I look forward to being a part of that group.''

He will step into a front-office position with the team, assisting Holland in some capacity, and will have input on personnel decisions.

Devellano said it's amazing Yzerman has been able to play at the level he has after undergoing an osteotomy, a radical procedure usually reserved for elderly people, in August 2002.

"It's the pain in his knee, if you realize the type of knee he was playing on, having to take pain-killers after practice and after games, it was bone-on-bone, really amazing,'' Devellano said. "He knows how hard you have to play in the playoffs, how gritty you have to play, four rounds, every other day for two months. He said I can't do this for two months.''

Yzerman cited the three Cup titles as his greatest moments.

"My whole career has been a highlight in that I've really enjoyed playing,'' Yzerman said. "At the age of 5, I always wanted to be an NHL player, it's all I ever wanted to do.''


Devellano credited Yzerman's willingness to transform from an offensive star to a two-way player as the main reason for the Wings' success over the last 10 years.

"He sacrificed a little bit of offense to become a complete player,'' Devellano said. "You could say through the '80s he really was the franchise, helped us sell tickets, lure other players here.''

Bowman singled out Yzerman's quiet leadership ability.

"He wasn't up and yelling and screaming all the time, but you knew he was a good influence, especially on the younger players,'' Bowman said. "That's something you will always miss.''

Said Lewis: "It's a storybook career -- you don't see this happen, 22 years with one franchise, the success, the failures, the growth, the transformation of his game to where he is today. It's quite a blend of success. A great story for Hollywood.''

Many who attended said there's no way to measure what Yzerman has meant to this franchise. And Yzerman tried to put into words what it's meant to wear the famed winged-wheel logo for so long.

"It's a special place to play, a special city to play in when you're an athlete,'' Yzerman said. "There's something special about being a Red Wing.''